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| Mayfield Post Office |
Mayfield
Workers Party Councillor and local election candidate Ted Tynan has accused the
government of deliberately putting off a decision on the future of local post
offices until after the European and Local elections.
Cllr.
Tynan said that Minister Pat Rabbitte was holding off on a decision on the
future of local post offices and outsourcing the tender for social welfare
payments away from An Post. The Workers’
Party councillor said that for a full week the government had been in overdrive
making apparently positive announcements to boost support for the coalition
parties but had been silent on issues such as the post office controversy.
In
particular, Councillor Tynan expressed concern that the local post office in
Mayfield would close if the government proceeds with its plans. “Mayfield has already lost its two banks
which have been left as empty buildings. More and more people are unable to
make simple transactions locally such as paying bills and cashing cheques. If
the post office closes then the heart will truly be gone from Mayfield and other
communities like it.”
The
recent introduction of “Post Points” in supermarkets such as Tesco and Dunnes
Stores was another sign of things to come, Cllr. Tynan warned. “These Post
Points may seem convenient but they could spell the death knell for local post
offices.
The
Workers’ Party councillor said that while the government had heralded the
departure of the Troika as the return of Ireland’s economic sovereignty, the
coalition is acting as if the Troika was still telling it what to do. “What does economic sovereignty mean if the
state has to slavishly do the EU/IMF’s bidding and privatise services, sell off our water, our state companies and now
the post office network? They won’t be
happy until they have left many parts of this country an economic wasteland”
