Member Info for Scampthedog

Next week cannot come quick enough! I have good reason to believe there will be a certain amount of positive news for loyal share holders; I personally think Rico Back is the right man to have at the helm at the present time...even if the s.p drops a little further you cannot go wrong at these prices.

Looks like the £2.20s are fast approaching.

Wise words indeed, Fruitster. I know myself from bitter experience about the pitfalls of using stop losses. I had over 1200 shares in an excellent little company...the s.p remained pretty static for a couple of years but I remained confident that eventually they would take off. Quite recently they did. I watched with obvious pleasure as, in a couple of months, they gained in value by over £1.00 a share...this is nice I thought. In my "wisdom", after watching my gains drop back a bit over several weeks, I decided to attach a stop loss against them. What a mistake! The price dropped a mere 3 pence below my stop loss...activating my sell of course; then, within three weeks -- they had increased by another £1.30 a share! Ah well...we live and learn.

I can accept that the present dividend might be maintained, for this year at least (could be cut over the next couple of years to help in restructuring costs) but cannot imagine the overall figures being much to crow about; it will not be basic fundamentals that bolsters the share price...but any newly invigorated investor sentiment that may well arise from the Royal Mail expounding on their soon to be unveiled new "Five Year Strategy". Let us hope so. Still think they are a buy at this price.

Hostile takeovers usually occur when a prospective buyer thinks share holders are not getting value for money from the present board; they attempt to appeal directly to the shareholders by offering them a higher price for their shares than the current s.p. Usually they buy out your shares for cash...but it could also be by just exchanging your existing shares for the new ones; or in some cases a mixture of new shares and cash. Not an expert here, Mike, and apologize if I have it wrong in any way.

One other point: Amazon could actually do rather well here. They have to pay, like every other courier, Royal Mail to deliver items where they don't have an existing network. Not only would they make money delivering letters to outlying, remote areas...but they would be saving money and making even more money by delivering their own items at the same time -- makes perfect financial sense!

The only thing about the possibility of Amazon making a bid for the Royal Mail that occurs to me is -- why not already?! There are so many obvious pluses here for Amazon that it is pointless to try and list them all: asset stripping (nine elms being a perfect example), closing down smaller depots, reducing staff and agency worker levels, hurrying up the pace of automation, trimming the existing fleet....and so on and so on; plus of course all the valid points that Fruitster made also. It would be the perfect buy for Amazon!

What is wrong with Fruitster's remarks concerning a buyout by Amazon? In many ways it would make perfect sense...to Amazon that is. Two years ago there were rumours that FedEx were considering attempting a takeover of the Royal Mail...indeed, I think I am right in saying they now own TNT? They were (still are) worried about the growing threat of Amazon's fast growing transport and delivery fleet. It is certainly a thought that cannot be entirely ruled out.

Bullish resurgence you say...eerrrr -- where!?

I am not surprised in the very least to see the share price back down in the 2.30s again...but at these prices I still think it is a buy; and will be adding a few more to my own meagre amount come Friday. I readily agree with the overwhelming majority on this board who are in it for the longer term ( at least 2 or 3 years): the share price will turn Northwards eventually; and even if they cut the dividend by 40% it is still much more than a lot of other stocks are paying out. A nice little earner whilst things are rather subdued. P.s I have a feeling there may well be some positive news next week come the Royal Mail's "Strategy Presentation"combined with the full year results on the 22nd. Gives us all reason for cheer anyways ...apart from Mr falklandinvestor of course!

Put me right then, madasaballon...I stand to be corrected. Do the maths yourself...all the necessary figures to do the calculations can be collected in literally seconds from the internet. Please feel free to go ahead...I will be interested to see what "results" you come up with. Incidentally, out of those 120000 CWU members 110000 are posties - not 120000! Also, a "no" vote, a spoiled vote, someone abstaining or someone not entitled to vote all adds up to the same thing -- a vote NOT in favour!! But like I said...do your own sums -- but make sure you post the results please!

Oh, one other point, Mr Isleworth Spy. During the period in the run up to arbitration when the CWU were threatening to strike, even though I thought, as posties, you had it petty good already, I was still willing to come out in support...nobody forced me to join the union. I did not agree with the threat of a strike...but I did not really think I had any other choice: it was the honourable thing to do. And bear this in mind also: there are over 160000 employees in the Royal Mail...110000 in the Cwu. Therefore -- there were 50000 who did not even vote for that strike action! Plus of course the members in the union who voted against a strike. I believe the turnout was 63%; of that 63%, 78% voted to strike...under 50000. By my reckoning, Mr Isleworth Spy, that put the people threatening to strike in rather a smaller minority. about 50000 for -- and over 100000 against!!! But of course you don't mention that do you. Understandable...why would you want to?

No coincidence, StYd...I knew all about it beforehand.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. My goodness, Mr IsleworthSpy -- such rudeness! You need to take a chill-pill... or some thing or other. Calmmm yourself down a bit. If you had taken the time to read some of my other posts more attentively you would have taken note that I joined the CWU (I was, quite rightly... in my opinion, encouraged to do so) when I was working for Angard. I no longer work for Angard, but still remain a member of the union...and, obviously, contribute to your best interests also by paying my union fees. I fully accept that without unions most of us would still be living in ghettos like the old Manchester slums; but still...that does not mean I have to lick their a@se or fully agree with their own politically driven agendas...like Mr Wards for instance: a good old "red in the bed" if ever there was one. I understand all about unions: their dual aims of improving working conditions for the working man and using their members support for furthering the political ambitions of the political party of the leaderships choice. Just because I am a member of a union does not therefore follow on that I have to agree with every militant or unreasonable demand that they make; in your mind maybe? But there again perhaps you are just one of those mindless sheep types? They who mindlessly follow the rest of the Baaing crowd...wherever it might lead to.

2nd cousin thankfully removed...from total insanity I might well add.

...err...not unless it was Diane Abbot...

I tend to agree, in some ways, about your comments regarding the M.F article, StYd...although, personally, I would not say it was an emotive, baseless argument they put forward; the M.F tends to change its opinions as often as they change their underpants...but, in all honesty, concerning the Royal Mail, their view has been quite consistent for several months now. Like I have mentioned earlier, an essential ingredient for any public company is positive P.R...I am quite sure there will be a certain amount of cheer for shareholders come the Royal Mails "Capital Markets Day".

Many thanks, OliGarch, for taking time to work through some of my points and for watching the video; I don't think you totally understand the full impact of the CWU's shorter working week on productivity...but there again, with all respect, I would not expect you to. The one hour a week is not taken as an hour off one shift...but as a quarter of an hour off four shifts; friday sees postal workers leaving one hour earlier as part of the initial agreement. For example -- a postie on a night shift (10 - 6): Monday to Thursday going home time...5.40, Friday going home time (sat morning) 5.00. Bear in mind, as of October this year Mon to Thursday, going home times will be 5.25 (they get five mins washing up time). In two short years from now they will be working five days a week with 5 O clock finishes every day -- for the same pay!! But it won't come to that. The Royal Mail knows it has made a terrible blunder...and the CWU knows that the Royal Mail now knows. The battle lines have already been drawn. In the words of one Royal Mail manager I spoke with last week: "Its already gone pear shaped...never mind come October". And, whats more important -- the markets know it also!! P.s I am a member of the CWU; I joined when I was an Angard worker...so I know all about their mindset.

Yes indeed, onelongrunner...I agree, somewhat, with your comments. You have a very apt signature name...because, despite what the majority of people think here, this is -- a longer term share. I am quite sure the yearly figures are not going to be that much to shout about; I would think: more likely disappointing than anything else...but their "Five Year Plan" should certainly help bolster confidence in the company's longer term outlook. Longer term reading 2 - 3 years I should imagine. At these prices most certainly a good investment for the future. After all, there are two reasons to buy into any company: the basic fundamentals...and the prevailing longer term sentiment. Any good news from the Royal Mails looming Capital Markets Day (which, incidentally, might be put back once again) is going to be the latter - sentiment. But it will certainly be "good news"...of that I am certain. P.s The only looming cloud on the horizon for the Royal Mail is the CWU's recent "Emergency Moition" passed at their national conference last week...I mentioned all this in my previous comments. But, of course, nobody here wants to consider the implications of all this...too awful to contemplate for you all it would seem.

Never seen IQE's daily chart looking so static...almost if everyone is hanging on to every word of the constant tweeting, going on right now at this very minute, from the constantly tweeting president -- fascinating stuff! P.s Apparently, in the president own words: "there is no rush". Could explain things: everyone is busily watching each other; if, when it comes, its good news the IQE share price could shoot upwards pretty rapid -- don't take your eye off the ball here!