It is no wonder that people are so cynical about politics and politicians.

In their 2005 manifesto, the Labour Party stated that "we have given the Royal Mail greater commercial freedom and have no plans to privatise it". Do they seriously believe that they can make such statements and then totally renege on a promise?

The Tories promised us better and cheaper services as competition kicked in but, in effect, handed over gigantic monopolies to the private sector in the sure knowledge that their supporters would benefit by millions and millions of pounds.

During this ideology in the 1980s and 1990s, Labour opposition vehemently condemned Tory plans on the basis that it would cost the taxpayer too much while lining the pockets of the fat cats and would produce no better services.

Their condemnation of these unpopular policies must have strengthened the resolve of millions of voters who totally believed that Labour would return our vital services to the public sector.

What a volte face now on the part of our so-called public-sector defenders as Peter Mandelson pushes forward the recommendations of the Hooper Report to involve the private sector.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of Royal Mail since 2002, tells us there is no alternative to partial privatisation if we are to reform the working practices and modernise the letter-handling processes.

Mr Crozier has had seven years to achieve his aims, during which he has received a small fortune in pay and bonuses from taxpayers' money. It seems to me that an immediate benefit to Royal Mail would be to remove Mr Crozier from his cushy job, encourage a known entrepreneur to take up the cudgels and perform the tasks that Mr Crozier has blatantly failed to do over seven wasted years.

The people of this country are sick and tired of seeing million of pounds of their hard-earned cash flowing into the bottomless pockets of the fat cats with no apparent benefit.

Tony Probert Locking North Somerset