Has Royal Mail turned into snail mail?

AS A retired postman, I agree with the criticisms of Royal Mail (Letters). The problems are courtesy of former chief executive Moya Greene and Vince Cable, who, as Business Secretary, sold it off for a pittance. They got their gongs, despite the fact Royal Mail is now facing a financial disaster. No wonder Labour wants to renationalise this once great British company. Let’s hope something is done quickly, or we will no longer have a postal service. RICHARD MANSELL, Gloucester. IN 1969, my mother, who lived in Twickenham, South-West London, wrote a letter to my Aunt Margery on the South Coast, inviting her to stay for the weekend. It was posted in time for the early morning collection. Margery received the letter in her first delivery that day and wrote a reply, posting it in time for the mid-morning collection. My mother received the reply in that afternoon’s second delivery. She was so amazed at this fast service that she rang Aunt Margery to tell her!

MRS J. MILLAR, Headley, Hants. WHILE Royal Mail is far from perfect, the universal postal service by which a standard-sized letter may be posted from one end of the country to another for as little as 58p is a national asset. The cost of postage is far lower than in Europe and is more reliable than many private couriers. There has been coverage of the appalling treatment of self-employed couriers and reports of parcels being thrown into gardens or left on doorsteps to be stolen. People should support Royal Mail and Parcelforce, which would help local Post Offices stay in business. MISS K.-J. CAVENDISH, London SE21. I WAS a postman in the good old days when we had two deliveries a day. I started work at 4am to sort letters, which were all delivered by 9am. The process was repeated for the afternoon delivery. Unlike the wife and mother of postmen who wrote about how stressful the job is today (Letters), we never moaned and just got on with it.

P. MINNIS, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire. WHY does it matter what time the post arrives? It’s all just circulars. DAVID GRAHAM, Ollerton, Notts.