It’s time we reviewed our priorities

OUR judges and lawyers are earning millions of pounds keeping a terrorist, Abu Qatada, and his family in this country against all common sense, paid for by the taxpayers.

Likewise, the judiciary make a fortune searching for causes to claim compensation against the police, schools, hospitals, private firms and individuals.

Just in case the country should show any signs of getting out of debt, we make sure we have several conflicts kept nicely on the boil around the world.

MPs, of all persuasions, dither and wring their hands, as if there is nothing they can do about this vast outpouring of the nation’s wealth.

Meanwhile, under recent legislation, our brightest and best students are due to leave university with debts of around £40,000.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to review our priorities and take decisive action before we become an international laughing stock.

Strong man memories

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle, North Yorkshire.

I WAS much taken with Ian McMillan’s feature “Gong but not forgotten” (Yorkshire Post, May 4).

It revived memories from my own childhood when not long after the last war my two maiden aunts set up a bed and breakfast (including evening meal) in Blackpool. Now this was at the posh end, away from the promenade, off Lytham Road. The clientele was similarly upmarket. In the hall was – yes, you have guessed it – a gong. This was suspended in a substantial frame, the beater being hung beside it.

Like Ian, I itched to beat the gong but unlike him I had friends in court, my two aunts. Each evening around 6pm I would be pestering them for permission to strike the gong. “Not yet, potatoes need another five minutes” or “the Yorkshire puddings have only just gone in”, I would be told.

I stood there, poised like a panther. Then, that magical moment when all hell was let loose. I imagined myself like the strong man introducing the J Arthur Rank films. Magic!

Opportunity for growth

From: Steve McGuinness, Royal Mail Delivery Director, Leeds Mail Centre, Leeds.

I WRITE to correct the inaccuracies in the “Comment” section (Yorkshire Post, May 8).

Royal Mail and Post Office Limited have been completely separate organisations since April 2012. Post Office Ltd manages the 11,500 network of post office branches across the UK and is not for sale. Royal Mail, the UK’s sole provider of the Universal Service, delivers parcels and letters to more than 29 million addresses across the UK. Through the Postal Services Act 2011, the Government has set out a framework within which Royal Mail could be sold.

Royal Mail has been transformed in recent years. We were heavily loss-making – now we make a good profit. That matters. It enables us to continue to provide an affordable, six-day-a-week, one-price-goes-anywhere postal service across the whole UK, including a high quality rural service.

Royal Mail has an opportunity to grow. While the number of letters being sent is in decline, the rapid growth in online retailing has meant an increase in the number of parcels being sent. We are in a strong position to meet this demand.

We already have the largest UK delivery network and we are one of the most trusted companies in the UK. But we need to continue to invest to stay ahead of the competition. The Government has made clear that, given the state of public finances, this investment must come from the private sector.

Access to private capital will allow Royal Mail to grow our parcel business. This, in turn, will help us continue to deliver the Universal Postal Service for all. The Postal Services Act 2011 sets out very clearly the minimum requirements of the Universal Service.

Both the Government and the independent regulator, Ofcom, have made clear that these will continue to apply after any sale. The Universal Service requirements include a uniform, affordable tariff for postal services across the UK – including rural and remote areas – as well as six-day-a-week collection and delivery. Royal Mail also has amongst the highest service specifications of any major European country. These would also continue to apply were Royal Mail to be sold.

Stamp prices, whether set under public or private ownership, are subject to significant competitive pressures. We operate in a very dynamic, fast paced marketplace and customers have many alternatives to the post. There are now many postal providers. This year we chose not to increase the price of First Class or Second Class stamps.

The UK benefits from some of the lowest stamp prices in the EU. In five of the six weight steps for First Class and Second Class mail, UK stamps are ranked in the bottom half of prices when compared with European countries. In some cases, the UK is the cheapest. I trust this will provide clarification for your readers.

Scandalous speculation

From: Susan Erasmus, Hollin Drive, Leeds.

LAST year, global investment bank Goldman Sachs made up to £251m from speculating on the price of basic foods like wheat, soy and maize. Food speculation drives up food prices and is contributing to the fact that nearly one in seven people worldwide are hungry.

While high food prices hit people in the world’s poorest countries hardest, people in the UK are also affected, with the cost of our weekly shop going up.

It is scandalous that banks like Goldman Sachs can get away with what is essentially gambling on food prices. Regulation to curb speculation on food is under discussion at the EU, but our government has so far attempted to block strict rules. I would like to see the UK supporting tough controls to prevent banks from pushing up prices.