A Familiar Sight.
“When the local Post Office closed, it made life very difficult...”
The real cost of the European Union...
Most people think that the European Union is an expensive waste
of space. But it’s much worse than that. EU meddling in all aspects
of our national life is now having a direct, and devastating effect on
people’s daily lives.
...The closure of the small PostOffices that are often a vital part of local communities.
According to Government report published in April 2008, nearly half of all
neighbourhoods have lost key amenities, such as GP surgeries, local
buses and post offices in the past four years alone – leading to what
the report freely describes as “the slow death of community life”.
What isn’t admitted to is why this is happening. It is because
our politicians have handed over control to the bunglers and
bureaucrats in Brussels...
The way we were
For decades, until the late 1990s, the Royal Mail was an efficient,
profitable monopoly providing the finest postal service in the world
as well as being an important element in the structure of British life.
Everyone, regardless of whether they lived in an inner city, a rural
area, or a Scottish island, was charged the same postal rates because it
was accepted that there would be some areas that were serviced at a
loss whilst others are served at a profit. If postal rates were set wisely
to balance out the differences then Royal Mail would make a profit.
Then Brussels got in on the act…
One of the European Union’s key objectives is to impose
competition throughout the whole of its territory regardless of
postoffice.indd 2 5/6/08 11:31:54
whether or not a national monopoly is beneficial to the local
community.
EU Directive 97/67/EC ‘Privatization of Postal Services’, issued
on 15 December 1997, began the introduction of an EU-wide postal
service and immediately reduced the Royal Mail’s monopoly to
mail weighing less than 350 grammes. The delivery of mail over
that weight was privatized, which meant that foreign companies,
mainly the Dutch TNT and the German ‘Deutsche Post’ (trading as
DHL), were able to cherry pick the profitable areas of mail services
in this country, leaving the loss making areas to the Royal Mail.
Royal Mail profits plummeted. A second Postal Services Directive
in 2002 further reduced the Royal Mail monopoly to 50 grammes.
From 2009 the Royal Mail monopoly will be phased out completely.
Brussels in control
Instructions from Brussels to Foreign Secretary David Miliband
(dated 28 November 2007) leave no doubt that the EU is in control
of our postal services. It unequivocally states: ‘The transformation
programme will involve POL [Post Office Limited] reducing the size
of its post office network by around 2,500 branches’.
Don’t believe their lies
The demolition of our Post Office network is being managed under
the title ‘Network Change Programme’ which, on its website,
explains that the closures are necessary because ‘The Government
has recognised that fewer people are using Post Office branches
[and] … that the shape and size of the overall network of Post Office
branches needs to change’. It fails to state that fewer people are
using the post offices because the Government has been slowly and
deliberately withdrawing services that the Post Office traditionally
provided. There is no mention at all of the involvement of the EU
and the real reason why our Post Offices are to close…
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Most people know that the European Union is an expensive rip-off, but not everyone
realizes the negative effect Brussels has on many day-to-day issues. The reality is that
over 80% of the laws that govern us are made in Brussels, not in our own Parliament – a
fact kept from us by the politicians.
The truth is that there is no point complaining about many of the issues facing
Britain today unless we address the real problem – Britain’s disastrous membership
of the European Union. We’d all be better off out, and able to spend our money on
things we, rather than unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, decide are important.
Outside the European Union, Britain will...
✔ Trade freely in world markets, benefi ting producers in developing countries as
well as British families...
✔ Spend the £11 billion of taxpayers’ money handed over annually to Brussels on
health, schools, transport and pensions...
✔ Once again make our own laws in our own Parliament...
✔ Get shot of the 320,000 pages of bureaucratic nonsense foisted on us by the EU...
✔ Prevent the further decimation of North Sea fi shing stocks...
✔ Regain control over our borders and immigration policy...
Help us work for a brighter future – outside the EU
The Campaign for an Independent Britain is the cross-party, non-sectarian organization that
campaigns against the way in which the EU damages our democracy and our prosperity. If you believe
that it’s time Britain left the European Union and went back to governing itself, please join us!
Visit our website or return the coupon below to:
Campaign for an Independent Britain, 78 Carlton Road, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 1PH.
Tel/Fax: 07092 857684.
Email: office@eurosceptic.org.uk
www.eurosceptic.org.uk/timefortruth
