Fergal Sharkey. Is well informed re water companies spewing sewage into the rivers. It astonishes me how they try to hide the real reasons rather than blaming storm overflows. Utter bo11ox. Lack of investment and maintenance being the real reasons. I worked in the industry for 34yrs. And voiced my concerns many times only for it to fall on deaf ears. I've pointed it out before. The strategy was 'risk management' and those management who attempted to break this stupid cycle were either shifted sideways or removed altogether.( People were jumping at the opportunity of redundancy.) To be replaced by yes men in some cases. Some of those leaving finding jobs within service partners. Who, some (companies) quite frankly given the constraints put on em, say it isn't worth the effort. They are dumped at the drop of a hat when contracts come up for renewal. Not based on performance but cheaper options. Some I wouldn't let run me a bath. They are now pleading poverty and some of the policies being rolled out lately would be funny if not so serious. Get ready for strikes within the industry as pay offers will be rejected. Most are owned by foreign investors who have no interest other than profits. It's bit em on the bum lately as I'm informed they are not issuing dividends cos of the shambles they have created since privatisation. Trying to put right the wrongs but only using a sticking plaster. Fines are a regular occurrence. Efficiency of utilisation of the workforce, especially in the engineering section is at an all time low. If I'd had my way, joe public would ALL refuse to pay for a public service in the hands of private ownership. It may be the only way they'd want it off their hands at a giveaway price. Not the obscene amount it would take to re-nationalise the industry at present. Lining their pockets.
When I worked at Linpac Plastics Recycling at Allerton Bywater. (Old NUM College Work Shops etc). We had an old pumping station for our sewage. It pumped it up into Allerton Bywater because of the slight gradient. However, it was always failing. One of my jobs as apprentice was pulling a piece of string attached to a ball **** in a chamber below ground. When it stopped knocking I had to pull the string again etc. When this failed I was on look out for Yorkshire water because the foreman fitter put a hose from the chamber to the grate on the road outside and pumped the 5 hite straight into Fairburn Ings. At 18 years old who was I to argue. They also had me painting welded, panel beaten wracking that should have been replaced. One of many crap jobs. They once ambushed me wrapped my legs in duct tape and threw me in a wet dolav. Then one of the lads dropped his pants and rubbed his sweaty arse crack in my face.
Not the key point of this post but was there only me that had to google dolav to find out what it meant. Be a great Wordle
The right to clean healthy water, affordable electricity, affordable gas, affordable oil and it's byproducts, and reliable public transport should never be left in the hands of those whose one and only goal is profit-at whatever cost to the poor consumer. Re-nationalise these odious corrupt organisations, that's what I'd call taking back control!
And Labour aren’t going to change anything won’t renationalise but will ‘enforce contracts’ whatever meaningless ***** that means.
Probably changed now but Labour’s first manifesto item if they got in last time was to re-nationalise The Water industry. I sit on a forum where this was born out of a campaign called “ Take Back The Tap “.
Yes. Starmer lied to the members to get elected by stating that he would retain the commitment to nationalisation which he has subsequently abandoned for all apart from rail.
Not so sure he's lied. It was quite possible at the time. 2019 water would have been financially viable to re nationalise.. Yes it was during the manifesto. But given the disastrous consequences of covid etc. Finances are not as they were then. Lots of the rail industry is still under public ownership and may still be on the agenda. To take back under control. Although massively important. (And I'd like nothing more than water to be taken back under public ownership.) Not only would it cost fortunes. but the investment due to negligence of the water companies is astronomical as well. Buy back is not so simple. There are more important considerations to be taken. Such as massive investment into the NHS and emergency services for example. they have to take priority.at this stage for me. Manifestos are changing all the time. Different times different circumstances. If I'd a £1 for every broken manifesto promise I'd be a rich man.
i was at the Hustings he definitely lied. Every pledge made has been abandoned. Peter Oborne the prominent Conservative journalist has called it the most dishonest election of all time and I would agree with him. The rest shows a poor understanding of the economics of a fiat economy. The economics of a fiat economy dictate that a country can fund whatever it chooses to fund. All decisions are political not economic ones. If Labour were concerned about economics they would push single marker realignment which has cost of 5.5% of GDP so they clearly are not. Nationalisation from an economic point of view is a cost neutral exercise. You potentially make payment (however your payment is equalised by you obtaining an asset to that value). Economists like Portes who are not necessarily in favour of nationalisation have written extensively on this. The only cost you could expose yourself to are any pension deficits. Alternative you could just commit to not renewing any franchises as Burnham has done with buses in GM Without this nothing will change. We will still pay the highest energy costs in the world. We will still be the only developed country with a privatised water supply. A ridiculous thing where no competition exists. Rail I think remains the only thing Labour plan to nationalise.
