Post Office Charges and Services

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 April 1970.

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Photo of Mr William Price Mr William Price , Rugby 12:00, 21 April 1970

I get the impression that we have been all through this before, that what we are experiencing is a refined form of " Paki-bashing " and that the Tories will go back to their constituencies at the weekend proud and able to boast that they have given a nationalised industry a parliamentary thrashing.

Those of us who have sat through most of the debate—I apologise for being unable to be present earlier—know that that is not true. But it does not matter whether the thrashing is justified or not, because the Opposition are not interested in the rights or wrongs of the issue. They are interested only in the narrow ideological dogma of people opposed to nationalised undertakings. It is as simple as that.

I do not want to refer to long briefs, whether from the C.B.I. or the trade unions or anyone else, but merely to put in a kindly word for the Post Office. No one will welcome increased charges. I do not. I get the impression, reading the newspapers, that they do not, either. It is a curious fact of life that the newspapers themselves have recently pushed their prices up by between 20 and 25 per cent., the latest in a long series of increases. Listening to some industrialists, I get the impression that the only organisation ever to increase prices is the good old Post Office, and it is not true.

There is a good deal of hypocrisy in the attitude to the Post Office, as there has been for a long time, and some newspapers, as always, lead the way. They are happy to talk about the Post Office and its alleged gross inefficiencies and inadequacies. I worked for newspapers for 10 years and I know that they are among the most incompetent, most idle and most inefficient managements that this country has ever seen and that it ill becomes them to criticise the Post Office. They get considerable pleasure, as always, out of publishing readers letters attacking the Post Office.

There was a classic case inThe Guardianyesterday, headed " Journey's End ". The letter said: On December 31st I posted a letter in the box in Gray's Inn Square, W.C.I. It caught the 12 noon post and was stamped with a 5d. stamp. It was delivered to the addressee in Reading on January 22nd. I am very sorry about that, but it is a variation of " Dear Sir, I heard a cuckoo on Christmas Eve. Can I claim a record? " It would have been more becoming of that lady had she written toThe Guardiangiving a list of all those other letters which have arrived not late. but on time. But she is not interested in that. She is interested in beating over the head a nationalised industry which apparently made a mistake with one letter.

The Tories do that all the time. They make speeches about how they like the Post Office staff, saying that they do not want to criticise them; it is the last thing that they have in mind. The only time that they have a good word to say for anybody engaged in the nationalised industries is at election time. They would put in a good word for the devil at election time if they thought there was a vote in it. The attitude of hon. Members opposite is typical. They want an improved postal service. They want the latest telephone equipment. They demand all sorts of communications facilities. But when prices have to go up to pay for the services they take the line of maximum resistance.

The Tories are the people who intend to slash public expenditure, cut taxes, keep down prices and, hallelujah, on top of all that, improve the service. It would be a remarkable achievement if they could do it. If I thought that they could do it, I would vote for them myself.

What will go through the Lobby tonight will be the usual motley gaggle of miracle men, striking a blow for freedom.