A while back I responded to the public consultation on the provision for Gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople held by the South East Regional Assembly.  Now that the SERA doesn’t exist any more they have sent me the results: it is a substantial packet, with some letters and a thick booklet, all  in an envelope delivered by UK Mail.

I believe that Crawley Council sends a lot of its mail out by private company too.  Maybe there would be less pressure to flog off the Royal Mail if the various levels of government just used it more!

Mind you, the argument that the Royal Mail loses money is a bit suspect anyway.  It is not a business – it is a public service, like the buses and trains used to be, so there is a chance that it will cost money to provide it, although a bit of patriotism from various public bodies would see it costing a lot less.  You don’t hear about the need for the NHS, HMRC or the Royal Navy to turn a profit so why should the Royal Mail be any different?

Maybe it could be made more efficient, maybe the cost of postage is low compared to some other countries’ mail systems, but thre is no need to turn it into a corporation.

Also received a reminder for renewing the road tax on the defunct Seat – about which there is still no word from the insurers.  At least that came by the Royal Mail so not all areas of government are hell-bent on undermining it.