Last updated 13:27, Thursday, 24 July 2008

THE headline on the front page boldly proclaimed “Backlash grows on post office axe” (Courant, July 11). This would be stirring stuff if it had any effect.

The fact is that on November 28, 2007, the EU ordered the British Government to close down “around 2,500 branches” of the Post Office. How has this come about?

For decades the Royal Mail has been a viable institution providing the finest postal service in the world.

In 2002 the EU all but abolished the Royal Mail monopoly of British postal services and threw open the doors to European competitors (Dutch and German) who promptly seized the opportunity to poach the most profitable parts of the business.

This left the Royal Mail with the statutory duty of dealing with the remaining unprofitable postal services. Thus the EU has forced the Royal Mail to operate at a loss. Hence, the sad impact on our local villages which are the hap-less victims of this chicanery.

There is only one solution to this problem. That is to repudiate the domination of our internal affairs by the dictatorial bureaucrats in Brussels by quitting the EU and rejoining EFTA (European Free Trade Association). This would enable us to recover our sovereign right to self government so blindly sacrificed without reference to the people of the country.

ROBERT JOHNSON,

Stocksfield