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Dear Sir,

Mx Xxxxx (letter, Post Office closures) about the possible closure of local post offices, is to be congratulated on raising this important issue. It is worth adding, however, that the threat to our postal services, including rising costs of postage, derives from European Union directives on the subject - over which we have no control.

EU Directive 97/96 EC established a 'universal postal service' within the European Union. This had the effect of establishing monopoly 'Universal Service Providers' (USPs) - in the vase of Britain, the Royal Mail. Each USP has a monopoly over mail weighing less than 350g. Only mail over this weight can be delivered by other organizations, in what is known as the 'unreserved sector.' Later Directives reduced the monopoly of USPs to 50g.

The whole process is managed by the European Committee for Standardization, a wholly unaccountable body. Among other proposals, so far not yet implemented, are plans to replace the royal insignia on post boxes with the 12 EU stars. This at least has the benefit of enabling us to know who to blame for poor postal services!7

Further information on this important subject can be found at the website www.eurosceptic.org.uk

Diktats from Brussels have been the cause of decline in many aspects of our daily lives. How the politicians have kept the facts from us until we have lost the power to govern ourselves is one of the most scandalous and shameful episodes in our history.

Yours faithfully

etc.