Musings from the Merse
Saturday, August 02, 2008
TD ious
As Huttonian, in my former narrow sense, I applaud our MP's efforts to get Royal Mail to see sense over post codes. The article taken from the latest Berwickshire outlines a running sore which Royal Mail could out right with a flick of a mouse
BERWICKSHIRE MP Michael Moore has condemned Royal Mail's refusal to engage in the process of finding a solution to the problem of postal addresses for some residents of Berwickshire, which puts them in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Mr Moore has been working on behalf of residents of Foulden, Hutton, Paxton, Lamberton and Mordington, who are concerned that their postal addresses effectively place them in England.
One villager contacted Mr Moore to raise concerns about the impact this was having when he was travelling abroad and completing immigration paperwork*. Problems are also being caused by confusion among prospective house buyers.
Mr Moore has criticised the postal address database used by Royal Mail and has requested that they investigate the issue fully. However, in a recent letter to Mr Moore, Royal Mail refused to conduct an investigation and stated that, "there is little to be gained from further dialogue".
Mr Moore has condemned Royal Mail's approach to the problem.
He said: "In my ten years of work as a Member of Parliament, I have to say that it is extremely rare to come across a company or organisation that adopts such a dogmatic stance to an issue that I have raised on behalf of my constituents.
"In correspondence with me, Royal Mail effectively admitted that there is a serious problem with their database, but rejected any sense of responsibility for sorting it out. I am frankly shocked at their attitude and at their refusal to engage in any sort of meaningful dialogue in the pursuit of a satisfactory solution.
"They are in danger of showing contempt for their own customers."
The problem is that the post code TS15 covers 5 settlements in Berwickshire, chunks of Nothumberland and Ber Wick itself. As reported in previous posts this can cause difficulty . Not only for white van men thinking they are delivering stuff in England and are not permitted under their franchise to do so but also for humble householders or car owners in the Five Settlements seeking insurance and having to pay premiums appropriate for swinging rumbustious Berwick rather than peaceful Berwickshire. I was once accosted in the comfort of my own downstairs loo by 6 tweedy ladies soliciting votes (by banging on the window) for the Tory candidate for North Nortumberland. They withdrew discomfited when they heard that they had crossed the border: 'OH My goodness!' 'Isn't Scotland so like England?' 'What ever next?' The click of a mouse making the Scottish portions of TD15 into an unallocated TD16 is all that is required.
But the Royal Mail just can't be bothered to even discuss the matter. Further dialogue is out not that there was much of one in the first place.
* I wonder which forrin Immigration official gives a half eaten fig as to whether the intending visitor comes from Mordington (Scotland) or Morpeth (Northumberland)unless it is an Australian of Scottish Convict descent intent on keeping out all Pommies.
As Huttonian, in my former narrow sense, I applaud our MP's efforts to get Royal Mail to see sense over post codes. The article taken from the latest Berwickshire outlines a running sore which Royal Mail could out right with a flick of a mouse
BERWICKSHIRE MP Michael Moore has condemned Royal Mail's refusal to engage in the process of finding a solution to the problem of postal addresses for some residents of Berwickshire, which puts them in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Mr Moore has been working on behalf of residents of Foulden, Hutton, Paxton, Lamberton and Mordington, who are concerned that their postal addresses effectively place them in England.
One villager contacted Mr Moore to raise concerns about the impact this was having when he was travelling abroad and completing immigration paperwork*. Problems are also being caused by confusion among prospective house buyers.
Mr Moore has criticised the postal address database used by Royal Mail and has requested that they investigate the issue fully. However, in a recent letter to Mr Moore, Royal Mail refused to conduct an investigation and stated that, "there is little to be gained from further dialogue".
Mr Moore has condemned Royal Mail's approach to the problem.
He said: "In my ten years of work as a Member of Parliament, I have to say that it is extremely rare to come across a company or organisation that adopts such a dogmatic stance to an issue that I have raised on behalf of my constituents.
"In correspondence with me, Royal Mail effectively admitted that there is a serious problem with their database, but rejected any sense of responsibility for sorting it out. I am frankly shocked at their attitude and at their refusal to engage in any sort of meaningful dialogue in the pursuit of a satisfactory solution.
"They are in danger of showing contempt for their own customers."
The problem is that the post code TS15 covers 5 settlements in Berwickshire, chunks of Nothumberland and Ber Wick itself. As reported in previous posts this can cause difficulty . Not only for white van men thinking they are delivering stuff in England and are not permitted under their franchise to do so but also for humble householders or car owners in the Five Settlements seeking insurance and having to pay premiums appropriate for swinging rumbustious Berwick rather than peaceful Berwickshire. I was once accosted in the comfort of my own downstairs loo by 6 tweedy ladies soliciting votes (by banging on the window) for the Tory candidate for North Nortumberland. They withdrew discomfited when they heard that they had crossed the border: 'OH My goodness!' 'Isn't Scotland so like England?' 'What ever next?' The click of a mouse making the Scottish portions of TD15 into an unallocated TD16 is all that is required.
But the Royal Mail just can't be bothered to even discuss the matter. Further dialogue is out not that there was much of one in the first place.
* I wonder which forrin Immigration official gives a half eaten fig as to whether the intending visitor comes from Mordington (Scotland) or Morpeth (Northumberland)unless it is an Australian of Scottish Convict descent intent on keeping out all Pommies.
Labels: Post codes, TD15, TD16, White Van Drivers
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
The White Van's Burden
Huttonian washing hanging out the washing as one does in the Merse when it is too hot to do anything else-wrap yourself in one wet sheet and hang up the others -magic-when a White Van man arrived in search of Honeysuckle Cottage. His Tom Tom had lead him to Hutton-all the village shares the one postcode, and then he had spent half an hour looking for the cottage which is a former outbuilding in our 'compound' He apparently could not find anyone alive(and out of doors) in the village to ask in our post post-prandial heat induced stupor (it was 76F, honest) and when he did made the mistake of using the word Manse; which one? the former one?, the future one?, the Old one?etc etc. Honeysuckle due a blank but as he was about to return to Selkirk he met one of our neighbours who personally escorted him up Kirk Lane to Honeysuckle Cottage. Mission successful and he left Hutton hotter but less bothered than when he had arrived.
The image is of a white van turning circle. May be part of the Fishwick Bypass. Our man to day could have done with one as it took him ten minutes to reverse down Kirk Lane with several false starts
Huttonian washing hanging out the washing as one does in the Merse when it is too hot to do anything else-wrap yourself in one wet sheet and hang up the others -magic-when a White Van man arrived in search of Honeysuckle Cottage. His Tom Tom had lead him to Hutton-all the village shares the one postcode, and then he had spent half an hour looking for the cottage which is a former outbuilding in our 'compound' He apparently could not find anyone alive(and out of doors) in the village to ask in our post post-prandial heat induced stupor (it was 76F, honest) and when he did made the mistake of using the word Manse; which one? the former one?, the future one?, the Old one?etc etc. Honeysuckle due a blank but as he was about to return to Selkirk he met one of our neighbours who personally escorted him up Kirk Lane to Honeysuckle Cottage. Mission successful and he left Hutton hotter but less bothered than when he had arrived.
The image is of a white van turning circle. May be part of the Fishwick Bypass. Our man to day could have done with one as it took him ten minutes to reverse down Kirk Lane with several false starts
Labels: Fishwick Bypass, Honeysuckle Cottage, Old Manse, White Van Drivers
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Vandals are at the gates.And'won't stop.
According to an article in the New Statesman, reprinted in a recent ‘The Week’ about the science of Quirkology, one demographic group ‘Van Drivers’ are more likely than any one else to ‘push boundaries and break rules’ Now, there is a glimpse of the bleeding obvious I hear you cry. But hold on-its not just van drivers but women van drivers-Cor! Stone the sparrows! (we lack surplus crows around here) A think tank in the US has shown, for example that, sub species 12 c :WVD (not too far removed from WMD, we note in parenthesis) are particularly prone to break the speed limit-96% as opposed to 86% of male VDs. And when approaching a T-junction 99% WVDs fail to stop completely-Men mind you not far behind at 94%.And if they don't they presumably drive into the back of the one WVD immediately in front who did stop. Well, one should not be too surprised: that is standard van driver behaviour and especially White Vans are, er, in the van in this respect.
But Dr Trinkaus, the author of this seminal (no pun intended) study on the distaff driver has found that WVDs, away from the road also behave badly and are more prone than any one else to cheat in the TEN TIMES OR FEWER ITEMS check outs at supermarkets. Of cheats identified stuffing their trolleys with 11 items or more or taking through two loaded with ten each, 80% were WVDs taking a break from causing multiple pileups at the nearest T-junction.
This is a report based on New York research. This side of the pond I suspect that on the one basket or ten items check outs at Sir Morrisons WVDs are well down the list and can on no way compare with HTCs-Heavily Tattooed Caravanners. But they do have gender in common-Male caravanners, generally have less tattoos and better manners. The wimps.
And as for T-junctions-me, I’d prefer to face off a WVD than a HTC in charge of her Kommer Highwaywoman at any time-indicating right, turning left and dumping a Big Mac carton at the same time. As for coming to a complete stop?
Don’t be so silly.
The blog will be braving white vans tomorrow on a trip to southern (well north Midland) parts. Normal service Sunday.
If we are spared.
According to an article in the New Statesman, reprinted in a recent ‘The Week’ about the science of Quirkology, one demographic group ‘Van Drivers’ are more likely than any one else to ‘push boundaries and break rules’ Now, there is a glimpse of the bleeding obvious I hear you cry. But hold on-its not just van drivers but women van drivers-Cor! Stone the sparrows! (we lack surplus crows around here) A think tank in the US has shown, for example that, sub species 12 c :WVD (not too far removed from WMD, we note in parenthesis) are particularly prone to break the speed limit-96% as opposed to 86% of male VDs. And when approaching a T-junction 99% WVDs fail to stop completely-Men mind you not far behind at 94%.And if they don't they presumably drive into the back of the one WVD immediately in front who did stop. Well, one should not be too surprised: that is standard van driver behaviour and especially White Vans are, er, in the van in this respect.
But Dr Trinkaus, the author of this seminal (no pun intended) study on the distaff driver has found that WVDs, away from the road also behave badly and are more prone than any one else to cheat in the TEN TIMES OR FEWER ITEMS check outs at supermarkets. Of cheats identified stuffing their trolleys with 11 items or more or taking through two loaded with ten each, 80% were WVDs taking a break from causing multiple pileups at the nearest T-junction.
This is a report based on New York research. This side of the pond I suspect that on the one basket or ten items check outs at Sir Morrisons WVDs are well down the list and can on no way compare with HTCs-Heavily Tattooed Caravanners. But they do have gender in common-Male caravanners, generally have less tattoos and better manners. The wimps.
And as for T-junctions-me, I’d prefer to face off a WVD than a HTC in charge of her Kommer Highwaywoman at any time-indicating right, turning left and dumping a Big Mac carton at the same time. As for coming to a complete stop?
Don’t be so silly.
The blog will be braving white vans tomorrow on a trip to southern (well north Midland) parts. Normal service Sunday.
If we are spared.
Labels: Sir Morrison's, White Van Drivers, Women Van Drivers
