In this morning’s post: enticing offers from McDonald’s, Domino’s pizza, Sainsbury’s a local clothes shop and a children’s charity. Arriving later today: a couriered parcel from Amazon. That’s often the reality of the modern British postal service. The Royal Mail delivers things you don’t want; private companies deliver the things you do.
Which is one reason why all the arguments citing the fact that Margaret Thatcher – sorry, even Margaret Thatcher – thought privatising the Royal Mail a step too far are cute but utterly irrelevant. It’s a different world now. One in which if things are to stay the same they must change.
And so, on balance, the partial privatisation of Royal Mail is a better idea than not partially privatising it. The choice is between taxpayers funding the reforms and investment Royal Mail requires to compete and secure its future or allowing the market and private investment to do so.
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