SO, ROYAL Mail plan to increase the price of a first class stamp by 3p to 39p and second class to 30p. It’s way above inflation but, you know what? I don’t care.

I’ve seen my postie run ragged this Christmas, delivering mail in the pitch dark and I’ve never heard a complaint.

Like most rural postmen he has a dedication way above the call of duty and if it costs me an extra 3p to keep him I’m happy to pay up.

Have you seen the alternatives? Better still have you had prices from them? How much do you think a private operator would charge for collecting a letter from Inverness and delivering it to the Back of Beyond?

You may be OK if you live in town and want a package delivered to London but I doubt they’d do it for 39p.

Royal Mail is having a tough time with post office closures, management changes, financial losses and increased competition on its most profitable routes but I really don’t want to see its demise.

I know it’s a bit old fashioned.

It has no catchy marketing initiatives or clever slogans but I do trust Royal Mail.

OK, not every letter or parcel gets to its destination on time BUT they are accountable and most importantly Royal Mail belongs to us.

Call me Xenophobic (somebody will) but since I live in Britain I like the idea of a British postal system.

I’ll buy a Swiss watch, drive a Japanese truck and get furniture from Scandinavia but I don’t want my postal service governed by corporate America or anywhere else.

The views on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express