It’s not just the 1.8 million road pricing petitioners who feel they are being given the brush off, how about the 4 million people concerned about the future of their post offices? Are they being heard?
There is two weeks left to respond to the government’s consultation on this, with several hundred post offices being considered for closure.
Julian Sturdy is actively discovering local views about this in York Outer, the impact closures will have on the daily lives of those who rely on its services in his constituency.
I wonder why post office services continue to be run down during the consultation process, with TV licences no longer available from them, but via Pay Point outlets in stores and garages and online. However, I have just keyed in my postcode and find PayPoint will not be available in my village store. I know this will cause much worry and anxiety for the elderly who do not embrace digital technology or own a car and can travel to the nearest PayPoint facility.
I would like to have seen Post Office’s encouraged to modernise to restore profitability in its main offices,to invest in new products and look at innovative ways to deliver services. Perhaps they could also be used as paying-in centres for local authorities.
Btw, I signed the road pricing petition and did not receive an email from Tony Blair, I have even checked my junk email and it has not ended up there. Will he also be emailing those who petitioned about the loss of their post offices – more than double those who signed the online petition? Is there any point to petitions if these two signed by almost 6 million people have made little difference at the end of the day?
no point to the petitions at all.
Glad you mention the post office crisis. The consultation will end but as I have said on my blog, the announcements as to where is to close will not be made until after the local elections.
The current government are playing fast and loose with us to a degree unprecedented in our democratci history. We have never been ruled by such cynical people.
Ellee, so many people signed it that the email is being distributed in batches apparently…
If rural people value their local post offices so much, why don’t they pay a little more towards the running costs rather than expect them to be subsidised by townies!?!
Here in Kenya, I’d be thrilled if the postal system worked 1/10 as well as England’s!
Ellee – I received the email in my spam box, and have linked to the copy on the Comment is Free site (http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tony_blair/2007/02/that_email.html)
I think we need a bit of French revolutionary spirit – but the Brits have always been dreadful about protesting. I blame our limited form of democracy – but those in power control that too.
It is infuriating isn’t it Ellee. I think people feel almost madder to be told they are being consulted than just to be ignored entirely. I date it back to the Poll tax which was the last time the country was asked a question to which it blew a raspberry and asked it in an honest way. They have got so much more subtle since then. Legislation is introduced in bits and in trial schemes to give the illusion that there us nothing happening. Taxes are quite blatantly hidden and news is managed in so professional way that it threatens democracy.
I was at a Council meeting recently and a woman stood up and said she was so cross she thought she was being asked when in fact she had let a salesman into her home.
the farce of consultation for CPZ`s has driven me to distraction.
You have to get to the next stage what it taught me was that you have to get involved and vote . If all these people who thought politics did not affect them notice that then something will, have been achieved.
Another question . How would Ellee , PR queen , use all that lovely free information I wonder. I have an optimistic thought that is that with technology available giving mass access to government it is possible that the current elitist system will come under pressure . On the other hand perhaps it will make it even worse, a shallow slew of unconsidered opinion that is easy to manipulate. Gioerge Walden suggest exactly that in New Elites
Heather, I love the French spirit, they really take to the streets, rather than marching to their Prime Minister’s office with a petition. Do you remember the French farmers blockading warehouses with their tractors? And more recently, there was an excellent campaign in Paris against homelessness, so they set up tents in the poshest streets, and extended this to other cities throughout France. They succeeded in getting the French govt to agree to help them, something their more polite lobbying had been unable to achieve. I thought it was truly inspirational.
Newmania, Dizzy is the IT wizard who can access all the good info, if we put our heads together, it could be a powerful combination. It depends very much what the info is too, a lot of it won’t be interesting, but then lots of it will.
What’s disappointing for petitioners is not just that they are being ignored, but the indifference showed towards them, I find that really arrogant. I say to every politician – you are only there on borrowed time. Remember who put you there.
Tony might be a little miffed with you, Lady Ellee. That’s possibly the explanation.
James, A few people might be miffed with Tony too. I hope he also feels that a petition signed by 4 million people cannot be ignored either.
I’ve had my petition response from Tony Blair via e mail. It is very long-winded, but essentially it says “We are not listening to a word you say when it doesn’t suit us”, and goes on to try and make the petitioners sound guilty by saying if road pricing does not take place, we will get choking congestion, overbuilt roadways etc
Oh, Ellee, you are starting me on post offices now! [You know they are the bane of my life here.] It is dreadful that so many small ones in the UK may close; again, the people making these decisions have no idea what it is like to be without your own transport or unable to drive because of illness or disability.
I worked in the lobbying team at Royal Mail for three years – so if anyone needs any advice on camapigning about Post Office closures they can always get in tocuh.
Get your voice heard – the rural post office network – http://www.ruralaction.org.uk
Visit http://www.ruralaction.org.uk, click any of the ‘Comment’ links and have your say. You can comment on as little or as much as you like. It is as simple and quick as that. There is no printing or sending to do.
At the end of the consultation period, ruralnet|uk undertakes to summarise objectively all the comments received, and feed them into the Government’s consultation procedure. Says Simon: “We were the first to use the internet to run a collective consultation on the ‘first’ rural white paper way back in the spring of 1999 when we received 1154 contributions. It was said to be “one of the most useful submissions receivedâ€?. So we know that a collective view from rural people, presented by us will carry a lot of weight.
So, don’t be left out: go to http://www.ruralaction.org.uk state your views and have an impact on the future of post office services in rural areas.
[…] Post Office closures the end of an era By Ellee I live in a village with a population of around 2,000 and when I moved here 16 years ago it had three shops and a butchers. Now it has one remaining shop – it is a Spar store with a post office which is well used by our local community – and under threat of closure. We will know soon enough. […]