People desperately trying to pay their power and water bills or who have to pay excessive fares for poorly provided and inefficient train services have been ripped off by the privatisation of our great national assets, which are now largely owned by foreign companies. Even the new nuclear power plant at Hinckley is to be built by a French company (EDF) and part financed by the Chinese government.
And don't be in any doubt that this government's legislation on schools and the NHS mean that they are, essentially, being privatised. Control is now being taken away from democratically elected Councils and Local Health Authorities and given to cheating companies such as G4S and Serco who have been given huge multi billion pound contracts to provide inferior services in these and other government sectors.
Whilst Serco's difficulties include the poor handling of pathology labs and fatal errors in patient records. At St Thomas' Hospital, the increase in the number of clinical incidents arising from Serco non-clinical management has resulted in patients receiving incorrect and infected blood, as well as patients suffering kidney damage due to Serco providing incorrect data used for medical calculations. A Serco employee later revealed that the company had falsified 252 reports to the National Health Service regarding Serco health services in Cornwall.
In September 2013, Serco was accused of extensive sexual abuse cover-ups of immigrants at Yarls Wood prison in Bedfordshire.
In September 2013, Ireland rejected a tender by Serco when the company was found to be involved in a series of multi-billion pound frauds in Britain.
Whilst their their money grabbing mates at G4S, who failed totally to provide the security required in their contract for the London Olympics, are under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for allegations of criminally overcharging tax payers.
And if you have ever wondered where that smirk on Richard Branson's face comes from then look no further than the selling off to him, at a cheap rate, of the good part of Northern Rock (whilst we the taxpayer, retain the massive loss making section) and the rail franchises that have been handed out to him.
I have never understood economics and I doubt if many of the economists who run our world do either. Put two of them together in a room and they will disagree and none of them predicted the massive economic crisis in the banks in 2008 which the poor in the world are picking up the tab for.
Having gone through the Thatcher years, when moneterism was king and the money supply had to be restricted, we have now done a complete about turn and the Bank of England and the Fed. are printing billions of pounds and giving it to the banks. This was supposedly done in order that they could lend to industry and individuals, when in fact they have used it to pay off their still huge debts.
Neo liberalism is now being used throughout the western world and if, like me you ever wondered what that is Shamus Cooke recently wrote:-
“The essence of neoliberalism can be reduced to the following: government should be used exclusively to help big business and the wealthy with tax cuts, subsidies, privatizations, anti-labour laws, etc., while all government programs that help working and poor people should be eliminated. It’s really that simple.”
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