AT the Edinburgh Book Festival Sir Vince Cable, as the sponsor of the privatisation of the Royal Mail, declared it unreservedly a success. Making it, inter alia, more commercially minded.

A while ago I noticed that all the postboxes in my neighbourhood had the final (and only) collection time changed from 1800 to 0900. I thought that this might be a local peculiarity but a visitor from Nottingham confirmed the same regime now applies there.

In practical terms, unless one is this habitually up earlyish, a first class letter now takes two days for delivery. This is increasingly typical of the business model of suppliers of too many goods and services who triangulate pricing, costs and quality, with the last being the casualty.

I recently chanced upon the regular postie at my previous address. He mentioned that they no longer have settled rounds but are rostered randomly: this because they would have got to know the residents and wasted time socialising. He confirmed that on finishing their deliveries they were now having to empty the pillar boxes hence the earlier times. Far from any acknowledgement of this extra work their general conditions of service, including pensions, are under persistent erosion. The disciplinary regime he described as dehumanising.

So a success? Perhaps for the shareholders but try telling that to the employees and general public,

The next entrepreneurial measure? Abandonment of the Universal Service Obligation?

Leslie Smith,

18/3 Coburg Street, Leith.