SIR - Whether it is 3,000 or 7,000 post offices which are to be closed, the elephant in the room which no one refers to is the fact that it is the EU which is the cause of the closures.

The subsidy that the Government has been giving to keep rural post offices open has to end in 2008 because the EU requires the liberalisation of the postal services throughout Europe - which means no more subsidy.

Why can't we be allowed to govern ourselves and decide what is best for us?

Mark Starr, Leigh Sinton.