How can you privatise every service and yet not privatise a monarchy?

[X]

No, I worked for a major top tier contractor for over 14 years, working for (amongst others) British Rail (then Railtrack then Network Rail), National Grid, the Highways Agency, Beitish Nuclear Fuels, MEB, Manweb etc ....... And they really were genuinely shit, wasteful and ineffective.

The problem with the current outsourcing is that they have only moved from a total state monopoly to a very very small number of companies doing the work. That breeds cartel behaviour and they become as bad as the monopoly itself.

I'm being just as critical of the monopsony 'private sector' companies who have cornered their markets with enormous barriers to entry and who don't really have to compete.

I also agree that the NHS was a wonderful, humane invention. At the time. But I don't buy into the almost holy awe that it and the people who work in it are held, especially during this election. Ove any organisation becomes untouchable, it does not feel the need to improve, to change and to become more effective and efficient. But like the Church really!

[Gandalf]

There is nothing shit about government involvement in key utilities imo. You cannot have a freemarket in these areas and so it is better that the government runs them in the interests of the people. There is nothing shit about water for a fiver a month. Water run for German pension funds and shareowners is very shit and a rip off. It should be run in the interests of people who cannot live without it and them alone. Everybody.

The NHS was fine until mass immigration, chronic non investment and bankrupting PFI's. On its own terms the NHS is a beautiful thing.

[Gandalf]

I know that is one of my contradictions. I want small government when it comes to tools of oppression like monarchy, police and the war machine. But when it comes to things like providing water and health and things like that I can only envisage a government role. You were right elsewhere X. I do have that push and pull when it comes to wanting to do the right thing. It's an uneasy balancing act.