Sunday, July 01, 2007
Junking our mail
I really should make a resolution not to believe everything that I read in the Welsh press, however this latest article in today's Wales on Sunday suggesting that the Welsh Government wants to ban junk mail throws up so many questions that it is worth querying it. No doubt further enquiries will be made in the Assembly Plenary sessions as well.
The first question that must be asked is why the Minister chose a newspaper to announce such a significant policy instead of coming to Plenary? Is this a new age of spin at Cardiff Bay? I dislike junk mail as much as the next person but I have subscribed to the Mailing Preference Service and as a result I now get very little of it through my letterbox. That option is open to everybody as a matter of choice and that is why I was so critical of the Royal Mail for disciplining one of their postmen for pointing that out to his customers.
However, the practical problems of banning it are huge and mostly insurmountable. It could only work by infringing some basic liberties. How for example will a law distinguish between junk mail and genuine circulars such as free newspapers, political leaflets and flyers for local charity jumble sales? Will it just apply to unaddressed literature sent through the Royal Mail and if so how will the Minister sort the wheat from the chaff? What about the job losses involved? The Royal Mail is in enough trouble at the moment without a further threat to big contracts that are helping to keep it afloat.
I am instinctively opposed to banning things unless there are overwhelming benefits both to society, the environment and other people's rights. Thus I supported the ban on smoking in the workplace. However, it strikes me that this proposal does not pass that test. It is true that there may be a small benefit to the environment but that could be achieved in other ways, by increasing recycling for example. It is also the case that paper is not the problem in terms of reducing landfill. It is not bulky enough and there are alternatives already in place. The challenge in recycling at the moment is in plastics and in garden and kitchen waste. Perhaps the Minister should be concentrating on those issues instead.
The first question that must be asked is why the Minister chose a newspaper to announce such a significant policy instead of coming to Plenary? Is this a new age of spin at Cardiff Bay? I dislike junk mail as much as the next person but I have subscribed to the Mailing Preference Service and as a result I now get very little of it through my letterbox. That option is open to everybody as a matter of choice and that is why I was so critical of the Royal Mail for disciplining one of their postmen for pointing that out to his customers.
However, the practical problems of banning it are huge and mostly insurmountable. It could only work by infringing some basic liberties. How for example will a law distinguish between junk mail and genuine circulars such as free newspapers, political leaflets and flyers for local charity jumble sales? Will it just apply to unaddressed literature sent through the Royal Mail and if so how will the Minister sort the wheat from the chaff? What about the job losses involved? The Royal Mail is in enough trouble at the moment without a further threat to big contracts that are helping to keep it afloat.
I am instinctively opposed to banning things unless there are overwhelming benefits both to society, the environment and other people's rights. Thus I supported the ban on smoking in the workplace. However, it strikes me that this proposal does not pass that test. It is true that there may be a small benefit to the environment but that could be achieved in other ways, by increasing recycling for example. It is also the case that paper is not the problem in terms of reducing landfill. It is not bulky enough and there are alternatives already in place. The challenge in recycling at the moment is in plastics and in garden and kitchen waste. Perhaps the Minister should be concentrating on those issues instead.
Comments:
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We can ask the Royal Mail to stop delivering junk mail to our homes.If it is recyclable stuff it can go straight to recycling. There is far too much junk being pushed through our letterboxes which ends up straight in the bin, even the free newspapers.
If we want information on something we go looking for it (internet, shops, PO etc) It should not be forced on us in our homes.
If we want information on something we go looking for it (internet, shops, PO etc) It should not be forced on us in our homes.
# posted by 
: 1:34 PM
: 1:34 PM
Can understand why you would be instinctively opposed. What would happen to the millions of focus leaflets that are used to educate the public about how nasty all the other parties are..... There would be hundreds of lib-dem activist wandering the streets of wales confused about what their role in life was..
# posted by : 3:02 PM
: 3:02 PM
I also use the Mail Preference Service and it does the job, yet i still get lots of:
"free newspapers, political leaflets and flyers for local charity jumble sales.."
During Election time, some parties (Lib Dems being worst culprits by far!) go crazy
Even though i don't get junk mail via the Royal Mail, I still get a lot that's hand delivered. If it's unacceptable to throw your rubbish into someone else's garden, why is it ok to drop what you think is very omportant information through a complete stranger's letterbox?
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"free newspapers, political leaflets and flyers for local charity jumble sales.."
During Election time, some parties (Lib Dems being worst culprits by far!) go crazy
Even though i don't get junk mail via the Royal Mail, I still get a lot that's hand delivered. If it's unacceptable to throw your rubbish into someone else's garden, why is it ok to drop what you think is very omportant information through a complete stranger's letterbox?
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