The recent, albeit temporary, closure of Weymouth Post Office is yet another example of how private vested interests are increasingly undermining services to the public. The Post Office’s closure was down to two factors – privatisation and greed.

Privatisation was spawned by the toxic ideology of unregulated, free market capitalism actively promoted by Margaret Thatcher’s governments and sadly adopted by all three mainstream political parties.

It’s an ideology as toxic as anonymous Facebook postings, because it puts forward the nonsense that individual interests should outweigh the collective common good and the myth that the private sector runs services better than the public sector.

If anyone doubts the damaging effects of privatisation they need look no further than Britain’s railways with their above inflation annual fare rises, despite massive continuing subsidy from the taxpayer.

The local greed bit is screamingly obvious with astronomical rents to local businesses threatening ultimately to cripple Weymouth as a prosperous retail shopping centre.

The economic laws of supply and demand pertain of course: but there comes a point where local businesses cannot possibly sustain inflationary rents and they either move somewhere else or simply shut down.

Inevitably the town’s footfall suffers.

It’s time for a change of direction both locally and nationally!

Richard Denton-White
Fortuneswell
Portland