Postal workers on strike again

It seems that, at least in Newport, they are, and I haven't received any post this morning.

It's about time that the CWU was taught that they cannot hold the country to ransom. Mail levels are falling, therefore jobs will fall, simple. The Royal Mail is already incapable of handling demand - last week I had to wait 20 minutes to pick up a parcel, and there were 7 counters closed. I'm sure they have too many counters open when demand is low too.

All of this stems from poor management, which is what happens when you put government in charge of absolutely anything. Royal Mail does not respond to demand, customer needs, or lack of government money. It's about time it was privatised to provide it with better management and demand responsiveness.

The argument that it is somehow necessary to have a government-run postal service is diminished by the advent of internet communications (note: provided by the market). The market would provide postal and courier services much more efficiently due to competition, with customers able to take their money and post elsewhere if, for example, something was lost in the post. It should also keep prices low.

So what if none of the private couriers will deliver government postage, the left cries? Is buying a few vans and using them too simple a solution for bureaucrats? Same response for the national security argument. Then of course the jobs argument, the main reason the CWU are striking, and it's one word - efficiency - the preserve of the free market.

How does she get away with this?

Harriet Harman is back on her feminazi soapbox today.

She does "not agree with all-male leaderships" because men "cannot be left to run things on their own" she told the Sunday Times.

She'd have a go at me if I said "women cannot be left to run things on their own". It seems this "equality" drive is now a drive for domination and blatant sexism left unchecked. If men are better for the job, so be it. If women are better, they get the job. Simple as that - merit. Trying to put women into roles just for the sake of balancing the sexes is pretty much saying that since women aren't good enough to take the job against men, they have to be given special treatment, and I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few women found that quite insulting.

Placing lives at risk

Once again the EU tries to impose their continental employment model on us by further breaching freedom of contract - a 48 hour week for junior doctors.

This is a vital stage in their careers, and at this rate training will have to be prolonged, hence increases in debt and so on. It also means that potentially there will be less doctors to treat patients, as my title says placing lives at risk and further increasing waiting lists. You then get the BNP etc complaining at the increase in foreign doctors in our hospitals.

But nothing more than this is the breach of the freedom of contract; the dynamic labour market based on supply and demand - doctors generally accept they'll have to work antisocial hours, and by devoting their lives to this career they accept that. So why stop them earning all the money they are willing to earn? This sort of regulation distorts the labour market.

I also thought we'd saved our opt-out from the 48-hour week. It's about time we left the EU and left continental Europe to rue becoming uncompetitive while Britain controls its own affairs and does well based on old Anglo-Saxon free market principles. It's ever so simple.