How did they get away with privatising public services?

[Newname85]

Whoever thought it was a good idea to privatise rail services, airports etc - how exactly did they get away with it?

How did anyone believe that adding profits on the top will somehow result in better service/ ROI?

I returned yesterday from a short trip to visit family. At the airport, you are asked to throw water away for security check. But, you are forced to buy it at £3.50 for a small bottle. How is this fair?
Restaurants serve ridiculously expensive food, but no obligation to serve water. wtf ??

The other day, I saw an advertisement from SouthEastern. Why exactly do they need to advertise!??? SE trains are the only option I have !!

I’m not sure the link with house prices?

Can you name for me please the companies paying “minimal tax” and your evidence for this? Because they should be reported to HMRC so they can investigate.

This is the problem, hate rich people all you want but they pay a lot of tax which we’re going to need with our ageing population and declining birth rate. Who do you think is paying for all of this going forward?

Is this companies such as Amazon, google, Starbucks etc which pay tax in line with tax rules operating in the jurisdictions in which they reside? There is so little understanding of international corporate taxation rules in the UK. No you can’t just slap an extra tax on Amazon. It doesn’t work like that. It’s not that simple.

This is exactly my point. But people love to shout about Amazon etc not paying tax. Just not true. The level of cognitive dissonance not just on mumsnet but generally is insane.

We need people to have businesses here. Hopefully huge businesses. With huge profits subject to corporation tax. Thousands of employees all paying income tax. Hopefully earning huge salaries and paying very high taxes.

But no, rich people = the enemy according to some.

Companies pay tax in the countries where they are incorporated and registered. For the vast majority of the huge global behemoths, that is the USA. Their offshore entities choose jurisdictions like ROI where corporation tax is 12-15%, compared to 25% in the UK. Companies are highly mobile, which few few seem to grasp.

Yes. Have been in Britain since 1066. You don’t like that? Then change it.

As for big businesses paying tax in line with law, the problem is that the law is wrong and has been for a very long time. We talk about ‘how the other half lives’ for a reason - you really do live in different worlds, and in Britain with its gross inequality and worship of America that’s not going to improve any time soon - or at all, for long enough to effect real change. And so you will find fewer and fewer people willing to pay to work for a system in which they have no chance and no voice. That’s the natural consequence of this system. But I’m wasting my time.

Yes, mobile big business with more spending power and political power than entire countries - including Britain now - are a major problem. They should never have been enabled to become so powerful. But here we are. Enabled by their supporters they will continue to suck life out of the world until it collapses - and that is now on the way. Enjoy.

Wasting your time talking total bollocks, yes.

What laws are wrong, specifically. What are the names of the companies doing something wrong? What laws would you enact to correct this?

Corporation tax was increased under the Conservative government. So companies do pay more tax. So was income tax so individuals pay more tax too. Labour have increased that further.

What people are refusing to work? You sound very much like you’re making this up as you go along.

We have had governments from both main parties since privatisation under Thatcher. If it had had disastrous consequences it would have been reversed.

I think most people recognise that overall what happened was necessary although far from perfect.

Throughout Europe, publicly-owned services run very well

@Havanananana And your evidence for this? Certainly isn't the case in my European countries (dual nationality).

@SharpLily It is my experience from having lived in three European countries - Denmark, Germany and Austria.

Where I currently live in Europe, utilities (water, electricity, gas, internet and fibre-optic communcations) are publicly owned and function extremely well (and are cheaper than in the UK).
Public transport is publicly owned and integrated. Buses dovetail with trains and trams and there is common ticketing. An annual ticket for the entire State (the size of a large UK county) would cost me less than €3 a day - but I don't need one as local buses to the nearest large town 16km away are frequent and free. Walk-up train tickets are very affordable - a 90-minute return journey for a family of 3 costs €30. A 2-hour trip to the State capital costs €14.
Housing is a mixture of private and social housing - with rents capped at affordable levels and strict planning and zoning rules in place to ensure that there is the appropriate mix of housing to meet the needs of the residents.

Tell us about your country and how it compares to this, and to the UK.