Labour Party members in Somerset are calling on the Party to promise to take Royal Mail back under public control. And their call has support at national level.
The West Somerset branch has made a submission to Labour’s National Policy Forum saying:
“We believe privatisation of Royal Mail will bring an inevitable deterioration in the postal service, particularly in rural areas like our own. There will be pressure to end the six day delivery and uniform postal tariff. Although the next Labour government will be able to secure the service for some years, a privatised postal service will inevitably become worse in the longer term. Royal Mail makes hundreds of millions of pounds in profit and it would not be irresponsible to allow it to borrow from commercial markets. It could be a non-profit company while remaining a publicly owned service. The Tory policy of privatisation is purely ideological. Labour should promise to bring Royal Mail back under public control – if necessary by buying a controlling share when we come to power.”
Getting it into the manifesto
The submission brought a response from Ann Black of Labour’s National Executive. She said:
“Thanks West Somerset As you’ll know, this is the policy agreed by the 2013 party conference. Getting it into the manifesto will need further work, at the national policy forum in 2014 and then in the final discussions in the run-up to the election.”
West Somerset branch secretary Andy Lewis said:
“Any Labour Party branch can make submissions to the National Policy Forum. There is huge public support for a publicly controlled postal service. We urge other branches in Somerset to join us in pressing for the renationalisation of Royal Mail”
Whilst I totally support the renationalisation of Royal Mail,a far higher priority should be the renationalisation of the “National” Helath Service. The Government’s ridiculous imposition of competiton in the NHS and its inevitable contracting out to the provate sector is leading to terrible anomlaies and deterioration. Laobur must commit itself to rescuing the NHS, assuming it’s not too late by 2015!
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/labour-renationalise-royal-mail?source=twitter-share-button …
I used to be a Labour Party member and I resigned in protest when Ed rejected the motion 8 at conference, I hope that the re nationalisation of Royal Mail is included In the 2015 manifesto but we will wait and see, by 2015 it could be too late!