Work so hard you cripple yourself

[AJB Temple]

Leaving aside the party politics and personalities, personally I have always been of the view that key infrastructure should never be in foreign ownership and preferably not privatised. This includes electricity, gas, nuclear power, water, sewerage, internet, and possibly railways. It may also extend to refuse collection too. The water companies are a disgrace with the failure in to invest, deal with leaks and huge sewerage spills. It's all very well for the regulator to fine them but that simply results in higher charges to consumers. Total disgrace.

I'm also of the view that the Post Office and Royal Mail should not be separate companies with entirely different boards, and a public service like mail delivery should not be in private hands and especially not foreign hands. Royal Mail has nothing "Royal" about it really as a private company and is now pricing itself out of a diminishing market.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Evidence shows nationally owned is betted than private.

What evidence - link etc.

Why?

A = because the state owns the infrastructure.

Ownership does not infer efficiency or competence in using the infrastructure - although the same could be said of the private sector.

Terry do you think it’s better to own your house or do you think it would better if you flogged it to a sovereign wealth fund in Qatar and rented it from them?

Most nationalised industries are under the supervision of a government appointed regulator - sadly ineffectual as it turns out. The analogy with the private rental housing sector fails there is no rent control, and very limited standards related to property maintenance, rents, notice periods etc etc.

Terry do you accept that private businesses are run in the interests of shareholders not customers?

I agree - but private businesses also fully understand that they need satisfied customers to secure medium and long term profits.

Terry if you are making the case for privatisation please explain why water companies have paid out £75b in dividends and are now asking customers for massive rises in bills

Dividends work out at ~£2bn pa since privatisation. Revenue for the industry is ~£12bn pa. Since privatisation they have invested more than twice (estimated £160-200bn) what has been paid out in dividends.

Just about all the dividends have been funded by borrowings - if the water companies go bust will the banks who lent them the money, or the government, pick up the tab - I hope the former.

Bluntly the regulator has overseen:

• withdrawal of dividends without regard for the financial consequences
• limited revenues to minimise inflation and create the perception of tough regulation
• as a result failed to ensure investment to replace an aging network was properly funded

 

[mark w]

Brexit didn't destroy the Tories. That's a false narrative. The pandemic brought about the Tory downfall. It wouldn't have mattered who was at the helm at the time, they would have lost the next election because a good many people, in their grief and anger at the pandemic, focussed that anger on the government.

No matter how many died or how much was spent, there were enough disconsolate voters out there to flip the voting.

I would suggest, as previous electoral history has demonstrated, that in four years time the electorate will have realised how bad the Labour party are and revert to voting for the Tories again.

"It wouldn't have mattered who was at the helm" that assumes everyone would have acted like Boris Johnson, do you have amnesia? A reminder der for you of a few things the most corrupt administration did while in power.
Borris lying to parliament, lying about his covid party's and lying about almost everything else, in fact almost everything he said was a lie. Elderly people in hospital sent back to care homes to spread covid and left to die under Matt Hancock's "protective ring".
Dominic Cummings "eye sight test". Partygate.
The PPE scandal, 29 million pounds of tax payers money to Barroness Mone and her family.
Almost every, no not almost, every aspect of our public services in decline, from the the NHS to social services to policing, even dentristry, everything at breaking point.
The failing economy, and lack of economic growth.
The Rwanda Scheme.
The revolving doors of the Tory Party's leadership.
Liz Truss.
I could go on.
Starmer has a fair way to go yet before he gets anywhere near to the morally bankrupt administration of the past 14 years.

 

[selectortone]

I could go on.

Yebbut...... Free spectacles and footy tickets!