Does anyone have any information about popular opinion on privatisation in
Britain. Recent experience in Manitoba indicated that there was a very
substantial majority against privatization of the Manitoba Telephone System.
The Tory government claimed it had no plans to privatise it during the election
campaign that elected the present government.
Is the situation different in Britain? There is lots of literature
e.g. Hardin's THE PRIVATISATION PUTSCH that reveals in great detail how
privatisation involves voracious feeders at the public trough: admen,
advisers, financiers, stock dealers, sweet deals for CEO's of public
corporations to be privatised etc. etc. It weakens the union movement,
and spreads the cancer of low-paid jobs with no benefits, often part-time.
The recent article on MTS privatisation in Manitoba in CANADIAN DIMENSION
(by Errol Black and Paula Mallea) is a good case study of the total
depravity of the privatisation process.
Social-democratic leaders not only are abandoning their own
constituency, by becoming cheerleaders for neo-liberal policies they are
creating a situation where there is not even a reformist alternative.
We seem to have a situation where leftist parties could have a mass bass,
but none of the former social-democratic parties seem to take advantage
of this potential base, or are there exceptions? NOTE: At least the
NDP in Manitoba opposed privatisation but who knows what they would do if in
power? The Sask. NDP is doing a review of Crown Corporations and accept
privatisaton as one possibility if a corporation is not judged to be
functioning efficiently.
Cheers, Ken Hanly
