Prime Minister's question time has more to do with entertainment than sensible debate, however, a most unusual event happened this Wednesday. The Elephant in the Room
was mentioned - shock horror. From Hansard:
Q3. [260226] Ann Winterton (Congleton) (Con): Will the deputy Prime Minister confirm that the real reason for part-privatising Royal Mail stems directly from European Union postal legislation, which forced Royal Mail to divest itself of its most profitable business, thereby handing it over lock, stock and barrel to European competitors? What sense is there in that?
You will notice, however, that normality returned almost immediately, after a moment's stunned silence. The elephant was completely and utterly ignored in the reply.
Ms Harman: [Standing in for the Prime Minister] The real reason, and the basis on which we are bringing forward the Postal Services Bill, is the analysis in the Hooper report, which we commissioned as long ago as December 2007. It made it clear that we need to take action to put Royal Mail, which, as the Prime Minister has said, is part of the fabric of our society, on a firm footing for the future. That means that we have to ensure that the pension liabilities are met. We have to ensure that the unfair regulation is tackled. We have to ensure that there is legislative underpinning of universal postal services, and also that we get into the organisation-so that, as well as meeting its pension liabilities, it can also modernise-considerable public capital investment but also private capital investment. When we bring forward that Bill to support the future of Royal Mail, I hope that the hon. Lady and all other hon. Members will support it.
AS EUREF says,
According to Ann, there was a sudden hush in the House - an embarrassed silence - almost as if someone had done something unmentionable in church. Then Harperson, dutifully briefed by her gifted civil servants, delivered her "non-answer". The "real reason", she said, was "the analysis in the Hooper report, which we commissioned as long ago as December 2007."
Now, this is an interesting response, as the Hooper Report