Royal Mail (RM) might not operate swiftly anymore, but it seems republican socialist group Lasair Dhearg do – it’s taken them less than 24 hours post-unveiling to add their own finishing touches to the first King Charles-branded postbox installed by the tardy privatised delivery service.
Speaking about the republican and socialist themed stickers they planted on the receptacle, Lasair Dhearg said:
The much celebrated first post box to carry the symbols and cypher of British King Charles in Ireland has been redecorated.
There will be no shared or agreed Ireland. The symbols of imperialism will be wiped from a Socialist Republic.
The group describe themselves as:
…a Movement that is firmly anti-Imperialist, demanding an end to the ongoing occupation in Ireland and standing steadfast with oppressed peoples across the globe.
The stickers show images of Karl Marx, and republican leader James Connolly, executed by Britain for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising. Royal Mail responded by saying:
We were disappointed to see that the new parcel postbox on York Street has been defaced. We will arrange for it to be restored as soon as possible.
King Charles ain’t our ‘king’
According to the BBC, the postbox is one of:
…600 brand new parcel postboxes being introduced across the UK.
The solar powered devices allow customers to scan a parcel before dropping it off, enabling proof of posting when combined with the Royal Mail app. All very fancy, though the ‘CR’ branded box itself isn’t really as impressive as its predecessors.
The structure more closely resembling an inflated tin can than the impregnable fortress of earlier iterations. Even republicans may have to acknowledge that, absent the royal markings, it’s an attractive piece of street furniture. The downgrade further contributes to the sense that everything in Britain gets progressively more tatty every year.
In such circumstances community ‘redecoration’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if it’s in opposition to the odious monarchy. Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) press officer Samuel Morrison didn’t agree, saying:
I think it’s indicative of what the treatment unionists can expect, and what their culture can expect, in a new Ireland, whenever they can’t even tolerate so much as a postbox when they’re still part of the United Kingdom.
This is the sort of agreed Ireland that people are pointing towards when people can’t even tolerate a postbox.
This is typical of the disservice Morrison and his ilk do to unionists. Their tendency is to suggest that unionist ‘culture’ extends only to worship of the descendants of medieval tyrants, and celebrating killing Catholics in a battle over 300 years ago.
There is a kernel of truth to his objections, however. In a united Ireland, unionists aren’t going anywhere, nor should they be expected to. A measure of respect for their preferences, even if they’re sometimes baffling, will be an essential part of making that future state work.
No more ‘Royal’ Mail, and no more royals either
Perhaps if ‘the other republicans’ – those in England, Scotland and Wales focused purely on anti-monarchist activism – started their own campaign against the continued attachment of ‘Royal’ to ‘Mail’, Morrison and co might finally start to recognise their anachronistic ways.
Why exactly, in the year 2026, would anyone want their letters stamped with the seal of a defective clan that produces petty, spoilt brats like Charles, Epstein-class degenerates like Andrew, and crackpots like Harry who regard it as video game-like entertainment to mow down Afghan people defending their land?
On top of that, as counter-royalist group Republicpoint out, the scroungers squatting in taxpayer funded stately homes cost Britain “more than £500m a year”. They point out that:
Comparable heads of state cost as little as £5m a year, excluding security.
Having an elected head of state wouldn’t make Britain a democracy – capitalism precludes that – but at least it would be a step in the right direction.
Given Royal Mail’s privatisation, like all privatisation, has been a total disaster resulting in a massively inferior service, bringing it back in public hands would be the ideal time for a rebranding. An appalling service with a name tied to an appalling family may have a certain logic to it, but we can probably do better. A properly funded, high quality service called the People’s Mail, perhaps.
Socialists both Irish and British can agree that when it comes to the state, certain things are non-negotiable – no gods, no kings, and certainly no shitty privatised post.
Featured image via the Canary
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