P&O cut sailings from Portsmouth
Discussion
See here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3696126.stm
They've announced over 1000 redundancies too.
The four 'western channel routes' that spring to mind are:
Portsmouth - Caen
Portsmouth - Le Havre
Portsmouth - Cherbourg
Portsmouth - St Malo
This is major ar$e, not only for Le Mans but for nipping over the channel for booze too
Let's hope someone like Speed Ferries picks up the routes instead.
They've announced over 1000 redundancies too.
The four 'western channel routes' that spring to mind are:
Portsmouth - Caen
Portsmouth - Le Havre
Portsmouth - Cherbourg
Portsmouth - St Malo
This is major ar$e, not only for Le Mans but for nipping over the channel for booze too
Let's hope someone like Speed Ferries picks up the routes instead. cuzza said:
See here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3696126.stm
They've announced over 1000 redundancies too.
The four 'western channel routes' that spring to mind are:
Portsmouth - Caen
Portsmouth - Le Havre
Portsmouth - Cherbourg
Portsmouth - St Malo
This is major ar$e, not only for Le Mans but for nipping over the channel for booze too
Portsmouth never went to St Malo.
Their press release says all routes from Portsmouth are cancelled with Ireland remaining the only route other than Dover Calais.
Bennno
I believe the French carriers are subsidised by their Government.
This is one of those 'infrastructural' issues which forces the ackmowledgement of Britain's somewhat mixed economy by even the most hardened free marketeers (the one area where yes, I believe Maggie got it quite wrong.)
Given the economic impact of certain large scale businesses or industries on specific areas and the relentless grind of competition, one has to at some point consider where everything's going in terms of cost-price-margin analysis relative to the socio-economic targets that individuals and society at large broadly wishes to achieve.
All very socialist sounding and in a way, it is.
We simply cannot keep seeing our own countrymen - and therefore economy - dumped on becuase Johnny Foreigner and all his works is competing from (sometimes massively) more advantageous (sometimes subsidised) cost bases - we have to better achieve a difficult but better correlation between economic activity and social malaise.
The poor sods at P&O are just the thin end of the wedge - hell, the miners have proved to be very much 'a warning from history' but the Big Dragon Economy is the real killer lurking to smite us all.
It's an imperfect solution and purists could not countenance such namby pampy notions but when dealing with huge and obvious concerns, generally of - as I've said - an infrastructural, large scale transportational or heavy industrial nature where certainly thousands if not hundreds of people at a time, in significant urban areas are involved, I think harsh but ultimately logical arguments in favour of possibly variable and/or limited subsidy may exist.
We are not the USA and do not enjoy all of their economies; the market may not always serve this island best...
The almost total dismantling of the social security juggernaut would free up an immense cash reserve which if applied to certain 'means of production' would surely yield a multi-layered, variably direct, mass economic shot in the arm for the UK (obviously over a several year period) that I for one would find enormously preferable to the culture of idleness and sloth which permeates many crevices of our working culture.
After all, a hugely inefficient industry is surely better than no industry at all when the alternative may mean far higher costs via negative economic multiplication.
Now, where did I put the phone number for The Beast of Bolsover?
This is one of those 'infrastructural' issues which forces the ackmowledgement of Britain's somewhat mixed economy by even the most hardened free marketeers (the one area where yes, I believe Maggie got it quite wrong.)
Given the economic impact of certain large scale businesses or industries on specific areas and the relentless grind of competition, one has to at some point consider where everything's going in terms of cost-price-margin analysis relative to the socio-economic targets that individuals and society at large broadly wishes to achieve.
All very socialist sounding and in a way, it is.
We simply cannot keep seeing our own countrymen - and therefore economy - dumped on becuase Johnny Foreigner and all his works is competing from (sometimes massively) more advantageous (sometimes subsidised) cost bases - we have to better achieve a difficult but better correlation between economic activity and social malaise.
The poor sods at P&O are just the thin end of the wedge - hell, the miners have proved to be very much 'a warning from history' but the Big Dragon Economy is the real killer lurking to smite us all.
It's an imperfect solution and purists could not countenance such namby pampy notions but when dealing with huge and obvious concerns, generally of - as I've said - an infrastructural, large scale transportational or heavy industrial nature where certainly thousands if not hundreds of people at a time, in significant urban areas are involved, I think harsh but ultimately logical arguments in favour of possibly variable and/or limited subsidy may exist.
We are not the USA and do not enjoy all of their economies; the market may not always serve this island best...
The almost total dismantling of the social security juggernaut would free up an immense cash reserve which if applied to certain 'means of production' would surely yield a multi-layered, variably direct, mass economic shot in the arm for the UK (obviously over a several year period) that I for one would find enormously preferable to the culture of idleness and sloth which permeates many crevices of our working culture.
After all, a hugely inefficient industry is surely better than no industry at all when the alternative may mean far higher costs via negative economic multiplication.
Now, where did I put the phone number for The Beast of Bolsover?
My reading of the news was that whilst P&O were pulling out from the Western Channel routes out of Portsmouth the boats and routes would be taken over by Brittany Ferries.
1. This would explain the ability to honour bookings
2. Brittany Ferries would then be the sole (or at least major) provider for the Western Channel sailings. P&O & Brittany Ferries were in notional competition (albeit never really trying to drive each other out of business - very similar prices)
3. Interesting to see what Brittany Ferries do with regard to prices now they are in this dominant position - wouldn't expect them to come down though!
This interpretation appears to be backed up by a travel agent I have been talking to about LM 2005 'package' trips
1. This would explain the ability to honour bookings
2. Brittany Ferries would then be the sole (or at least major) provider for the Western Channel sailings. P&O & Brittany Ferries were in notional competition (albeit never really trying to drive each other out of business - very similar prices)
3. Interesting to see what Brittany Ferries do with regard to prices now they are in this dominant position - wouldn't expect them to come down though!
This interpretation appears to be backed up by a travel agent I have been talking to about LM 2005 'package' trips
snorky said:The best part of the Le Mans adventure is the drive down there, and between Hampshire and Kent is the A272, a cracking road early in the morning
"all the way to Dover" from Hampshire ?! you poor lamb, you should try it from Lincolnshire....or Aberdeen !!
Don't think I could do Le Mans if I wasn't driving, wouldn't be right getting there feeling refreshed, next I'd be drinking cold beer
Mind you someone did mention something about some sort of race happening there too
snorky said:
"all the way to Dover" from Hampshire ?! you poor lamb, you should try it from Lincolnshire....or Aberdeen !!
I'd rather not - I prefer to get to the other side of the channel and enjoy the empty French roads - trying to cover any kind of distance in this country gets on my nerves after a while. Take your point though
Tripps said:
The best part of the Le Mans adventure is the drive down there, and between Hampshire and Kent is the A272, a cracking road early in the morning
Don't think I could do Le Mans if I wasn't driving, wouldn't be right getting there feeling refreshed, next I'd be drinking cold beer
Mind you someone did mention something about some sort of race happening there too
I love the A272 - I can be on it in 20 minutes from my house via the A32 which is equally good so I'm well aware of it's charms.
I'm not suggesting not driving - there is something very apealing about rolling out of bed and trundling 10 minutes down to the ferry.
There's a race?
>> Edited by cuzza on Friday 1st October 11:50
cuzza said:After rush-hour drive down the A272 to Dover, hotel and beers, roll out of bed and onto a Ferry / SeaCat / Train...
I love the A272 - I can be on it in 20 minutes from my house via the A32 which is equally good so I'm well aware of it's charms.
I'm not suggesting not driving - there is something very apealing about rolling out of bed and trundling 10 minutes down to the ferry.
You can then enjoy more of the French D-roads
Economics plays a big part for P&O, but perhaps the final straw was that they were being investigated for operating a cartel with Brittany Ferries,
Snippet here :
www.taylorwessing.com/our_services/ec_competition/brussels_september1.html
Snippet here :
www.taylorwessing.com/our_services/ec_competition/brussels_september1.html
Gassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff