Sewage

[Brianbrewed]

Very constructive.

Not really, unless you blast freeze the sewage, fashion it into bricks and then make a house made of sewage.
Of course you'd need this build this house in a sub-zero enviroment as if the house melted you'd literally be standing in sewage.

 

[HSD]

Well nationalisation is by far the worse of the two choices.

Not really, if managed properly it can work well, plenty of examples of successful state owned businesses around the world, just look at East Coast Main Line for example. Industry has moved on its not the 70s, better training and technology. I’ve always thought for certain key industries state ownership but with performance pay incentives to encourage good governance made sense. Selling assets off for a quick windfall to your mates in the city, never made financial sense, how many Syd’s kept the shares? And how many of those industries are now owned by foreign interests?

 

[foxy]

Not really, if managed properly it can work well, plenty of examples of successful state owned businesses around the world, just look at East Coast Main Line for example. Industry has moved on its not the 70s, better training and technology. I’ve always thought for certain key industries state ownership but with performance pay incentives to encourage good governance made sense. Selling assets off for a quick windfall to your mates in the city, never made financial sense, how many Syd’s kept the shares? And how many of those industries are now owned by foreign interests?

Well our rail and tram networks are owned by foreign interests and there is never a shortage of companies vying when the tenders are up for grabs. Usually British managed by the accents of the spokesmen.

 

[HSD]

Well our rail and tram networks are owned by foreign interests and there is never a shortage of companies vying when the tenders are up for grabs. Usually British managed by the accents of the spokesmen.

I hope they work well, never been though relatives love it, too hot for me!

I think key national assets are better owned and managed by the people who have a natural interest in them, power, water and sanitation, infrastructure, steel etc also more accountable if and when things go wrong (and they will go wrong). You need to attract good management, which will cost, and invest, train and incentivise the workforce, for the common good not just to pay dividends to private ownership.
If done properly this would spill over and support the private sector also, which in turn feeds back into the state. If we are serious about decarbonisation for example, it will need government control and ownership, with this shower in charge I expect it’s going to get a lot hotter over here also.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I think things go round full circle given enough time....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Water
privatize - nationalize.
centralise - regionalize - devolve

basics such as power and water I believe should be under regional or national ownership. every thing else only if its in the strategic interests of the country, maybe steel?

 

[TonyT]

Well our rail and tram networks are owned by foreign interests and there is never a shortage of companies vying when the tenders are up for grabs. Usually British managed by the accents of the spokesmen.

And if ever there was an argument for nationalising the railways, you’ve nailed it right there. The way that the railways operate here now has never been more disjointed. Ticketing, for example, is a nightmare. If you’re going on a long journey it’s frequently cheaper to divide the journey into several shorter sections and then buy a ticket for each section, than it is to buy one ticket for the complete journey. But then if you do that, you have to make sure that each ticket complies with its own conditions applicable to that stretch. It’s beyond ridiculous.

And then there’s the privatisation of the electricity supplies. It’s now possible to obtain your electric from umpteen different ‘providers’, but ultimately it all comes from the same source and finishes up with the same end user. But in between, it’s bought and sold several times which means that some of these capitalists are, in effect, making money out of consumers for doing nothing more than juggling company names. Instead of the electricity producer saying ‘this is the product and this is what costs’, in the end those consumers are faced with a bewildering choice of tariffs to try and decide what’s best for them.

 

[trueblue]

Our railways were privatised in 1994 every year since the government have spent billions in subsidies and shareholders have happily taken dividends. Only one winner here and it is not the tax payer.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

What a total lot of Bollock$ as ever. How can you contribute to European politics from down under. You're good at brewing stick to that.

Foxy has as much right to post on the thread as you or any other member and its not your place to tell members where or when they should or shouldn't post.

 

[trummy]

Try doing a long train journey with a bike. Wanted to get to Whitehaven from North Leicestershire. Could get to Newcastle ok , across to Carlisle ok but no guarantee that there would be room Carlisle to Whitehaven, what use is that? So much for integration. Did the trip before the big sell off no trouble at all.
Utilities belong to us all and should be available to all. Railways, power, water sewage and the NHS. (and any I have missed)

 

[trummy]

Just seen this - not good enough
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...ng-waters-5-517-times-in-past-year/ar-AAR5QJy

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You are right, have you read the thread as the reason is well documented (storm overflow) what would you do with it if you were in charge?

 

[trummy]

I seem to recall when the privatised companies took over it was stated that because they were going to be more efficient, they would have the funds which then would be available to upgrade the infrastructure so such events would not happen or be necessary - we all know that is a fallacy and all that has happened is there will now be a lot of overpaid executives getting richer whilst you (and me) are getting relatively poorer.
This situation didn't happen overnight, its once again the product of under investment at the right time. It needs money to sort it out, something which at present now no doubt is in short supply.
Simply put, too many of us in a small space - What would your course of action be? Carry on regardless?
One more point if its not shared in the public domain so people can express that they find the situation 'not acceptable' then nothing is likely to be done or change.
Down under Australia has enough environmental problems of its own and perhaps some should look inward before outward.