Stamp price rise is a consequence of EU rules

Those who may be angry about the massive rise in the cost of stamps need (as usual) not look any further than the European Union which forced Royal Mail to be part of a privatised EU “market in postal services”.

The effect of this was to allow foreign post offices like Deutsche Post to cherry pick profitable services like business mail, leaving the Royal Mail with the unprofitable services. This was supplemented by a second Directive in 2002.

When a petition of four million signatures was presented to MPs in Parliament the petitioners were misled into believing that our Government could do something about it. But I am afraid our politicians are so useless that they did not know that in this as in most other matters they had lost any power to govern.

From: Ruthven Urquhart, High Hunsley, Cottingham.

LET us hope that the forthcoming increase in the cost of stamps (12 bob for first class!) will deter many of those firms and companies from invading us with an avalanche of junk mail.

I expect that the postal workers themselves will be just as relieved as the targeted recipients!

From: Keith Chapman, Custance Walk, York.

Royal Mail said the cost of posting Christmas cards in 2012 will be the same as last year for consumers on various benefits, but not for other members of the community.

Individuals must provide evidence that they are in receipt of these benefits. All I can say is the Post Office must be indeed worried that many will use other ways of sending cards and greetings through internet facilities.

Sending letters could be a thing of the past for many in the UK that have enjoyed the pleasure of having pen pals all over the world could be no more for many – it will be unaffordable.