Trains, Banks and Public/Private Ownership - Prev.Predict UK Gen.Election Result

[Tamas]

The train services around and into London are private ones. 

[Razgovory]

Privatized prisons have been a big success.  More people than ever are using them!

[mongers]

Privatized prisons have been a big success.  More people than ever are using them!

[garbon]

Privatized prisons have been a big success.  More people than ever are using them!

DWM laughing at a Raz joke. Peak Languish?

[celedhring]

Queen's Speech delayed as talks between DUP and the Tories are yet to be concluded

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40243782

One of the reasons for the delay is also believed to be because the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment paper, which takes a few days to dry - and the Tory negotiations with the DUP mean it cannot be ready in time.

[Eddie Teach]

Privatized prisons have been a big success.  More people than ever are using them!

DWM laughing at a Raz joke. Peak Languish?

Something something Seedy's basement.

[garbon]

Queen's Speech delayed as talks between DUP and the Tories are yet to be concluded

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40243782

One of the reasons for the delay is also believed to be because the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment paper, which takes a few days to dry - and the Tory negotiations with the DUP mean it cannot be ready in time.

Actually BBC has already confirmed that goat skin no longer involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22449210

[grumbler]

Actually BBC has already confirmed that goat skin no longer involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22449210

Interesting.  The BBC's political analyst this morning on The world said that the speech was on goatskin and thus was delayed while it dried.  Goatskin hasn't contained actual goat for many years, but the name has been retained.  It is very long-lasting paper. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I know this looks like more wacky British conservatism but there are sound reasons to store the laws on vellum :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35569281

Though I'm not sure the Palace of Westminster is the most secure place for them 

[Jacob]

All states charge royalties for resource extraction.  Norway is no different in that regard.  The fact that the extraction is performed in Norway by a state-owned company has nothing to do with the royalties charged or with the use to which those royalties are put.

Statoil is not a "royalty extraction" organ. They're a fully integrated multinational oil corporation with operations in 36 countries, and was built into such on the foundation of a nationally owned oil company.

[Jacob]

So basically, socialism is a great idea, as long as the country in question 1. finds a source of natural resource that has an absolutely massive value compared to the number of population. 2. has enough social cohesion and cultural history of shared ownership to avoid the whole project just falling apart 3. avoid the mistakes of Venezuela, 4. avoids the mistakes of Saud Arabia or Iran. 4. manages to save enough of the income from the natural resource that interests on it will keep the welfare state going strong once the resource runs out.

Sound easy enough. Let's nationalise the shit out of everything!

If you say so Tamas.

The point remains that nationalization does not inherently produce bad outcomes. The tolerance of kleptocratic corruption does, whether it's kleptocrats nationalizing private resources or kleptocrats privatizing national resources.

[Tamas]

The point remains that nationalization does not inherently produce bad outcomes. The tolerance of kleptocratic corruption does, whether it's kleptocrats nationalizing private resources or kleptocrats privatizing national resources.

Yes, I agree. My view is simply that private ownership of such services with state oversight (like how the UK train system is supposed to work on paper at least), runs a significantly smaller risk of a corrupt and inefficient system.

[Josquius]

The train services around and into London are private ones. 

The ones that are widely regarded as being good are ran by TFL.
Southern Rail is probably the provider I've heard the most bad things about.

[garbon]

The train services around and into London are private ones. 

The ones that are widely regarded as being good are ran by TFL.
Southern Rail is probably the provider I've heard the most bad things about.

But then you aren't really talking trains. TfL mostly runs the underground and overground systems.  There is one 'TfL Rail' but that only covers part of east London and I've never heard much of anything about it.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I'm thinking you don't have much experience with belgian state-owned railwaycompany... :p

When I visited they seemed quite good. Not the best, but certainly better than the British mess.

heheheheh....