Post Office closures
The campaign here in Henley has finally started, now that the by election is officially under way. All parties seem to be campaigning on similar issues, but as is often the way, only UKIP are telling the whole truth.
Take Post Office closures, for example. The Lib Dems may be campaigning to ‘save’ them, but in reality it is pure hypocrisy. The reason so many post offices are closing is a direct result of EU legislation which was approved in the European Parliament with mass support from British MEPs, including Tories and Lib Dems.
The main effect of this was to take away the monopoly from Royal Mail and allow competition into the market. UKIP support competition, but this isn’t competition as we know it; it’s competition which exists to remove a popular national institution.
This legislation allowed other companies to join our postal market and cream off the profitable parts, such as the business post, leaving Royal Mail with the domestic post and the ‘final mile’ delivery. They also have the Universal Service Obligation of delivering a letter anywhere in the country to anywhere in the country for a fixed price.
In 2006 when this legislation supported by the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour fully came into force it was the first year in its history that Royal Mail made a loss; £29 million. This meant that it could not divert profits to the Post Office to help them fund the local and rural counters. In fact, only 2000-4000 post offices are actually needed to provide the service demanded by the EU and the network is currently more than 14,000. I predict further closures in the future.
2,500 post offices are going to be closed and no amount of protest or consultation will change that. It was decided by the European Commission and the British government in the second half of last year. The Commission are involved because any state aid has to be approved by Brussels. The meetings, committees and written evidence was all a diversionary tactic to hide the truth from the public that Westminster are impotent. To take a bullet for Brussels, it must be love.
I am going to visit the two post offices in Henley which are being closed and tell them the truth about their future. Which I have been assured that Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron haven’t done.
If you don’t want to see anymore post offices closing, and you don’t like the fact that you are being lied to, then you have the choice when you come to the ballot box. Send them a message that their behaviour is unacceptable and vote UKIP.
- Report from UKIP Public Meeting at Henley Town Hall
- Hustings at Dorchester Abbey
- UKIP MP to speak at Henley public meeting
- Liberal Party President to speak at UKIP Henley meeting
- Cameron rats on referendum pledge
- The real reason for Post Office closures
- Liberal Democrats start by-election campaign with a lie
Press releases
- By-election results
- UKIP Public Meetings
- Campaigning in Thame and Goring
- Ensure that you can vote
- Stanton St John Post Office
- Post Office closures
- By-election will be on 26th of June
- Constituency walkabout
Candidate's blog
- UKIP National Website
- Henley Standard