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Comment by hdgvhicv

13 hours ago

Didn’t need Brexit for that - it’s been going on for decades.

with most of the privatisations triggered by EU law!

  • You must have forgotten Thatcher

    • she was certainly a fan, but the spark for the match for almost all of the privatisations was EU/EEC directives

      if the UK had never joined the EEC those industries would likely still be under government ownership

      (for better or worse, water certainly was a disaster, but telecoms and airlines seem to have gone reasonably well)

      and rail was done post Thatcher, with her on record as saying it is "a step too far"

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  • I wouldn't strictly put all of them at the feet of the EU. While what you say is true, the Conservatives were frothing to privatise whatever they could. Labour just went along with the process (and I'm no Labour supporter either).

    The one I won't forgive was our water. I believe we're the only developed country to have privatised our water, with disastrous consequences.

    And that one can be squarely laid at the feet of Margaret 'Fucking" Thatcher (real name).

    • > The one I won't forgive was our water. I believe we're the only developed country to have privatised our water, with disastrous consequences.

      100% agreed

      there's no market or competition at any level (even RAIL had somewhat competitive bidding for franchises)

      they're just Henry VIII style granted monopolies, with the results are the same as they were 800 years ago

      (well, other than the civil war bit)

      > And that one can be squarely laid at the feet of Margaret 'Fucking" Thatcher (real name).

      water was another EU triggered one: the EU (EEC) kept writing new water directives, and the government couldn't figure out another way to fund their implementation

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