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| Future for Royal Mail based on the privatisation of the railways | Future for Royal Mail based on the privatisation of the railways |
| (2 months later) | |
| Your editorial on Royal Mail (Don't tell Sid: warn him, 11 July) compares the sell-off with British Rail – which many Conservatives would not criticise. The answer, therefore, is to do the job properly. The fixed assets – sorting offices and delivery offices – would be taken over by a new national organisation to be called Network Mail. If the upkeep and development of these premises became too onerous, they could always be taken back into public ownership. The movable assets – vehicles – would be taken over by one or more leasing companies, maybe Postmanbrook Leasing and a couple of others. | Your editorial on Royal Mail (Don't tell Sid: warn him, 11 July) compares the sell-off with British Rail – which many Conservatives would not criticise. The answer, therefore, is to do the job properly. The fixed assets – sorting offices and delivery offices – would be taken over by a new national organisation to be called Network Mail. If the upkeep and development of these premises became too onerous, they could always be taken back into public ownership. The movable assets – vehicles – would be taken over by one or more leasing companies, maybe Postmanbrook Leasing and a couple of others. |
| The house-to-house delivery of the mail would be undertaken by MOCs – mail operating companies – and would probably be best organised regionally. These companies, which would have to include Virgin Mail, would sell their own stamps through post offices in their region, but would accept each other's stamps for items sent long distance. | The house-to-house delivery of the mail would be undertaken by MOCs – mail operating companies – and would probably be best organised regionally. These companies, which would have to include Virgin Mail, would sell their own stamps through post offices in their region, but would accept each other's stamps for items sent long distance. |
| The Queen would signify agreement to allowing her head to be used on the stamps by granting a royal appointment to each company on condition the stamps bore no advertising. | The Queen would signify agreement to allowing her head to be used on the stamps by granting a royal appointment to each company on condition the stamps bore no advertising. |
| The franchise would be awarded by competitive tender, with potentially lucrative regions such as London requiring a payment to the government, while the Highlands and Islands would involve a government subsidy. | The franchise would be awarded by competitive tender, with potentially lucrative regions such as London requiring a payment to the government, while the Highlands and Islands would involve a government subsidy. |
| An alternative name for these companies would be POCs – postal operating companies – in which case the stamps would be cancelled by POCmarking. | An alternative name for these companies would be POCs – postal operating companies – in which case the stamps would be cancelled by POCmarking. |
| Implementing this system would provide much-needed work for lawyers hit by the changes to legal aid and would also secure David Cameron's place in history as the greatest privatiser since John Major. Keith Potter Gunnislake, Cornwall | Implementing this system would provide much-needed work for lawyers hit by the changes to legal aid and would also secure David Cameron's place in history as the greatest privatiser since John Major. Keith Potter Gunnislake, Cornwall |
| • Your historian (Report, 11 July) has overlooked the 1989 sell-off of British Shipbuilders, comprising the great names of a lost British tradition: Vickers, Swan Hunter, Vosper Thornycroft, Yarrow … all now subsumed within BAE Systems. Like Simon Hoggart's Farnsbarns, echoes from a forgotten age. David Giles Cambridge | • Your historian (Report, 11 July) has overlooked the 1989 sell-off of British Shipbuilders, comprising the great names of a lost British tradition: Vickers, Swan Hunter, Vosper Thornycroft, Yarrow … all now subsumed within BAE Systems. Like Simon Hoggart's Farnsbarns, echoes from a forgotten age. David Giles Cambridge |
| • Royal Mail privatisation is an issue where David Cameron should have every reason to be grateful to his two sworn enemies: the European Union and the Labour party. It was the European commission that decreed postal services should be opened up to competition, and the Labour government which rushed to implement the decree, rather than finding valid reasons for not doing so. The result was to convert the Royal Mail into simply one of many delivery firms and to end the monopoly status it has rightly enjoyed since its creation. This in turn opened the way to the next step – full privatisation. If Royal Mail is simply another TNT, it arguably does not deserve to be owned by the public. What the Queen makes of all this is a matter for interesting speculation. Robin Wendt Chester | • Royal Mail privatisation is an issue where David Cameron should have every reason to be grateful to his two sworn enemies: the European Union and the Labour party. It was the European commission that decreed postal services should be opened up to competition, and the Labour government which rushed to implement the decree, rather than finding valid reasons for not doing so. The result was to convert the Royal Mail into simply one of many delivery firms and to end the monopoly status it has rightly enjoyed since its creation. This in turn opened the way to the next step – full privatisation. If Royal Mail is simply another TNT, it arguably does not deserve to be owned by the public. What the Queen makes of all this is a matter for interesting speculation. Robin Wendt Chester |
| • The Conservative party is to privatise Royal Mail. Then presumably the Royal Mail will be able to make donations to … the Conservatives. A nice little earner. Brian Moss Tamworth, Staffordshire | • The Conservative party is to privatise Royal Mail. Then presumably the Royal Mail will be able to make donations to … the Conservatives. A nice little earner. Brian Moss Tamworth, Staffordshire |
| • What happens to the government's financial borrowing hole when there is nothing left to sell? Jake Fagg Bristol | • What happens to the government's financial borrowing hole when there is nothing left to sell? Jake Fagg Bristol |
| • Good to see the Labour party is opposing the privatisation of the Royal Mail. My new party membership card reached me this morning – via TNT. Simon Adams London | • Good to see the Labour party is opposing the privatisation of the Royal Mail. My new party membership card reached me this morning – via TNT. Simon Adams London |
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