http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10406628.stm I'm really in two minds about privatisation of the Royal Mail. I basically support free markets, and the RM is a great lumbering mess with a huge pensions deficit to address. Something needs to be done, as it appears that employees and management are constantly against each other in some bizarre battle (heard that posties are now being discouraged from bicycles to vans, under health and safety grounds ). Either way, our late and occasionally mangled delivery of mail recently has been driving me nuts. But I'm also wary of any old contracted out, minimum wage McPostie handling our mail and getting close and personal with our property. Privatisation of RM isn't like privatisation of BT or British Rail; I think there's a degree of security to be considered. I used to like the old system, whereby we knew our postie by name -- kind of a representative, if you will -- and got a fairly decent service, which seemed to be the priority. Anyhoo, anyone got any thoughts on it ? ETA: Also, heard that the 'dropping volumes' thing is a load of crap. Apparently, those figures were brought about by working out averages in boxes -- approximately 2/3 of what was actually in them. I certainly get loads more junk mail these days... how is that a drop in volume?
Don't like it. But, as you said, unless it can be run effectively then something will need to be changed. And I don't want 10 pieces of junk mail a day just to help pay for the continuation of Royal Mail. If it is just going to decline steadily before imploding then a private alternative would be preferable. If it can be run as a public business then someone should fix it. What I really don't want to see is it being privatised and in 10 years should to the Spanish or something. I see Tate and Lyle went yank the other day - what exactly is left?
How many people need (aside for employment) the Royal Mail? Personally, I'd get by just fine without the US postal system.
Here in Canada, Canada Post became a Crown Corporation in the 1980's. Not sure if you folks have those in the UK but it's essentially a private corporation owned by the government. While this sounds funny, a crown corporation has all the characterics of a private company and none of the characteristics of a government department. Nonetheless, they are accountable solely to the government as they are the only shareholder. Anyway, it seems to have largely been a success in the case of Canada Post. The same mail lady has been working my route for years and always leaves a treat at the door for my dog. I do know that in newer subdivisions Canada Post is cutting costs by installing central post boxes where homeowners have to get their mail. I much prefer the door-to-door delivery and personal service!
Yeah, absolutely. You just know that, if privatised now, within 10 years it'll be sold off abroad. I hope it can be operated as a public business -- the whole system can be simplified and returned to something of what it was before. Hasn't there been some stupid amount of money spent on 'modernising' RM? Plus, mail volumes are NOT going down. I refuse to believe it when I see posties with panniers and trolleys full, huffing and puffing up the high street every day! Like I say though, my main reason for keeping it as a public service is security and an element of trust. Posties have responsible jobs, IMHO, and it worries me when it's downgraded. I think I probably would get by ok. However, as with all these moves, thought is really only given to population hubs. I think rural areas, villages and smaller towns would struggle (minimal reception for mobile comms and poor broadband etc... plus private mail carriers may charge more for greater distances to cover). Elderly people still love traditional posties and those poorer people who don't have home access to the internet might find things awkward. For the next few years at least, I think many small businesses would also struggle without the confidence in a public mail service. At work, for example, we rely heavily on our post, which is why it's been such a headache this last few weeks.
I break with my libertarian brethren in that I think the US Postal Service is one of the best run government agencies that there is, despite any problems that it has. To think that for less than 50 cents I can have someone send a piece of paper from Hawaii to Maine in just a few days, it's actually quite an achievement. If the call for privatizing the US Mail were to go up here, I would oppose it.
American junk mail is... of two kinds. There is the Spam. Which is individual pieces that the companies buy your info for. (or the blanket type: just sent it to everyone.) The second type is the ads. Those bundles of ads and specials that are grouped together for local businesses. This second type is special and should not be counted when figuring the "volume" of mail your box receives Why? Because it's contracted by our privatized mail system. the Post Office is paid by these companies to deliver them . No, Not like normal mail. There is an additional amount of money here. Beyond postage. It's more like a Sponsored ad service that the post office is whoring themselves out to. They have to or our stamps would easily be $2 each. And then who would send a letter when they could do it E-form? They are doing it to stay afloat and competitive. Think about this when you think about your Royal Mail becoming private.
I disagree, you are thinking small scale. Yeah, when you send a letter from hawaii to maine its cheap, but its the bulk when they ship a truck load of letters from one city to another at 50cents a piece where they make gobs of money.
When you look at the history of the US postal system, the reason for its creation is solid. To help facilitate communication throughout a new nation. Establishing a framework for delivering letters and newspapers, was huge. Two hundred years later and communication is still huge, and advances in communication technology have made many older means of communicating obsolete. The US Mail should embrace better means of facilitating communication. Nostalgia has no place in the discussion. Is anybody bitching about thousands of smoke-signalers losing their jobs? Should taxpayer dollars be spent reviving a homing pigeon program?
That's not really possible in the US. The constitution requires the Federal government to maintain a national postal system.
