So the Royal Mail is about to be sold off, and there is a big row in the Labour Party about it and the everyone is very cross.
Well only if they've not read the Bill, which is actually about ensuring a level playing field for Royal Mail; making sure its future in public ownership is secured; and protecting the universal postal service.
Royal Mail is to be enshrined in legislation as a publicly owned company. No government would be able to change this status without further primary legislation in the future. That doesn't look like privations to me.
The fact that the Bill will say Post Office Ltd. is to be owned by government in its entirety, and that no government would be able to change this status without further primary legislation, also doesn't seem to be the usual formula for privatisation.
Now, of course, there has been a muddle over this for all the usual reasons - a hostile press, a lack of clarity from the government and the usual old labourites who can't wait to get back into opposition and are practising.
In addition to the non-privatisation, the unique selling point of the Royal Mail - letters collected and delivered anywhere in the UK for one affordable price - is to be written into the legislation. The primary duty of the regulator will be the maintenance of the universal service.
Attracting private investment in the publicly owned company and transferring the burden of the pension scheme to the taxpayer will also be a much needed boost for the Royal Mail.
No doubt there will be some last minute deals to be done to make sure it all hangs together properly, but you sometimes wonder that a little more attention to how these proposals are communicated might not go amiss.
