Have I stepped into an alternative universe?

A discussion thread started by Boaz that is actually pertinent, important and raising intelligent questions?

Fantastic. I am looking out my window, watching for flying pigs.

Anyway, not to waste a moment - the points raised by both CJ and Pericles are spot on, there is no advantage to the privatisation of public essential services to the public. Once profit is the primary motivation, then standards drop and prices rise. Everything is for the benefit of the shareholder and consumers are the sheep being fleeced yet again.

Can Iemma be stopped from proceeding with his 'evil' plan?

Probably not.

But in the new alternative universe maybe it is possible to push some toothpaste back in the tube. I will continue to hope.

Look up in the sky, I see wings...... just a bunch of cockatoos

GOOD.. we are all basically on the same page here.

NOW... lets look at what can be done!

SHAME...might be the name of the game? Perhaps we can quickly cobble together a vid for youtube.. which highlights this question, and focuses in on the 'dwellers in paneled houses' such as the Premier and his cohorts. (gang?)

Perhaps the Media (if it was dutiful and responsible) would actually ASK this question do so with such persistance (they can learn a bit from me:).. that the contract details (specially any bits which guarantee commercial success) will be opened out for all to see.

Failing this, we can be our OWN media yes.. Youtube of course.

Then..the horror of this disgusting pox of political syphilus will stare us in the face, as we see the 'end' at the beginning, and hopefully don't jump into bed with this WHORE of a government, or at least stand it naked on some prominent street corner with a sign around its neck saying "I SOLD YOU OUT... SORRY"

One Simple Question Mr Iemma
Have you Maurice seen the statistics that other countries have experienced after selling off. ?
Britain Higher Bills per unit since infamous Thatcher did the same.
Extroadanary high Salaries to Executives at the cost to the Consumers.
No Mr Iemma is following a right wing ideology that is now within the Labor Party.
We had it with Keating and Brian Burke who helped to try and destroy the Labor Party which Mr Iemma is doing today. It is not only the Trade Unions who are against his blikered decision it is also most of the ALP Branches he is actually ignoring those who placed him into that Office.

"PROBLEM... as usual there is one. IF.. as Iemma says "we need the money" it indicates they have been living/operating beyond their means." - Boaz

Yep. Or at bleast governments fund for their own presivation, A decade then Commonwealth owed 90 billion dolars. The Govenment held onto its suprpluses to buy votes: e.g., baby bonuses. We no see state govenments clloectivelu owing about the, you guest it, 90 billion dollars. Funding was withheld. Fifteen billion dollars help fund NSW for about three years? And As I ointed above efficient lihjt globes mean nothing if you have huge debt.

Recently zi Californin. Government put no money away for maintainance of the those super-free we admired on TV as kids. Here are plenty of patchy places now.

Th Hong privatiation of the rail system seems work. The roads, "no". People dodge tunnels there too.

For a quasi-socialist government by name; it stange the ALP has adopted Thatcherism

Dear David,

I've just been reading Ross Gittins (Business Day, 17/3) statements on the struggle over NSW power. His argument rests with the statement that "Governments shouldn't be doing those things the private sector can do just as well, if not better."

Gittins argues that "Since the advent of the national electricity market, there is no longer any good reason for a government to stay in generation and retailing. It should focus its (clearly limited) attention on doing well those things that only it can do."

However as pointed out in a recent article in, The Age, Gittins ignores the main reason why privatising the NSW electricity generating and retailing industry is not in the public interest.

I quote," The Government-owned generators in NSW set an effective cap on the wholesale price of electricity on the east coast, preventing the privatised Victorian assets getting the returns that were expected when they were sold at apparently inflated prices in 1995 to foreign generating companies.

Privatising the NSW system will make electricity on the Australian east coast more expensive, the supply less reliable and the whole operation more profitable."

Good point Foxy,capping the wholesale price is key. I can live with the further privatisation of the retail end, am currently a Truenergy green customer. Imagine banking if the CBA had never been privatised.

The NSW govt. has blown windfall revenues worth billions over the last 10 years; and is also reaping the whirlwind of successive govts. raiding of Utilities, the "hollow logs" first f'ed by Neville Wran.

Even more basic than the Bob Carrs mantra of 'roads,schools and hospitals' is 'power and water'. If our state govt. abdicates responsibility for these then why bother having them?

CJ, hate to be a party pooper, but our faltering telecommunications would be even shakier without the privatisation of the retail end of Telecom, and the partial privatisation of the 'engine and transmission' of the network. Always seems to escape attention that allowing Optus to exist was a de facto privatisation.