I wrote a blog on the above theme last July. In it I argued that:
Private enterprise has no clue how to generate wealth right now. I mentioned the consequence a while ago. Private business has no idea what to invest in now, no new product to make, no big idea to offer.
So this government is offering it the NHS, education and more so that public benefit can be enclosed for private gain.
This is what happened two hundred years ago.
And it’s happening again.
Today Cameron announced that this is what he's now going to do: all public service is in effect open to private sector bidding.
So we have a situation where, very deliberately a prime minister elected without a majority will try to ensure the end of public service in the UK.
Alice Hood explains many of the consequences on the TUC blog.
I offer this thought: I have no doubt the contracts offered will be for more than ten years. Centrica, Serco, and others will be laughing all the way to the bank. But this is a fundamental threat to democracy: if these contracts are written so they cannot be cancelled by an incoming government they will undermine real democratic choice.
And that's the real agenda here, I have no doubt.
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Listening to Cameron’s recent utterances on the Big Society it is becoming apparent that the phrase is a euphemism for back door privatisation and the dissolution of the public sector.
If this does not open the eyes of the people, I am not sure if anything ever will…..
I read about this earlier today, Richard. There are so many aspects of this to be concerned about. You highlight the main ones. But I also find myself wondering about the LibDems. Surely, surely, surely, increasing numbers must be waking up to the fact that this is not what the majority of the voters of this country voted for. And however desperate they are to have a taste of government they are really never going to be forgiven for being the party that legitimised these policies.
It is abundantly clear now (as it was, I’d argue at the time of the election) that the LibDems should have agreed to allow the Tories to form a minority government and then supported them on a policy by policy basis. That way their interventions and contributions would have been clear to see. But now, as far as I can see, they have a rampant Tory party pressing ahead with all and sundry while the LibDems pick up the odd crumb (e.g. not cutting housing benefit after a year on the dole). Of course, they cling to the ‘promise’ of the banking commission and its recommendation. But they must already realise that anything it recommends will be of little or no compensation for the policies they’ve allowed the Tories to implement in the meantime. Utterly, utterly, shamefull.
One wonders whose constituencies are going to be redundant under the shake-up to reduce the number of mps’.
Labour and Lib-Dem I suppose.
Maybe Dame Shirley will be offered the post of Who-To-Decide-Which ?
This has been a large part of business as usual in the USA for years. However, Ivan’s note that this is NOT what the majority of voters voted for also rings true in the USA. Note that several governors here are attacking unions who actually supported them in recent elections: namely, firefighters and police officers in the northern central states. They are now being attacked by those politicians. Of course, their support is grossly limited when compared to the corporate support that then turns the snake’s head on its own tail.
The point is that voting no longer matters; money gets people elected here. There are few masses more inert than the typical American, so the fact that some got off their asses and actually went to a demonstration in Madison is noteworthy. A new democratic formula has been made necessary by the radical empowerment of corporations. But, can that new formula be instantiated in a country where the “free speech” of corporations is the most expensive and complex in the world?
The UK has a much better chance.
” if these contracts are written so they cannot be cancelled by an incoming government they will undermine real democratic choice.”
All contracts can be broken by an Act of Parliament.
@An accountant
And i sincerely hope Labour will have the wit to do so, without compensation and subject only to protection of the employment rights of employees – which won’t be hard when they’ll be returning to the public sector
All they (Labour) have to do is say they will not honour the contracts if elected.
That would make the leeches notice.
I am so pleased to hear of your organisation via Newsnight this evening
I am aware of the recent action at Barclays etc and previously at Top Shop and I fully support this direct action
It is so refreshing to hear some opposition to this arrogant government who continually lie their way to all these supposed improvements.
All they are doing is using our tax money to reward the people who backed them financially in the last election. Offering our public services to tender with long contracts as nice paytbacks for their mates.
This latest corporation tax proposal is nothing more than bribery.
My wife has had to go to bed before she hears anymore of it as she is so angry and so am I, we both used to work for the Inland Revenue, as it was and believed that tax evasion was rife and since leaving I now know it is.
If only their ire against benefit cheats was so mirrored in tax evaders… fat chance.
Must stop as blood pressure must be rising
Thank you
I think that to be effective, the next Labour government is going to have to nationalise most of the private sector service providers – Serco, Capita etc. An effective way of getting services back in-house.
@Michael Parnell
I know that feeling
I suffer it often
That’s why I’ll also do what i can to oppose the destruction this government is delivering
Looks and sounds like the “private enterprise initiative” will create more “business” for the wretched tax avoidance centres of the Isle of Sham, Jernsay and Gearnsay — which in turn will produce the usual sermons of pious indignantion from their residents and non-resident “residents” claiming that islands are havens of purity …
Laugh (or cry) now.
For the moment a privileged few are permitted to bend and break the law whilst rest of us have our living standards ruthlessly curtailed to keep these parasites in champagne and yachts.
Richard, why do you continue to let your blog be devalued by such moronic comments such as the above?
@Howard
Funny that.
CAPITA started [under another name] as an in-house part of Bedford Council…..and was bought-out by management.
@Greg
As the PSG said … “pious indignation (on occasions dressed with a pinch of pique) from their residents claiming that islands are havens of purity …”
Ask the people who really know the truth about what is going (and gone) on regarding the Crown Dependencies.
@Greg
Could you explain why you believe the comment is “moronic”? In the absence of such an explanation your post suggests personal abuse. This does not do you or your arguments credit. Let’s have robust debates but can we keep from resorting to personal abuse please?
@Greg
Because moronic comments from the Left are what he deals in. But ANY comment from the Right is just not cricket.
“And i sincerely hope Labour will have the wit to do so, without compensation and subject only to protection of the employment rights of employees – which won’t be hard when they’ll be returning to the public sector”
Not possible within European law.
Stephen, maybe you could point out the link between a thread regarding the decimation of public services by the Tory’s and the Crown Dependencies? I’m all for robust and relevant debate, but I fail to see any link here.
@Greg
Actually, a) it’s your language that is offensive and b) PSG who seem to be on the nail with the sentiment
It is you defending the indefensible
@Greg
If you can’t see the link it’s staggering
Tax avoidance creates tax cuts in the zero sum mentality of this government
If course there is a link obvious to anyone with eyes to see
@Jason Schwartz
How terribly convenient for you
And I suspect over come-able
Or we will have found reason to leave Europe – reluctantly, but if it reinforces oppression from and by the market, necessarily
Democracy will not survive such oppression
Note from Richard Murphy
It seems to me that this debate is going nowhere
So I am ending it
Candidly discussion of who is and is not a moron is not edifying and reflects badly on those who suggested it