Thames water

The wider debate on the merits of nationalisation notwithstanding, the fact this company is in serious trouble, when it basically has a monopolistic licence to print money, is an absolute criminal fucking outrage, both from a corporate and national interest perspective.

The people running it must be absolute fucking mugs, or worse.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
The wider debate on the merits of nationalisation notwithstanding, the fact this company is in serious trouble, when it basically has a monopolistic licence to print money, is an absolute criminal fucking outrage, both from a corporate and national interest perspective.

The people running it must be absolute fucking mugs, or worse.
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Regulation is the key and it has failed. The mistake was to not have a golden share system. We could then have prevented sale of these companies to foreign institutions and also had a much more active regulator.
 
KS55 said:
Regulation is the key and it has failed. The mistake was to not have a golden share system. We could then have prevented sale of these companies to foreign institutions and also had a much more active regulator.
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All that doesn’t get past the fact that (by necessity) each water company works as a monopoly in its own area. Regulation aside, that means private ownership can provide little discernible benefit to the end user.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
All that doesn’t get past the fact that (by necessity) each water company works as a monopoly in its own area. Regulation aside, that means private ownership can provide little discernible benefit to the end user.
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There were local monopolies before privatisation, called Councilxyo Water. I got little or no water on Saturday evenings because three local reservoirs had fallen into disuse. Yorkshire Water has rebuilt them and put in new mains. Result! Also cheapest water in England. Mind you, there was a clown running it for years on a massive salary and it took them 20 years to get round to it.
 
KS55 said:
This is the oldest and laziest theme in public services policy. Nobody has ever answered this question: what was the alternative to privatisation given that by 1970 our water infrastructure was disastrous?
Since then £160 billion has been invested, 65% of beaches are rated excellent by EU standards up from 25%, leaks are down by 35%, water quality has improved greatly, dead rivers have been revived.
How would you have found £160 billion?
Ideally, it should be state owned but, when it was, it was neglected for 100 years.
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Very good post. One thing i would add is the Pension burden. It was and still is crippling the country. Its why councils have sold off care homes, the bins, the lot. Originally people worked in the state sector until 60 and were dead at 65. Pensions were affordable. Not now.
 
Rascal said:
If privatisation is such a panacea why have the Armed Forces not been privatised?
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? Because when a government says go and invade that Arab land a private army might just say ergh no its illegal to do that.
 
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