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Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

I did some work looking at their situation about 5 years ago. Based on what I saw at that time, I find it hard to believe that Brexit can be much more than a convenient excuse for what's happened.

Prices have gone up around 10% due to the $ rate - which would have decreased the profit margin on bookings.

Plus there is a unease about booking holidays at the moment.

Horrible mismanagement played the main part of the demise of course.
 
Prices have gone up around 10% due to the $ rate - which would have decreased the profit margin on bookings.

Plus there is a unease about booking holidays at the moment.

Horrible mismanagement played the main part of the demise of course.

And specifically the completely unsustainable debt burden, that long pre-dated Brexit.
 
Prices have gone up around 10% due to the $ rate - which would have decreased the profit margin on bookings.

Plus there is a unease about booking holidays at the moment.

Horrible mismanagement played the main part of the demise of course.

Most good tour operators hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates and as an EX hotelier I can tell you that an loss in margins is usually passed on to the hotels and airlines who do not want to lose the volume on bookings.

Thomas Cook has always been a badly run company, never moving with the times with a HUGE history of mismanagement. Hence it was owned by the Germans
 
To be balanced, Thomas Cook was not put out of business by Brexit. Who uses old style package holidays anymore?

These things are rarely due to one factor, rather a number of different things combine. In this case:

- hot summers in the uk
- reduced value of the pound cutting profit margins (kinda is due to Brexit)
- increased cost of going abroad (due to Brexit)
- changing consumer habits using online tools to be your own travel agent

No doubt other factors too.


Sitting on my porcelain throne using glory-glory.co.uk mobile app
 
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To be balanced, Thomas Cook was not put out of business by Brexit. Who uses old style package holidays anymore?

These things are rarely due to one factor, rather a number of different things combine. In this case:

- hot summers in the uk
- reduced value of the pound cutting profit margins (kinda is due to Brexit)
- increased cost of going abroad (due to Brexit)
- changing consumer habits using online tools to be your own travel agent

No doubt other factors too.


Sitting on my porcelain throne using glory-glory.co.uk mobile app

- 20+ years of mismanagement.
- Terrible history of acquisitions such as My Travel
- Terrible growth strategy

This is my business, worked in Travel for 20+ years currently at one of the worlds best tourist boards, this is not Brexit at all, its fundamentally years of mismanagement and not moving with the times. Their high street foot print has been too large for years, whilst Kuoni and Virgin went for small boutique shops in department stores to cut their increased overheads Thomas Cook went through rebrands and refurbs on huge stores in an increasing rent space.
 
And specifically the completely unsustainable debt burden, that long pre-dated Brexit.

I’m not disagreeing with you
Most good tour operators hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates and as an EX hotelier I can tell you that an loss in margins is usually passed on to the hotels and airlines who do not want to lose the volume on bookings.

Thomas Cook has always been a badly run company, never moving with the times with a HUGE history of mismanagement. Hence it was owned by the Germans


People want unrealistically priced holidays I work for an airline and the occasional times I do customer facing stuff I always find people moaning about costs and want a price match (ironically most of the time it was TC) even if it’s a decent cost - ironically this will now see costs increase.

Something was always going to go, I can see Norwegian going next.
 
But he ignores all the good things. I've banged on about London becoming a huge tech hub, he ignores that. The fact the UKs future lies in tech and services in or out the EU is ignored and he believes charlatans who shut companies that have been floundering for years who blame Brexit.

Also we haven't even left yet because of people like Jism me up and Steve Bray


London has become a huge tech hub - while in the EU. What exactly am I ignoring? That the tech hub has not collapsed post vote? One we don't really know if we will leave. Two things like banking apps etc don't really have issues with tarrifs etc. It doesn't matter where they are based. What does matter is things like access to programmers. At the moment we can them from the EU tomorrow, if there is someone good who's in Germany or Bulgaria. No visa, no red tape etc. We can also get them from India, China etc, but there are more issues. All Brexit would change is the ease of getting people from europe.

The UK is now - currently - service based. And services are not something say a Canada-EU trade agreement covers.

So no I have not "ignored all the good things". Becuase you haven't outlined anything believable yet. Maybe it is around the corner. We're all missing the logic of a breighter bredit future? It's hidden somewhere?
 
These things are rarely due to one factor, rather a number of different things combine. In this case:

- hot summers in the uk
- reduced value of the pound cutting profit margins (kinda is due to Brexit)
- increased cost of going abroad (due to Brexit)
- changing consumer habits using online tools to be your own travel agent

No doubt other factors too.

I'm not entirely convinced about this either. Yes the pound is at historically low levels against the dollar, but against the euro (where I'm assuming the bulk of TC's business was focussed)? Off the top of my head I can recall it touching levels below where it currently is more than once pre-referendum. There's no doubt an element of truth in what you say, but at the same time I suspect it's being overused & oversimplified by the anti-brexit side of the argument.
 
Read what's on the end of that link. There is also real, tangible good news.

What the video? This is the thing, we are still in the EU. It is not that there is no good news anywhere. It is that the prospects of Brexit look so futile and unatractive - that is why markets have dropped our national currency. Becuase there are no real tangible benifits that people can outline. No rationale for it. That video really just confirms it. Is that the best those putting hte case for brexit can do? Where is the plan, where is the positive future vision?
 
What the video? This is the thing, we are still in the EU. It is not that there is no good news anywhere. It is that the prospects of Brexit look so futile and unatractive - that is why markets have dropped our national currency. Becuase there are no real tangible benifits that people can outline. No rationale for it. That video really just confirms it. Is that the best those putting hte case for brexit can do? Where is the plan, where is the positive future vision?
Not the video, no. It's an entire category on that blog of story after story. A useful antithesis to all the (politically loaded) doom and gloom.
 
I'm not entirely convinced about this either. Yes the pound is at historically low levels against the dollar, but against the euro (where I'm assuming the bulk of TC's business was focussed)? Off the top of my head I can recall it touching levels below where it currently is more than once pre-referendum. There's no doubt an element of truth in what you say, but at the same time I suspect it's being overused & oversimplified by the anti-brexit side of the argument.

gbp-eur-5-years-chart-mobile.png
 
I’m not disagreeing with you



People want unrealistically priced holidays I work for an airline and the occasional times I do customer facing stuff I always find people moaning about costs and want a price match (ironically most of the time it was TC) even if it’s a decent cost - ironically this will now see costs increase.

Something was always going to go, I can see Norwegian going next.

Norwegian been looking for a bail out for ages but they like Thomas Cook seem to think the way out the crisis is expansion.
 
Norwegian been looking for a bail out for ages but they like Thomas Cook seem to think the way out the crisis is expansion.

They always seem to be cancelling flights.

I know had a strike the other day - but it’s worth paying that bit more to fly with them or Virgin.
 
To be balanced, Thomas Cook was not put out of business by Brexit. Who uses old style package holidays anymore?

These things are rarely due to one factor, rather a number of different things combine. In this case:

- hot summers in the uk
- reduced value of the pound cutting profit margins (kinda is due to Brexit)
- increased cost of going abroad (due to Brexit)
- changing consumer habits using online tools to be your own travel agent

No doubt other factors too.


Sitting on my porcelain throne using glory-glory.co.uk mobile app

Package holidays offer extra protection and offer support.

It’s not like it’s always cheaper to do it unpackaged as well
 
Or did you mean this?

The National Crime Agency has found "no evidence" of criminal offences after allegations against Leave.EU and its founder Arron Banks.

The agency launched an investigation into the pro-Brexit campaign group after it was fined £70,000 by the Electoral Commission in May last year.

But the NCA said it would not take any further action against Leave.EU, its chief executive Liz Bilney or Mr Banks.

Tweeting after the ruling, Mr Banks said: "Victory is sweet."

Earlier this month, a criminal investigation into Leave.EU was also dropped by the Metropolitan Police as there was "insufficient evidence" to justify any further inquiry.

In response to the NCA decision, the Electoral Commission said it stood by the need for the investigations to ensure "voters have transparency" over political funding.

In a May 2018 report, the commission said Leave.EU had exceeded the spending limit for "non-party registered campaigners" by at least 10% by failing to include at least £77,380 in its spending return.

It also referred Ms Bilney to the police, saying its investigation found she had committed four offences, including submitting an inaccurate spending return and exceeding the spending limit.

But she claimed the investigations had stemmed from Remain-backing MPs "desperately trying to overturn the result of the referendum".

Brexit Party leader and former Leave.EU campaigner Nigel Farage said he was "pleased" the NCA had dropped its investigation, but "heads must roll" at the Electoral Commission.

Leave-backing Labour MP Kate Hoey called for those who "condemned Leave.EU to apologise".

Leave.EU was a rival to Vote Leave, which was designated as the official Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum campaign
 
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