Public Ownership of Electricity Generation

[JohnD]

It's interesting to see that another Labour policy is being adopted, without even the inconvenience of a general election

(previously, Utility companies in the UK have been state-owned, but by foreign governments, not our own. A foolish idea)

It was railways coming into public ownership last week.

I wonder what will be next. The Post Office, perhaps. Or Social Housing. School playing fields. Hospitals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44363366

 

[Ihavenojob]

Alas, it would be economically unviable, huge pay offs to share holders, pension pots to be topped up & it would not be possible until we left the eu.

 

[JohnD]

Are you under the impression that the EU is opposed to public ownership of national infrastructure?

You're confused. It's the Tory party.

 

[Ihavenojob]

The eu doesn't like a monopoly, nor does the Tory party. The fact is the money gained from the sale of our nationalised companies has been spunked away on any number of hair brained schemes/quangos by both parties, the cost to re nationalise would mean raising taxes which would more than offset the savings (if any) from national owned companies. I would love to see them all back in public ownership, I would also love West Ham to win the champions league, both highly unlikely but The Hammers have a better chance.

 

[noseall]

The eu doesn't like a monopoly

Eh?

 

[Ihavenojob]

Eh?

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/monopoly.html

 

[noseall]

+++++
please do not falsify quotes
mod
+++++

 

[noseall]

Poor confused old hate can only read one word of his own sentence.

Stupid RWR.

 

[Ihavenojob]

+++++
please do not falsify quotes
mod
+++++

 

[Notch7]

Are you under the impression that the EU is opposed to public ownership of national infrastructure?

I was under the impression the EU rules require a tendering process, so automatic public ownership is not possible. An example is passports....

 

[SirGalahad]

I was under the impression the EU rules require a tendering process, so automatic public ownership is not possible. An example is passports....

That's a pernicious falsehood propagated by leavers that EU rules prohibit state ownership or nationalisation.

Leaving the EU will guarantee we never nationalise an industry again as any trade agreement with the US will most likely include that clause.

 

[Notch7]

That's a pernicious falsehood propagated by leavers that EU rules prohibit state ownership or nationalisation.

I know that, hence why I said 'automatic public ownership is not possible'.....there are restrictions

railway for example:
This rules out reinstating mainland Britain’s old state monopoly, British Rail. While public sector organisations will still be able to run rail services, any service or route will need to be contracted out and not simply awarded.

By liberalising the European rail industry, the fourth rail package is continuing a longstanding EU objective. The EU appears to share the British ideological mindset of the 1990s that led to a fragmented rail network and privatisation. It is arguing for this under the mantra that competition will bring better and cheaper services for passengers.

http://theconversation.com/fact-che...it-impossible-to-renationalise-railways-61180

We should also remember that the directives must be applied in the spirit of the treaties. This brings Art. 345 back into the mix. It would be difficult for the ECJ to overturn a proportionately conducted, partial nationalisation considering that the fundamental law of the EU recognises the rights of member states to do just that.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sam-fowles/nationalisation-is-not-ag_b_8231336.html?guccounter=1

 

[motorbiking]

State subsidies are prohibited, but exemptions exist. Its one of the downsides of our open model. International companies can hoover up UK national infrastructure borrowing the money to do so in the knowledge that they can never be acquired, when their assets exceed their market cap.

e.g. RWE, EDF, Ferrovial, Huchison Whampoa etc.

 

[ellal]

railway for example:
This rules out reinstating mainland Britain’s old state monopoly, British Rail. While public sector organisations will still be able to run rail services, any service or route will need to be contracted out and not simply awarded.

Wrong.

It is perfectly possible to simply replace a state subsided private monopoly (franchise) with a state sponsored state run monopoly (nationalisation).

(The East Coast Line has just been re-nationalised for the second time, and only tory ideology calls for it to be tendered out again! )

The TTIP agreement which the EU let drop would have made re-nationalisation virtually impossible.
So as has been mentioned before, a post brexit deal with the US will probably include TTIP MKII - Only with it being even further slanted against the UK!

 

[JohnD]

Railtrack went bust (due to insufficient public subsidy) and the business was nationalised as Network Rail (with a bigger public subsidy)