The British state's rush to sell off one of our most cherished institutions is a continuation of the narrative of privatisation and deregulation that has become central to the Westminster paradigm, regardless of which parties are in power.

We've witnessed the rise of the energy cartel, the disaster of rail privatisation and now the hurried dumping of Royal Mail.

It has been the consistent position of Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales, that institutions that are central to national infrastructure and community well-being should be run for the good of our people and should not be driven by shareholder interests.

Evidence is already emerging that the sale price of Royal Mail, set by the Westminster coalition, is well below its true value. One analyst has suggested that the Westminster government has underestimated Royal Mail's value by up to £1 billion. It appears that the privatisation has failed taxpayers before it has properly begun.

There are lessons from overseas which point to the dangers of postal privatisation.

The Netherlands, the first EU state to privatise its postal services, saw a staggering 90 per cent of its post offices close and the private sector is struggling to maintain collections and deliveries.

And the warnings from trade unions here about the future pay and conditions of postal workers are based on real and genuine dangers.

In the Netherlands, the private service is cutting full-time workers and replacing them with cheaper part-time labour.

The Party of Wales is not content to shout from the sidelines. Instead we have unveiled a Welsh way for the future of postal services in this country so that we can have the future trajectory of vital public services in our own hands. Devolution has highlighted not only the opportunities for our own democratic institutions to pursue different courses in areas such as health and education. It has also exposed the very undemocratic nature of Westminster steamrolling through policies that are not supported by the people.

The Welsh government, supported by the Party of Wales, has already demonstrated its willingness to intervene when the national good is at stake.

Cardiff airport was purchased because the importance of a successful national airport to our country's economic and social prospects was recognised.

I've written to Business Secretary Vince Cable calling on him to follow a precedent set in the Post Office Act of 1969.

This legislation implemented far-reaching reforms, and within it, the Westminster government surrendered its postal interests in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, offering them to the governments of those territories.

Under that precedent, Welsh operations of Royal Mail should now be surrendered to the Welsh government.

A new arm's-length from government "Post Cymru" would ensure the upholding of the principles of universalism, as well as the terms and conditions of our postal workers.

Profits could be reinvested into the service so that the new challenges of this century can be met.

Indeed, one success of the 1969 precedent can be seen in the Isle of Man, where half the publicly owned postal services' annual profits are used to boost the treasury's funds.

Sadly we don't have a breakdown of Royal Mail's accounts by nation, but we do know that the company as a whole made profits of almost £1.5bn last year.

There's no reason to believe that the company will not be a success in the future, and success could be delivered by a Welsh postal service in Welsh public hands.

The clear disregard the coalition government has had, not just in terms of public opinion but also in terms of respecting the reality of devolution, is an insult.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has rightly highlighted Cable's poor judgement in light of the Scottish independence referendum next year.

The Scottish National Party wants the privatisation delayed until after the referendum. Salmond has committed to renationalisation in the event of a Yes vote. The situation is a farce and its consequences could be dire - for communities, postal workers and for business.

Wales deserves better than Westminster's short-sightedness. It's time Wales was empowered to pursue its own course, based on its own values.

Leanne Wood is the leader of Plaid Cymru.

We would encourage anyone who has not yet had the opportunity to sign the Post Cymru petition to log on to gopetition.com and search for "Post Cymru."