Fantasy Chancellor Game

[vetran]

Nationalisation could be quite cheap - there's no requirement to compensate shareholders for current 'market value'

yes that's going to bring all the investors to the yard.

Great Britain twinned with Cuba.

[Protagoras]

I can't find the figures, but seem to recall that the 1947 Transport Act didn't result in great payouts for the shareholders of the railways, roads or ports.

Shareholders take risk, that risk has a political dimension. It's not as if there isn't discussion about the issue of nationalisation, so it's a well known risk, although probably not priced-in. Only thing lacking is a party committed to implementation of nationalised essential services.

yes that's going to bring all the investors to the yard.

Investors have had a good run, time to re-balance in favour of the people

[d000hg]

Investors have had a good run, time to re-balance in favour of the people

Investors are people.

Anyway, reforms are something a government with a large majority in a stable position can look at. That should have been the current government, looking post GE knowing they were a sure thing... but not any more. You have a government desperately scrabbling to fight fires and a government-in-waiting who will inherit a huge pile of problems.

Put another way, you don't redo the wiring when the house is on fire.

[vetran]

I can't find the figures, but seem to recall that the 1947 Transport Act didn't result in great payouts for the shareholders of the railways, roads or ports.

Shareholders take risk, that risk has a political dimension. It's not as if there isn't discussion about the issue of nationalisation, so it's a well known risk, although probably not priced-in. Only thing lacking is a party committed to implementation of nationalised essential services.



Investors have had a good run, time to re-balance in favour of the people

If you want good services you need money to pay for it. Where do you think the money comes from?

There is risk and there is economic suicide.

I remember BT before it was privatised = 6 months to get a phone line reconnected (it took less than a day in the noughties) , Royal Mail and BR. Oh and Coal failing to shore up pits because the Government . You want to go back to that?

Nationalised in 1947 and on the route to be privatised in 1956 because it was making a significant loss, resulting in many lines being closed. You go labour!

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...of%20transport.

[d000hg]

I remember BT before it was privatised = 6 months to get a phone line reconnected (it took less than a day in the noughties)

Poor comparison, lots of things which are publicly owned have similar improvements thanks to computerisation. I can pay my taxes and see it online in a day or so. I can request a tip/skip permit on my local council and it arrives in minutes.

[WTFH]

If you want good services you need money to pay for it. Where do you think the money comes from?

There is risk and there is economic suicide.

I remember BT before it was privatised = 6 months to get a phone line reconnected (it took less than a day in the noughties) , Royal Mail and BR. Oh and Coal failing to shore up pits because the Government . You want to go back to that?

Nationalised in 1947 and on the route to be privatised in 1956 because it was making a significant loss, resulting in many lines being closed. You go labour!

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...of%20transport.

How come other countries manage to do a better job than the privatised businesses in the UK?
Japanese trains
French Electricity
Almost any country's water supply leakage
Almost any country's waste water

What group do you blame for other countries doing a far better job than here?

You're right, if you want good services, you need money to pay for it. Unfortunately the services we have are more concerned about paying shareholders than about investing in good services for the future.

You're also right, than in the early 2000s a phone line could be connected in a day.
Do you know how long it takes now? About 6 weeks, involving at least 2 different private companies.

[xoggoth]

You're right, if you want good services, you need money to pay for it. Unfortunately the services we have are more concerned about paying shareholders than about investing in good services for the future.

You're also right, than in the early 2000s a phone line could be connected in a day.
Do you know how long it takes now? About 6 weeks, involving at least 2 different private companies.

Quite. Been in the news today (can't be *sed to find it obviously) about the daft amount of money the NHS pays to private ambulance and taxi firms. And look at the lack of communication on road works, sometimes you see roads closed to lay cables and closed again weeks later to fix drains. There's a lot wrong with the public sector but there is a good case for having some core key services and better communication that you don't get with multiple private firms. I'm not a lefty but some of Thatcher's denationalisation was not a good idea. If the CEGB was still going maybe we could build our own power stations instead of asking the French or Chinese to do it.

[xoggoth]

Oh yeh, it's in the DM. Sorry, Vetran, beat you to it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-patients.html

[SueEllen]

Quite. Been in the news today (can't be *sed to find it obviously) about the daft amount of money the NHS pays to private ambulance and taxi firms. And look at the lack of communication on road works, sometimes you see roads closed to lay cables and closed again weeks later to fix drains. There's a lot wrong with the public sector but there is a good case for having some core key services and better communication that you don't get with multiple private firms. I'm not a lefty but some of Thatcher's denationalisation was not a good idea. If the CEGB was still going maybe we could build our own power stations instead of asking the French or Chinese to do it.

Last time time I checked some Chinese firm owns the electric infrastructure that connects all the domestic and commerical properties in my area to the grid and it's a monopoly...

[DoctorStrangelove]

You're also right, than in the early 2000s a phone line could be connected in a day.
Do you know how long it takes now? About 6 weeks, involving at least 2 different private companies.

Whereas in 1982 it took me 2 years to get the damn thing connected up in the exchange.

Had the phone. It just wasn't connected to anything.