Roy Mayall: Who will stop Royal Mail privatisation?

Postman, author and industry commentator Roy Mayall on the politics surrounding privatisation. As a public sector worker and a traditional Labour supporter, I’ve been effectively disenfranchised ever since New Labour took the reins of power and ditched the old Clause Four in favour of some fluffy-bunny type platitudes about justice and openness and everyone being nice to each other.

The original Clause Four, drafted by Sidney Webb in November 1917, was Labour’s historic commitment to public ownership. It was written in archaic language, and was a bit clunky to read, but was very clear: “To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry.”

The full fruits of our industry, note, not just a few scraps picked up from under the table once the banking sector has finished gorging itself.

This is an issue which is of particular concern to postal workers, being, as we are, in the frontline in the war for public services, and the next designated target for privatisation.

As public servants our role was always to serve the public. Not any more, it seems: now we are to be the servants of profit instead, the servants of the banking sector through its interests in private mail companies.

The trick is that the Royal Mail is being systematically undermined by a form of hidden privatisation called downstream access, and then more privatisation being offered as the cure.

All of the major parties seem to be in agreement with this, the only difference being the degree. Ken Clark has already stated that the Conservatives would privatise the Royal Mail outright, while the Vince Cable for the Liberals favours a form of part-privatisation.

Lord Mandelson’s plans for the partial sell-off of the Royal Mail were shelved last year, according to him because of a lack of credible bidders, although the possibility of a backbench revolt might also have helped to focus his attention. The plans are still active, however, and capable of immediate implementation. It will be interesting to see what makes its way into the manifesto.

Of course, in the fog of the election soundbite wars, this is one issue that will probably disappear from the electoral radar, given the media’s obsession with personality as opposed to policy. Most of my colleagues fully expect to be working for a privatised Royal Mail in the next few years. Where is the political party that will represent our views?

Visit Roy’s blog at: http://roymayall.wordpress.com/