[Dissent-bristol-info] PFI Sheet

Thu Mar 24 10:25:08 GMT 2005

Yep - this gave Thatcher the intellectual backing.

-----Original Message-----
From: william morris [mailto:i.resist at gmail.com]
Sent: 23 March 2005 22:47
To: Bristol Dissent Research & Info
Subject: Re: [Dissent-bristol-info] PFI Sheet

also "This Thatcher the intellectual backing"? Typo... possibly "This
gave Thatcher"

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:43:14 +0000, william morris <i.resist at gmail.com> wrote:
> Fantastic - great effort!
> 
> only one thing - Coca-Cola's water stealing stuff is more to do with
> India directly (as per indiaresource.org), although Colombia is at the
> crest of the crashing wave of neo-liberalism.
> 
> morris
> 
> On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 01:24:41 -0800, anarchist606 at hushmail.com
> <anarchist606 at hushmail.com> wrote:
> > I like it!
> >
> > On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 01:49:48 -0800 John Mayford <john at avoncda.coop>
> > wrote:
> > >Finally! Amended PFI sheet.
> > >Just needed to amend re two key economists: Keynes and Friedman
> > >and the relationship to the drive for
> > >privitisation, use of the term "mixed" economy and to put in the
> > >Anarchist economic model; which is the
> > >workers co-perative : co-operatives operating with a free market
> > >being neither private nor public
> > >
> > >See what you think
> > >
> > >John
> > >
> > >The Agenda of PFI; Creeping Corporate Control.
> > >
> > >Public and private economy
> > >
> > >Private
> > >The Private Economy is the Capitalist model where sole traders,
> > >partnerships and companies exist to make profit as the key driving
> >
> > >force. When Companies register as
> > >"corporate bodies" - in this country under the companies act- they
> >
> > >legally assume the rights of a person, and the legal purpose of
> > >their existence is profit - making - or to exploit labour for
> > >profit - or as Michael Moore says "The bottom line is the bottom
> > >line" Costs such as wages, impacts on the environment are
> > >externalized
> > >and therefore marginalized. Corporations are the single most
> > >powerful driving force
> > >in society
> > >
> > >Public
> > >Industry in state or government control - such as the NHS,
> > >Schools, Army, Police, the Civil Service, and local government is
> > >known as the public sector.Forms of Socialism committed to State
> > >ownership of the ecomony following the Communist Manifesto in 1848
> >
> > >and the rise of the Trades Union movement in the same century the
> > >aim of Communist and Socialist theory . Clause 4" The Labour Party
> >
> > >in this country committed them to a manifesto of State Ownership
> > >until it was abolished under Neil Kinnocks leadership and with it
> > >the Liberalisation of the party.
> > >
> > >Mixed Economy
> > >In reality most economies are a mixture between private and
> > >public,for example President Roosevelt adopting the "New Deal" to
> > >rebuild America's infrastructure through public expenditure in the
> >
> > >1930's /40's. Many European Economies support their transport and
> > >energy industry through state support, while Russia and China have
> >
> > >opened their markets up to Western Multinational Corporations.
> > >
> > >Until the mid seventies, all Western government's operated to
> > >economic model founded by JM Keynes - who believed that the
> > >relationship between inflation and employment was inverse, and
> > >that government could stimulate the economy through public
> > >expenditure in times of recession as Roosevelt had done. In the
> > >seventies this theory was exploded when inflation and unemployment
> >
> > >occurred at the same time. A new economist, Milton Friedman,
> > >expounded a theory called Monetarism according to which sound
> > >economic growth was based on a low inflation economy, and the
> > >single biggest cause of inflation is public expenditure. This
> > >Thatcher the intellectual backing to slash public expenditure on
> > >that basis privatizing Steel, Oil, Coal, the Railways, Post
> > >Office, Buses and to line up education and health. It also gave
> > >her the opportunity to smash trades union power, particularly that
> >
> > >of the Miners.
> > >
> > >Neo Liberalisation or Naked Capitalism?
> > >Curiously selling off State assets has become known as
> > >Liberalisation. Curious because Liberalism has historically been
> > >linked to a mixed economy approach, and what the real meaning is
> > >simply that of opening assets to corporate control. In an
> > >international context, multinationals are seeking to develop
> > >control of developing nations, such as Coca Cola's attempt to
> > >control water in Columbia, and multi -national attempts in Africa.
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >An alterative to Corporate or State Control.
> > >In 1840 Pierre-Joseph Prouhdon published "Qu-est-ce-que la
> > >propriete?"  which represented the first linkage of the term
> > >Anarchy as a political system of thought. His Anarchist vision
> > >forsaw a society based on co-operatives and collectives and
> > >decentralized forms of government. In Spain in the 1930's
> > >following a period of 50 years of an Anarchist movement driven by
> > >Anarchists trades unions, FAI and CNTthe model was followed
> > >The co-operative movement was born in Rochdale in the same decade,
> >
> > >1844, and it's principles recognized by the International Co-
> > >operative Alliance in 1895. Co-op principles have been applied to
> > >work, food, housing and land. There are currently 750 million
> > >members of the co-ops worldwide. Neither private nor public, this
> > >is non hierarchical autonomous organization working within a free
> > >market that is not Capitalist. There are 1500 workers co-ops in
> > >the UK.
> > >
> > >What is the Private Finance Initiative [PFI]
> > >The next phase of privatisation in the UK is being looked at in
> > >education, health and transport. This is relegated in the media
> > >agenda for discussion and contrary to popular belief the Labour
> > >government has actually accelerated the Private Finance
> > >Initiative, with much of the key assets of our economy.
> > >
> > >Under the Private Finance Initiative, our schools and hospitals
> > >are being sold off bit by bit to private companies that act in the
> >
> > >interests of their shareholders.. Local rural hospitals are closed
> >
> > >to build 'super-hospitals', making people travel further, using
> > >taxpayers money to fund the profits of the building contractors at
> >
> > >a much greater cost to us taxpayers than a simple total
> > >refurbishment would have cost.
> > >
> > >How does it work?
> > >PFI means going to the private sector to take out loans on which
> > >interest rates are higher than normal for government borrowing,
> > >and then paying private sector profits on top. These repayments
> > >have to be made just like a mortgage over 20 or 30 years out of
> > >income - whether that's a hospital's revenue that might otherwise
> > >be used to pay doctors and nurses, or the school budget, which
> > >might otherwise pay teachers, or a council's income that could be
> > >used on other services. Ministers argue that savings made by more
> > >efficient private-sector managers will more than offset the costs,
> >
> > >but the evidence so far is unconvincing. However, when the
> > >contractors standards do not meet all of the requirements, or the
> > >deal becomes not profitable enough, the contractor can pull out of
> >
> > >the deal, leaving its mess behind it. The government (taxpayers)
> > >are left to pay for it to be refinanced and meanwhile the
> > >school/uni/hospital must carry on.
> > >
> > >Like hire purchase, the government ends up paying several times
> > >the original bill. This government is now building up debt for
> > >future governments to carry. Firms can walk out at any point if
> > >they decide on their own grounds, if they want to. Furthermore,
> > >the new services are only designed to last for the contract period
> >
> > >- expecting that in 20 years time, another contract must be made.
> > >The full effect of the PFI will not be felt until 20 years time -
> > >when it will be FAR TOO LATE to do anything except regret mistakes
> >
> > >whilst private companies bleed our public services dry and the
> > >politicians that made the mistakes will be long gone.
> > >
> > >Well documented are the mishaps of PFI, and are beginning to
> > >emerge onto our newsscreens. So too are Public Private
> > >Partnerships [PPP], most notably the London Underground. Despite
> > >profits of £2 million per week, the private firms still failed on
> > >87 out of 181 performance measures. Business elites cite the many
> > >successes of PFI as a reason to continue with the sell-off of our
> > >country to private firms. They take for granted a certain
> > >proportion that goes wrong. But when people's health and education
> >
> > >are at stake, can we afford for a few projects to go wrong?
> > >
> > >And where does the G8 fit into this? The crucial thing to consider
> >
> > >is WHOSE INTERESTS ARE THE GOVERNMENT ACTING IN. Are they acting
> > >in the interests of the people, as they have a democratic mandate
> > >to do, or do they act in the interests of business? Are they
> > >acting in your interests? Is the government making it easier or
> > >harder for private firms to get hold of OUR (taxpayers) money?
> > >These are questions we must never stop to ask ourselves.
> > >
> > >We must also think about how far the UK is willing to go along
> > >with the Project for a New American Century. This forms the stated
> >
> > >aims of neoliberalism - private ownership of everything. Stop to
> > >consider how far this can go if pursued to death, and whether we
> > >want anything and everything to have an 'owner'. This goes from
> > >material goods to ideas. Where will this stop? Who is going to
> > >stop it?
> > >
> > >But surely, this privatisation has nothing to do with G8 because
> > >they're not talking about it? EXACTLY. Its buried in the agenda.
> > >Bu
> > >WE do not feature in any part of the decision making process on
> > >key issues such as this. It all happens behind closed doors. They
> > >set the agenda to talk about issues we have been talking about for
> >
> > >years. When the leaders talk at G8, think about what assumptions
> > >they have made and what they are NOT talking about but is implicit
> >
> > >in their rhetoric.
> > >
> > >We all have the power to do something. Use your voice, your brain,
> >
> > >your body, your wallet and your vote wisely. And let them know at
> > >Gleneagles!
> > >
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