Forum Topic

Dirty Business

I am amazed at the lack of comment, not to say outrage, at the Channel 4 programme this week about the privatisation of our water industry. If you thought Mr. Bates was dreadful - then this reaches even lower lows! If Keir Starmer really wants to do something for all of us and perhaps help keep his job after the next General Election, then re-nationalisation of all our utilities would be a good way to go. Why we have allowed this to go on after Mrs. Thatcher's assurances we should 'wait and see' how it panned out  is a mystery. It became very clear, very quickly this was a licence to print money, and in the process do untold damage to our waterways, seaside, wildlife and ecological systems, not to mention make people very ill and in one case at least, cause the death of a child. As for the despicable people who helped cover it up they are beneath contempt, and have in some cases got themselves cushy little numbers with the very water companies they should have investigated, they must be made to answer for what they did. Thank God we have people with integrity and guts to Whistle-blow, and others who care to work on for years in the face of appalling obfuscation and lies.

Vanessa Smith ● 1d5 Comments

Privatisation is about bringing in private capital, rather than all costs having to be met by taxpayers.

Richard Greenhough ● 1d

Government recognised anything has always been a disaster the answer is super strong regulation, zero dividend payment if they fail to achieve the agreed targets particularly with sewage. All new developments must have the right infrastructure others plans not approved. Builders 1.5M homes without the right infrastructure will make matters much worse.

Jayne Thorburn ● 1d

“If Keir Starmer really wants to do something for all of us”But he doesn’t does he. He wants to keep some backbenchers happy and bleat on about an extra breakfast club here and there. He hasn’t listened to the people of this country. Hence he’s the most unpopular PM in history. And now he’s lost a safe seat to the Greens. Even the Lib Dem Environment Secretary in the coalition government refused to tackle Thames Water. The Greens would be a disaster for the Country but they would probably be the only party to confront Water Utilities head on.

Steve Taylor ● 1d

Yes.If you've seen the programme it is the most positive thing to come out of this grotesque farce, and it is repeated many times over. Privatisation is all about profit and dividends for shareholders, or in some of these cases not far off organised crime, not about delivering for customers. It DOESN'T work.

Vanessa Smith ● 1d

Do you really still think that nationalisation is the cure for all ills ? It would have been much better if Ofwat had been given much greater regulatory powers after privatisation and the government had retained a "golden share" in the utility companies which would have allowed them to limit salary levels and keep them to their environmental standards.

Richard Greenhough ● 1d