Similar Posts
Treasure Hunt winner has a right royal reward as Beefeaters present her with £10,000 prize
[ad_1] First Mail Treasure Hunt winner has a right royal reward as Beefeaters present her with £10,000 prize Anna Noakes won the first £10,000 prize in the Daily Mail’s £50,000 Royal Treasure Hunt The 79-year-old from Surrey has been solving puzzles in the paper for years and her persistence finally paid off at the weekend She…
End of tariffs exemption erodes overseas mail to U.S.
[ad_1] Aug. 23 (UPI) — Many foreign governments are planning to stop some mail services to the United States after Friday’s expiration of the tariff exemption on low-cost goods. France, Germany, India and Britain temporarily have already suspended some mail services to the United States due to the expiration of the de minimis tariff exemption…
Dad rushed to hospital with fractures after he ‘flew off’ after hitting deep pothole
[ad_1] Denver Bruce, 24, was rushed to hospital after hitting a pothole on a single track road in Wick, Scotland. His wife Cobi said his helmet and protective gear were all destroyed A father-of-two was left with multiple fractures after being thrown from his motorbike when he hit a deep pothole. Denver Bruce, 24, was…
How much do stamps cost? Price of first and second-class postage, and Royal Mail Christmas last post dates
[ad_1] Royal Mail has announced its last posting dates for Christmas 2021. It is urging people to send gifts out as early as possible, particularly if they are being sent internationally. “Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe,”…
Margaret Thatcher famously left the Royal Mail out of her privatisation sights in the 1980s. She felt its monarchical connections and distinguished history going back to the creation of Master of the Posts in 1516 gave it a unique position. It had been in public ownership since 1635 and possessed a Royal Charter symbolic of its national importance.
The nettle was finally grasped with privatisation 10 years ago, just as letter writing was in steep decline and competition to deliver parcels was growing rapidly. Royal Mail, still required to deliver a letter at a uniform price anywhere in the country, is projected to lose more than £350 million for this financial year mainly because of strikes. The business says modernisation is essential to improve its parcel service.
The price of a first-class stamp will rise above £1 next week and most of the letters Royal Mail delivers comprise promotional literature. Latterly, it has been beset by a series of industrial disputes over pay and conditions that has left the company on the brink of collapse. The board is threatening to put the firm into administration, which may then force the Government to take it back into public ownership, thereby playing into the hands of the unions.
Is a Conservative government prepared to preside over the insolvency of such an august institution? Should taxpayers sustain a business that relies upon a means of communication that is in decline? Arguably, the Royal Mail is a utility, insofar as it delivers letters to remote parts of the country that would not be served by commercial operators. The arguments joined in Mrs Thatcher’s time may be about to be replayed.