Adam Smith Institute identifies £90 billion of privatisation

[dvbuk55]

Looking at that list you wouldn't believe we actually won the war...........Japan, Germany.............makes you wonder why they went down the military route.........50 years later they bought us out Whilst those two enjoy the peace.............we are still fighting a war.

[essjayar]

I don't know how they come up with these valuations, but foreign ownership of companies don't worry too much.

That is - unless it's essential services. The fact that much of our electricity suppliers, etc are under foreign ownership too due to past privitisations is a worry. I'd say Royal Mail is also an essential service, and companies like this that supply our day to day services... from our TV and Telephone / Internet access to our Electricity, Gas, Water etc should all be British. Doesn't matter who owns the shares... but they should all be nominally British. This ensures proper regulation and control, and perhaps the government could own "golden shares" or whatever to help this. Plus, of course, all that revenue would stay within the UK and be taxed in the UK.

[fishtank]

I don't know how they come up with these valuations, but foreign ownership of companies don't worry too much.

That's a little naive...if you're a foreign owner and the s**t hits the fan where do you make the first and heaviest cuts...not in your own backyard that's for sure.

[dvbuk55]

I don't know how they come up with these valuations, but foreign ownership of companies don't worry too much.

That's a little naive...if you're a foreign owner and the s**t hits the fan where do you make the first and heaviest cuts...not in your own backyard that's for sure.

I don't know if it is the same now but years ago in Germany foreign workers were not allowed citizenship and in a recession they were simply laid off - they looked after their own - pity we've never learned the same lesson.