Privatisation

Privatisation link (Neoliberalism) Sourcewatch
File:Privatization.jpg

Privatisation is the transferal of organisations from public to private ownership. It is the reverse of nationalisation and a primary policy of neoliberalism.

Official narrative

Improving efficiency...
...it will be great!

De Facto

Reagan and Thatcher were leaders of the economic charge ... since then airlines, roads, railroads, postal services, electric and water utilities have been privatised. Throughout the most affected countries people tend to agree that services have not improved, often enough worsened, but prices have gone up significantly.

Criticism

Public utilities, roads, railway companies, etc. have all been built by the combined effort of the people of a nation state. This is the why these assets should have never been up for sale without debate/referendum.

Privatisation has evolved

On 27 December 2024, European Powell posted on X:

Privatisation has evolved, don't presume it ends with public services. These days they are deemed 'small potatoes' by the likes of Blackrock, Quadrature, DP World, Deloitte, and libertarians like Patri Friedman (the grandson of right-wing economist Milton Friedman), and speculators like Trump, Peter Thiel, Musk, Bezos, Shanker Singham, Grover Norquist, and Michael Castle Miller.

Starmer and Reeves will carry on cultivating their trickle-down economics system, inherited from Thatcher and Blair, one that has failed time and time again, and only ever produces relentless extraction of resources, including State aid which is public money to subsidise corporations setting up shop in SEZs. This form of subsidy is illegal in the EU, because it distorts the integrity of the Single market. State aid when it is misused in this way benefits the 1% only, its real name is Corporate welfare.

UK SEZs are tax havens, they are already spreading through the UK like a virus:

48 SEZs and 8 Freeports in England;

18 SEZs and 2 Freeports in Scotland;

8 SEZs and 2 Freeports in Wales.

Corporate tax breaks were set by Jeremy Hunt for 10 years, and the licences, (signed off by Labour) were set at 25 years.

Did you know that Labour signed off with the Tories on 74 Special economic zones and 12 Freeports between 2021 and 2022?

UK SEZs contravene rules on State aid, this sabotages rejoining the EU for 25 years, the duration of the UK's SEZ licences.

SEZs are designated regions ranging in size from 34km to 75km in diameter, the Firth of Forth Freeport is housed in an SEZ spanning 38km, it covers 70% of the City of Edinburgh.

The goal of 21st-century privatisation is 'countrypreneurship', the privatisation of nations.

The first step is to absorb all public services, which include bankrupt council assets, both have been defunded to breaking point by austerity policies and trickle-down economics, next up are mass compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) which apply to agricultural, business, and residential properties.

Birmingham which is host to 6 SEZs is already undergoing mass CPOs of over 6,000 residential properties.

If SEZs are so great for economic growth, why are they not being trumpeted by the MSM?

Theft in Ukraine

Viktor Yushchenko called the privatisation in Ukraine during the 90s openly theft.

Intelligence privatisation in the US

Full article: United States Intelligence Community/Privatisation

"In the post-9/11 rush to beef up intelligence, the government has outsourced everything from spy satellites to covert operations. - Tim Shorrock (2005)

Other effects

Full article: Revolving door

With increased privatisation the effect of the revolving door has become very common, which can lead to regulatory capture.

External links

• Does Privatization Serve the Public Interest? - by John B. Goodman and Gary W. Loveman - Harvard Business Review November-December 1991 Issue