The family silver - Privatisation yet another betrayal

THE idea that State assets, built up over generations to protect and enrich the lives of every citizen, might be sold off to repay international creditors has slipped onto the public agenda without debate or mandate.

Privatisation was one of the cornerstones of the Progressive Democrats and Margaret Thatcher’s equally strident Conservative crusaders. It was one of the policies that made the PDs irrelevant and the Tories unelectable for over a decade. This is something its advocates should well consider.

Privatisation is the dismissive philosophy that the market can provide social services better than the State. This can only be true if the State, through its politicians and public sector, cannot or will not manage its affairs properly.