Which services would you re-nationalise?

[Bry Nylon]

Maybe I'm getting nostaglic, but weren't things better and far more simple when we just had:

The Electricty Board
The Gas Board
The Water Board
British Rail

Sure, things weren't that efficient, but at least there weren't countless utility companies and god knows how many train franchises that couldn't run a bath between them, nevermind our national infrastructure.

Let's re-nationalise!

 

[Rookie]

Rail, all profits pumped back into the service

 

[Cheshire Cat]

British Rail was atrocious.



The current crop are no better

 

[Bry Nylon]

Rail, all profits pumped back into the service

Yeah! I miss Sea-Link ferries, too!

 

[Spanish Seagulls]

Funny how they can make a bucketful of cash for their fat cat shareholders now they are privatised but were a burden when we owned them. In my opinion these industries should always be nationalised but run ruthlessly & efficiently.

 

[Blackadder]

Definitely Rail and Water.

Rail, no benefits from competiton. Pricing really confusing. The ticket office doesn't always volunteer the cheapest way to get from A to B.

Water. As far as I can tell, you can't go to another company to buy your water. What's the point?

 

[7:18]

definitely Rail

 

[BensGrandad]

With gas and electric and even some rail networks you have a choice but with water and sewage you have no choice now so it may just as well be nationalised.

 

[simonsimon]

Dentists

 

[Castello]

Banks

 

[Chicken Runner61]

The Railways were crap, Old trains, crap service and not very reliable.

Now we have nice new trains, crap service, not that reliable on the non profitable lines and they are way too expensive.

 

[Gully]

Railways.

The best railway I have used on a reasonably regular basis is the Dutch one, it is nationalised and fully integrated into other forms of public transport, such as trams and buses. The pricing structure is easily understood and the trains are clean, modern and run on time.

 

[vegster]

British Rail was atrocious.



The current crop are no better

British Rail had its faults but, a unified network meant no arguments about whose ticket is valid on which route, staff, allbeit sometimes not the brightest were on every station at ALL times and they all knew the timetables and where to direct you if you were unsure.
Throw in the fact that the subsidy that was paid to British Rail is STILL being paid to the various franchise holders as an incentive and that is now dished out to shareholders. Enough said ?

 

[beorhthelm]

looks like i'll be the first to point out the rail network *has* been re-nationalised. over the long run it seems the franchises running the train services has improved (or is anyone going to claim the slam door carriages were better?), though theres been some pain while shit services have been pushed out. BR was poor.

water i never really saw the point of privatisation and is so key that i believe public finance would be appropriate.

electricty+gas need stonking amounts of investment, im not sure its sensible to have public money tied up if private money is happy to take up the job.