General Chat

Dry today, Jax. Warm and sunny. Stand on the corner and I'll pick you up and take you to Barry Island. Bring cossie and some money for cornets :-D ;-) Oh. And £6.40 to get over Bridge.

As I said John for me to travel to Scotland...air would be the only real way....I need a passport

I went to Wales in the summer of 1976 ...it rained so will not return :-D

I agree with you JJ about the Ruislip Lido - not too far from my old stamping ground. I used to do a lot of stamping in those days!

Aramis - totally alien to me!

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/11274097.Passport_backlog_proves_Newport_jobs_warning___MP/?ref=var_0

Newport Passport Office has now been messed around with for 3 years. It is a major employer in probably one of cities in UK most in need of investment and jobs.

Getting out of Britain is a nightmare now. I had to walk round Gatwick naked after being strip searched, having my bag tipped out across counter, suncream and toothpaste confiscated. And my Aramis taken - how can a gentleman visit Venice without his Aramis? I blame faith schools for it all.

My advice? Holiday in Wales or Scotland. Or home. Nowhere like Costa Acocks Green and Lido de Ruislip..

Britain (along with a handful of other European countries) did not sign up to the Schengen Treaty which permits passport-free travel between the majority of countries in Europe.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing in this era of people incessantly debating immigration and migrating populations. It is harder to get into the United Kingdom than it is to travel across the vast majority of European mainland.

Identity cards are in some ways a separate issue and would we particularly want easier cross-border travel?

The passport fiasco has arisen because of a sudden unexpected rise in renewal applications, causing a backlog for a department which is understaffed due to the closure of overseas processing centres in the usual modern kneejerk "cost-cutting" style.

Mine run out in 2008.....not likely to go abroad now but was able to fly to Edinburgh using my driving licence in 2009.....but I am not prepared to pay £70+ to travel in the UK

Does'nt it now come under the same management as the GRO ?

How many of us leaves passport renewal to the last minute?

I still have mine DC :-D

It was always going to be that once we joined the EU it woul be easier to travel within the EU.

Ha that happened!!!!!

The old BVP (British Visitors Passports) were ideal, they lasted 1 year, you got them from the Post Office (used to love doing them when I worked on the PO Counters). So easy in an emergency.

And the glue for the photos was great, really strong, think we all had a pot at home for emergencies!!! :-D

I think they should bring back the yearly passport for Europe. My first two passports in 1974 (A holiday I never went on because Courtline went bust) and 1975, Just popped into the post office next to my place of work with two photos and a birth cert....done in minutes.

My 17 year old daughter has just applied for her 1st passport.....what a lot of documents they needed to issue this. She doesn't live with me so I was a bit concerned that she may not have yet received hers, as I know she hadn't applied for it two months ago......Luckerly she has got hers but her friend is still waiting

I know this is a very contraversial topic, but I can´t help thinking that some of the problems relating to obtaining a passport coul be relieved if, like most other EU citizens, the British had ID cards.
My OH, who is Spanish can travel anywhere in the EU on his, even accompanying me to England. I, on the other hand, need a valid passport to get back into my country of birth.
His card was issued at birth & is renewed every 10 years at the local police station for a fee of a few euros.
My passport has to be sent by special courier, with special & expensive insurance & takes usually about 2 months to renew.
A large number of people who take holidays do so within the EU. With ID cards, passports would not be required, which would speed things up considerably for those who actually need them.