Posts Tagged ‘Privatisation’

Dear Liz Kendall, about the differences between socialism and liberalism…

by Phil Burton-Cartledge.

Dear Liz, Re: Leadership of the Labour Party I noted the other day that leadership contests are that rare occasion when MPs and ordinary members are frank about the personalities and policies at the top of the party. Some also over egg the pudding and go for outright abuse. I’m thinking mainly, this time around, […]

What the SNP says versus what the SNP does

by Manuel Cortes.

Last week, when I spoke at the STUC Congress against the SNP putting both Scotrail and the Caledonian Sleeper in the hands of privateers, I said that actions speak far louder than words. Let’s face it, the SNP hardly misses an opportunity to argue that the public sector should play a key role in delivering […]

Even the Tories’ naked bribery has now gone pear-shaped

by Michael Meacher.

There is a very noticeable difference between the way that the Tories and Labour have conducted this election. The Tories have used the twin-prong approach: personal vilification which has proved counter-productive and now blatant giveaways (of other people’s money) to try to produce a false feel-good factor. However, no serious policy proposals for the country’s increasingly […]

Privatisation debate: long-term market share v get-rich-quick barrow-boys

by Michael Meacher.

The Tories have always boasted that privatisation of major industries has been good for the economy and good for Britain. A rain-check on the history of Thatcher’s mass programme of privatisation now suggests otherwise. Who thinks the privatisation of energy, or of water, or of telecoms (or of the Post Office) has been a roaring […]

Cameron lets energy privateers write the rules that are supposed to regulate them

by Michael Meacher.

Cameron prophetically described lobbying in 2010 as “the next big scandal waiting to happen”, but by 2015 he has himself made it happen. It was already revealed some months ago that senior representatives from the Big 6 energy companies had been seconded to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to ‘advise’ ministers on […]

The Tories won’t win because they’re barking up the wrong tree

by Michael Meacher.

George Eaton in the New Statesman has done us a service by revisiting the informative audit of the 2010 election by the Tory pollster Lord Ashcroft, entitled Minority Verdict, which throws new relevant light on the likely outcome of the present election campaign. In 2010, despite Labour polling the second lowest total of electors since […]

Osborne learns to his cost that private markets don’t oblige

by Michael Meacher.

It’s really rich that Osborne has tweeted: “Vital this (drop in the oil price) is passed on to families at petrol pumps, through utility bills and air fares”. He’s spent the last 5 years lambasting Labour in support of the Tory free market mantra that the State should get out of the way and leave […]

The killer argument against PFI

by Michael Meacher.

We have always known that PFI was a con trick (i) to take construction and management costs of hospitals and other public buildings offline so they don’t appear in the national accounts, and (ii) to secure the extremely lucrative privatisation of yet another public service at taxpayers’ expense. But the evidence of how the new […]

Privatisation of energy risks lights going out this winter

by Michael Meacher.

The effects of the UK privatised energy system are now becoming clear, not only in cartel pricing and poor service , but also, critically, in loss of energy security. As a result of the latter there are real risks of blackouts this winter. The Big Six privatised companies’ failed to invest on a scale that […]

Your right to know what’s done in your name with your money

by Grahame Morris.

Openness, transparency, and accountability. These three values underpin the public service ethos, they are the foundation of good government and a healthy democracy. As a taxpayer you have a right to know and to question how your money is being spent. However, your ability to question is being slowly eroded piece by piece as our public […]

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