I wanted to draw your attention to the excellent article on the Birmingham Post website by Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale (profile here: http://www.birminghampost.net/authors/paul-dale/p1/), which highlights the truly amazing hypocrisy of those local politicians who claim to be fighting Post Office closures.

The article rightly points out that both Labour and the Conservatives know that the network cannot survive in its present form, thanks to the impact of technology and the loss of traditional post office business to the internet and email. Self-appointed "Post Office Champions" like Councillor Deirdre Alden may well demand extra Government subsidies to sustain what she claims to be "the heart of our communities", but what next? Will the taxpayer be asked to prop up ailing suburban pubs, because they too are at the heart of many communities?

Mr Dale's article is an excellent dissection of the hypocritical stance of some leading local figures. Surprisingly the article hasn't appeared in print. Do you think the Birmingham Post don't want clever people writing for them? It's good journalism, underpinned by solid facts.