Benefits of privatisation?

[El Cid]

Our Governments have sold off assets owned by the UK, and it is a benefit, in that it puts money into the bank of UK or just pays off UK debt.

We have have news stories about the energy companies fleecing the public, and making too much money, and that sector benefits from low taxation too.

And now we have the water companies making "excess" profits.

 

"Millions of households in England and Wales are paying too much for their water supply because of poor oversight by Ofwat."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35298770

 

What is the best model for monopolies, or industries that are too big to regulate?

Network Rail are no longer a private company, but a failed private company, now state owned. Could water companies be turned into non-profit making organisations?

What should be state owned, there was even rumours about selling off our forests.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-on-course-to-sell-off-more-public-assets-than-any-chancellor-for-more-than-30-years-a6786926.html

[Berberis]

There are many companies that provide services to the public that represent value for money. Economy of scale is a big factor in privatising some publicly owned companies.

 

There are also two other aspects you need to think about then discussing this.

 

1. Only the bad ones ever make the news, so you never hear about company X providing service Y efficiently.

2. If certain parts of the public sector was more efficient/cost effective, they would not be sold off. I have worked in the public sector and the speed at which anything happens is a 10th compared to the private sector and there where people in jobs, paid over double the national average in salary that did nothing all day, every day and no one cared.

 

The public sector is not a bad thing, but it is the mast of its own destiny. Other countries have efficient public sectors, why the UK cant I don't know. Maybe its something to do with the Unions, I'm unsure.

[El Cid]

I have worked in the public sector and the speed at which anything happens is a 10th compared to the private sector and there where people in jobs, paid over double the national average in salary that did nothing all day, every day and no one cared.

 

 

Not sure we should use our own experience as a measure for all the public sector, perhaps my positive experience of working in the public sector should cancel out your negative view.

In my experience, the council want to provide a good service, at the cheapest price. I my role of school transport, there are slightly more in-house, than private providers.

 

Any company/business can put in a tender if they can do a better cheaper job, there has not been a rush of companies putting in tenders when this new rule was introduced, to my knowledge.

[spilldig]

The government privatised these industries. What did they expect. They should now either shut up and stop interfering or re nationalise.

[Harrystottle]

Aren't there EU rules that make it difficult to re-nationalise? I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.

 

I used to work in the public sector too. The problem is that the quality of management in the public sector is generally dire; I mean, really bad. The quality of the people actually doing the work is about the same as the private sector, but managers.. You can get some good ones, but they are the exception.

 

But, I do have a problem with our publicly owned companies being sold off especially to foreign firms who then proceed to take us to the cleaners; and the water companies are the worst. Their product falls from the sky free, it's not like they have to go and drill for it in the North Sea.

 

Plus Yorkshire Water are massive tax dodgers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350686/Water-power-firms-avoid-1billion-tax-Tory-MP-demands-rebate-hard-pressed-customers.html

[El Cid]

I used to work in the public sector too. The problem is that the quality of management in the public sector is generally dire; I mean, really bad. The quality of the people actually doing the work is about the same as the private sector, but managers.. You can get some good ones, but they are the exception.

 

 

The management may be poor, but what the people that are pro-privateisation should think about, is that its the same type of people setting up the contracts for the private companies.

[Anna B]

Publicly owned = For the benefit of the customers.

 

Privatised = For the benefit of the shareholders.

 

Says it all really....

[lines]

Publicly owned = For the benefit of the customers.

 

Privatised = For the benefit of the shareholders.

 

Says it all really....

 

Publicly owned = controlled by politicians and contracts given to pals, paid for by taxes and generally still a charge

 

Privatised = owned by people from the public (non politicians)

[Eric Arthur]

Privately owned = efficient profit making companies paying taxes to pay for essential public services.

 

Publicly owned = Errr. Money pit?

[Olive]

 

Privatised = owned by people from the public (non politicians)

 

Are you sure? Not owned by politicians and their cronies as private business enterprises? 'Cos that NEVER happens does it?