Originally posted by doodab
View Post
At which point you decide to turn it into an argument about public services being run by the private sector supported by tenuous anecdotes of where the public sector has achieved success and the private sector failure.
You have also argued that health care is better run publicly than privately even though I agree that private monopolies are not necessarily a good thing.
The fact that there are some state schools performing well should mean that there is no reason why they cannot all be made to perform well. Furthermore assuming your figures are correct the reason why so little is spent on educating a child is because the education authorities are more interested in themselves and because so much tax is paid in patching up the failures of education.
Your whole argument if one call it that is a series of hysterical cliches are exactly how the left defends any change within the public sector- A call to the ramparts to throw whatever emotive cliche or anecdote at its attackers. The fact is that even labour governments have privatised so many public services such as care for the elderly because the public sector cannot be trusted.
I base my arguments on how human beings behave in general. Contractors dont get paid if they take time off work which is why their absenteeism rates are far lower than permies. Restaurants who produce awful food and bad services die. Public sector services may be monopolies and it may be inappropriate to privatise them but they should be subject to rigorous levels of accountability and performance. Because they are monopolies they should have even higher levels of accountability than private companies.
I am sure public sector teachers appreciate your patronising words, but whether your figures are correct or not the results of private sector schools in terms of every subject from sport to academics eclipse those of the public sector. And why not make every school private and hand out education vouchers? It may cost more in the short term but nothing like as much as it currently costs when you aggregate todays costs of welfare, education and police. I am sure you will fall back on the arguments that some kids do not have the parents support to make such decisions - again condemning all kids down to lowest common denominator services.
If you really want to make a point then argue how the supply of food, energy, finance or anything really is better run by the public sector. The answer is that wherever you go in the world public services are entrenched inefficient monopolies. It is time this changed.
Comment