Post Boxes of Democracy

Yesterday I walked to the other side of our valley, through a townland called Ballymore. I had never noticed this post box halfway up the hill, though I've driven past it a million times. 

As you can see, there's a decommissioned post box next to the new one.

The older postbox dates from before 1906, because that's Queen Victoria's Royal Cypher embossed with her crown at the top. You can find other post boxes like this all over Ireland, still in use. 

Like everywhere, the post box in Ireland has long been a benevolent point of contact between government and We The People. Despite junk mail, we rely on the practical efficiency of a publically funded national postal system. Both Donald Trump and I rely on it to vote. 

The post box was invented by novelist Anthony Trollope, while working in Ireland for the British postal service in the 1850s. Painted royal red, the British post box symbolized the reach and vigor of the British Empire. 

From An Post History:

A great many old post boxes remain in use today and they bring an elegance to their localities that is often much appreciated. Post boxes, of course, are first and foremost functional and they form a vital part of Post Office infrastructure. Today’s boxes—less ornate than some of their predecessors perhaps—are designed with a firm eye on the efficient and functional operation of the postal business and their presence represents a continuing tradition of faithful service to Irish people. The following extract from a poem puts it well:

I’m standing here quite lonely, on this cold December morn
It’s 60 years or more, since the day that I was born.
And from that very moment, I’ve worked hard for to serve
The people of my village, yes, to all without reserve.

(Courtesy of Tommy O’Brien, The Village Postbox)

Quite apart from their decorative and utilitarian qualities, Irish post boxes have symbolic value too. Before Irish independence post boxes were red but one of the first acts of the new Irish Government was to order that green would be the new colour for Post Office letter boxes. Sometimes a bit of red paint still shows through! The symbols of our past—in the form of crowns and royal insignia—take their place alongside the signs of independence—Saorstát Eireann, P&T and, of course, An Post. 

Because of that symbolic and practical power, the leaders of the Irish Rising of 1916 seized the General Post Office. Today, the GPO is a working post office and a symbol of Irish independence from Britain.

Here's a short film about the GPO and the Rising

In 2016, as part of celebrating The Rising Centenary, An Post designated several Dublin post boxes as "witnesses to history." They painted them red, because they were red when they witness The Rising. The red post boxes displayed a code you could use to download a video to your phone. You can see the video about the post box near the GPO here.

After independence, the new government assured everyone in their everyday ordinary lives that the new government could execute the power of a benevolent and necessary government service. The old state was gone, but the new state would function just as well, from patriotically green post boxes. 

The first act of the new Irish government flexing its independent muscles was not to commission a new Irish design for the post boxes and a programme of replacement. Instead, it ordered that the post boxes be painted green. So: An Irish solution to an Irish problem. It didn’t seem to matter that the boxes also featured the royal cypher symbols—either ER (Edward Rex), GR (George Rex) or more commonly VR (Victoria Regina), complete with a large crown—still clearly visible through the coat of green paint. (Irish Times)

Post boxes in Northern Ireland are red, of course. As part of Rising commemorations in 2016, some Belfast postboxes were painted green.  The path to a united Ireland lies right through these green or red post boxes. Nobody likes it when you mess with beloved patriotic symbols like the post office. 

Today, An Post delivers mail, but just like in the States, it competes with private couriers for packages. The government privatized it years ago, and An Post has attempted diversification, like banking services. But it remains the best at solving the last mile delivery problem that private couriers will always fail at.

For example, a few years ago, when I had to buy a laptop, the UK company would only use a private courier, DHL. I begged them to use the post office, but they said "for security" they required DHL. The DHL guys are independent contractors who can't afford to drive out long lanes with grass down the middle to find a cottage with a name and no postcode. On delivery day, the guy called me: "Can I leave it at the shop in town?" "Uh... sure?" The next day I called in at the shop. 

"Hi, is there a package for me?" "Oh sure, here you are." 

No locked box, no request for my i.d. That's security, privatized.

Last month when we started the move, I waved down our postman and told him we were moving to Marble Hill. I said I'd put in my change of address with An Post. He said "That will cost you. Just change your address with all your people, and I'll tell the other postman you've moved."

Back in the States, we're facing this:

(Link to twitter thread.)

Mail volume has dramatically slowed during the coronavirus crisis due to widespread business closures, and the USPS is bracing for a steep drop in revenue. But its postal workers remain on the front lines of the crisis, handling prescription drug shipments, lab test materials and medical supplies that are crucial to efforts to contain the virus. Mail-in voting has also allowed the democratic process to survive in the era of social distancing. (HuffPo)

Neoliberal ideology vilifies every good government service. In the 1970s Nixon separated the post office from government, followed by the "going postal" meme that destroyed the reputation of all USPS employees. Even our progressive pals at Crooked Media promote a neoliberal scam business, Stamps.com. You can get the same discount, and print your own postage from home directly from the USPS website, but you don't have to pay $20 a month. For some mysterious reason, the post office doesn't have enough money to advertise its advantages over competitors on progressive podcasts. 

Now, in a sane world, the USPS would be treated as a universal public good: Everyone would understand that it provides the bedrock delivery service to poorer and far-flung areas that private carriers won't bother with because doing so isn't profitable. Instead, the Postal Service is expected to compete with the private market, and fund all of its costs out of its own revenue, without subsidies from the rest of government. (How George Bush Broke the Post Office, The Week)

In a sane world, the "Old Post Office" in Washington DC would be a museum and symbol of the dependability and usefulness of democratic government like the Irish GPO.

Instead, its iconic tower and beautiful atrium serve as the Trump International Hotel.