Oh terrific. That's just what benefit claimants, who are shat on enough as it is in this society, really need isn't it. A load of post offices shut down and then having to go further afield to get what pittance we'll have left once the welfare 'reforms' are forced through.
Yup.
If you try raising these issues with your local councilor or your MP their reply is invariably "can't you have the money paid into your bank account?", which isn't very helpful if, like me, you're housebound for about 9 months of the year, and can't get to the bank unless you're willing to fork over the cab fare. I've come to the conclusion that "the system" wants the Post Office to die the death of a thousand cuts, so that they can franchise more branches into chainstores while minimising their overheads, and run down the postal system until Joe Public will actually
clamour for it to be privatised, just so he doesn't gave to wait 3 days to receive a 1st-class letter.
The worst thing is that, although butch is right about the EU directive, this was all on the cards 20 years ago, when Thatcher forced "market testing" on many of our national assets. It was only a matter of when it happened.
I live in a city now, but I spent most of my life out in the sticks and the sick and elderly are really going to suffer if this goes through. But hey, it's only dole scroungers and old codgers so who gives a fuck, eh?
My parents used to collect theirs from their village post office out in the north Norfolk sticks, then when that closed they ended up having to drive 6 miles down the coast to the next nearest office. Fortunately, though, enough locals (including from neighbouring villages) made a fuss that a "community post office" set-up was established at their village hall, so at least the unemployed, the disabled and the terminally crumbly didn't have to
schlepp 6 miles.
Problem is, that sort of success is rare, and for every post office that's saved or an alternative established, 10 or so are closed for good.
