Some industries better nationalised than privatised?

[sasguru]

.. and much as theere is a great deal to be admired by their system it wont last.

Not that old chestnut. The press have been saying this for at least 20 years. Meanwhile the French rail network gets better and better with more TGVs on more routes while ours declines into a 3rd world shambles.

I'm constantly surprised by how people's ideology over-rides what they can see with their own eyes.

Oh and it will last judging by their profit of 1 billions Euros
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ntblancexpress

You couldn't make it up but DA manages it just fine!

[darmstadt]

In Germany the 'state' run TV stations such as ARD, ZDF and the 3rd programmes along with the radio stations have advertising and you also have to have a license. However their advertising is limited to a spot or 2 in the evening and thats it. Its run by the GEZ (where I shall be tomorrow to drum up a small interim contract) was actually started by the TV companies and AFAICS is a semi private-state owned company. Admitedlly German TV is pretty crap, especially the commercial broadcasters (even channel 5 is better!)

[DodgyAgent]

Not that old chestnut. The press have been saying this for at least 20 years. Meanwhile the French rail network gets better and better with more TGVs on more routes while ours declines into a 3rd world shambles.

I'm constantly surprised by how people's ideology over-rides what they can see with their own eyes.

Oh and it will last judging by their profit of 1 billions Euros
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ntblancexpress

You couldn't make it up!

Well it may be an old chestnut but I cannot see how France is going to sustain its protectionist policies in global markets. Who is setting up businesses there? Will the CAP last forever?

If France can sustain its language, its rural communities, its civic pride, its provider comes first protectionism, then I would be interested to see how.
If it can then fantastic, it will continue to be a great place to visit or retire to (but not to do business in).

[sasguru]

Well it may be an old chestnut but I cannot see how France is going to sustain its protectionist policies in global markets. Who is setting up businesses there? Will the CAP last forever?

If France can sustain its language, its rural communities, its civic pride, its provider comes first protectionism, then I would be interested to see how.
If it can then fantastic, it will continue to be a great place to visit or retire to (but not to do business in).

France has its flaws, true, but what has our market-led philosphy led to?
Economically we are now buggered - and my guess is this is not temporary but a fundamental problem in the long term - we don't create enough real wealth. When even a right-wing City commentator compares the UK's economy to an unsuccesful hedge fund we should be worried.
Anyway this thread is about succesful nationalised public services and my example shows it can and should be done.
By the way the German train system is almost as good and even more profitable.

It's time we stopped listening to Murdoch's (and others) press propaganda.

[Cyberman]

Well it may be an old chestnut but I cannot see how France is going to sustain its protectionist policies in global markets. Who is setting up businesses there? Will the CAP last forever?

If France can sustain its language, its rural communities, its civic pride, its provider comes first protectionism, then I would be interested to see how.
If it can then fantastic, it will continue to be a great place to visit or retire to (but not to do business in).

One of the funniest things about France is the 35 Hour working week that was brought in around 1997 by a leftist government in order to create jobs. The thinking was that if you reduce the hours that one person can do then you have to employ extra staff....

This has obviously not worked so now the Frogs are trying to reverse this law but with great opposition from the unions.

I also remember when I was working in Paris at that time that whereas I would automatically work at weekends my French permie counterparts had to get it sanctioned by their unions.

[expat]

What the French are having difficulty with is getting companies to invest there, and much as theere is a great deal to be admired by their system it wont last.

Ah yes, the trouble with the French is that they don't have a word for entrpreneur

[Cyberman]

France has its flaws, true, but what has our market-led philosphy led to?
Economically we are now buggered - and my guess is this is not temporary but a fundamental problem in the long term - we don't create enough real wealth. When even a right-wing City commentator compares the UK's economy to an unsuccesful hedge fund we should be worried.
Anyway this thread is about succesful nationalised public services and my example shows it can and should be done.
By the way the German train system is almost as good and even more profitable.

It's time we stopped listening to Murdoch's (and others) press propaganda.

We are only buggered because of New Lie's constant interference in the market with red tape and ever rising taxes(eg: IR35, HIPS, Stamp Duty, Petrol Duty, EU weights and measures, parental leave, minimum wage etc etc etc) . If they interfered a lot less and used good old commonsense with regard to housekeeping instead of building up massive debts we would all be much better off.

[sasguru]

One of the funniest things about France is the 35 Hour working week that was brought in around 1997 by a leftist government in order to create jobs. The thinking was that if you reduce the hours that one person can do then you have to employ extra staff....

This has obviously not worked so now the Frogs are trying to reverse this law but with great opposition from the unions.

I also remember when I was working in Paris at that time that whereas I would automatically work at weekends my French permie counterparts had to get it sanctioned by their unions.

Thanks for that great insight which only goes to show that a lack of common sense is not the preserve of the right.

[Cyberman]

Ah yes, the trouble with the French is that they don't have a word for entrpreneur

... but they do have a word such as entrepreneur !!!

[sasguru]

We are only buggered because of New Lie's constant interference in the market with red tape and ever rising taxes(eg: IR35, HIPS, Stamp Duty, Petrol Duty, EU weights and measures, parental leave, minimum wage etc etc etc) . If they interfered a lot less and used good old commonsense with regard to housekeeping instead of building up massive debts we would all be much better off.

Nothing to do with the fundamental imbalances in the economy then and Maggie's insistence that a large country could live on "services"