There is a feeling among the electorate that the country is changing and that Parliament does not seem to be able to get a grip on those changes. It is commonly perceived that the changes are not always favourable to the way in which we live.

Most people feel that the House of Commons exists to regulate the affairs of the country and to protect the provisions built up by the people of this country over many years, but that the Commons is losing control of what happens. The suspicion is widespread that the European Union is contributing to changes that many people feel are unpalatable. It is clear that such a point of view is not wholly inaccurate.

As I have remarked previously in these pages, two kinds of Europe are struggling to emerge, both would impact directly on the kind of country that we inhabit in years to come. I would like to see the kind of country in which social provisions are strong, and where the market may have its place but the conditions of life are safety-netted so that the inequitable consequences of free markets do not damage the social fabric. We see such social provisions at work across a range of public services, such as post offices, the health service and council housing.

But there is another Europe, which we are in danger of slipping into; a Europe that prioritises open markets above all other things.

It is the latter Europe – the Europe of free competition, open markets and inequity, with its sweeping cold winds of competition and market-driven change – that is gaining greater momentum in the EU. It is eating away at the social provisions that exist.

The post office network is a real and visible example of how European policies are coming home to roost on the doorsteps of ordinary working people in the towns and villages across the country. There were reports this week that 1,000 village shops now face the prospect of closure, and the issue will be debated by Parliament today.

Post offices which were once the centre of communities – and in many places still are – falling victim to the forces of the open European markets and competition. Local branches allow pensioners to pick up their pension at a close and convenient location; they allow those who can least afford to travel and who are least able to travel to pick up their family allowance, disability allowance and other benefits without incurring unreasonable cost or effort.

Being an MP for a number of mining villages where there is no central city centre means that local post offices are crucial to everyday life – they are a public service that people depend on. People fight passionately to keep their local post offices open and I have supported such campaigns in my constituency each time.

But we must look why this has happened and how it ties into the ongoing debate about Europe.

The European Commission's stated aim is to open the postal services of Europe up to the market while still maintaining universal service. Due to a series of directives, the Royal Mail must now compete with large private firms for the delivery of post over a certain weight. A European Parliament decision this January solidified and furthered this, saying that all services should be opened up to competition
by 2009.

We are entering a situation where, despite universal postal services being the aim, there will be a lesser service in the less profitable sectors. The postal service as a public service is heading to complete marketisation, and as a result our post offices are threatened.

Something that for years has helped to keep our post offices open was that profits from business mail would help to subsidise the less profitable post offices and services – the EU is no longer allowing this to be the case.

In fact, it has been admitted that the cost of business mail
has decreased while the cost of mail for ordinary users has increased. The effect is that either the cost of services will
go up, less profitable services (like the local post office)
will be cut or that the Government will have to subsidise the system.

The Post Office is but one example of how the changes brought by the European Union are adversely being felt here. I am not anti-European – in a global world and economy there need to be cross-border institutions like the EU.

Within this, however, there needs to be an ability by each country to defend their own services. In a typical British fashion of fairness, we have built up public services for all and put in place safety nets for those who need them – people realise when these services start disappearing, and we cannot allow a single European market to be the driving force of that.


Jon Trickett is the Labour MP for Hemsworth.