[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

What I meant was from a coffers side - ie selling all those companies should mean we're better off financially.

Agree with you on the Post Office, a Conservative manifesto should really suggest privatising it.

It was fine before when it was part of the Royal Mail.

But like energy (wholesalers/retailers), the government were hell bent on separating the delivery of mail from the post offices that would feed the Royal Mail. Why? The lefties may well say so that their mates can get something out of it. But really, it was about shedding subsidy and that comes down to the question of public service vs profit.

We've seen with the PO 'privatisation', the government being the single shareholder, is that the CEO has been struggling for profit, withdrawing services from public availability (closing POs), which is perverse. Then the Royal Mail is trying to do the same by raising prices, trying to reduce deliveries and basically shafting the public. The two together, could at least coordinate policy and the government to recognise its obligation to maintain a public service.

The UK is structurally broken, imo, and this is a minute aspect of this wider question.