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Topic for June 2024 - Nationalisation
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Nationalisation and its relevance in the 21st Century
This agenda for our June discussion has been inspired by Labour’s promise to nationalise rail franchises as they come to an end. However, the discussion is much wider, across all sectors.
It is intended as a fresh look at Nationalisation leaving aside ideologies which surround it and going back to first principles of why/if it’s needed and if so in what form.
Agenda
- What is Nationalisation? What is currently a state-owned enterprise e.g. Network Rail, Civil Aviation Authority? What was in Public Ownership but then privatised e.g. National Grid, BT, Royal Mail. Which have worked and which haven’t?
Additional information at State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia - What are our historic personal prejudices about the pros and cons of nationalisation?
- Which pros and cons led Government away from nationalised industries to the more privatised but regulated situation today?
- What changes over the last 50 years have shifted the pros and cons e.g. technology? What examples are there of failures and successes of both privatised and nationalised organisations?
- Does/can a level of nationalisation contribute to the good of all?
- Is there a better form of nationalisation under a new name to shed the baggage e.g. a National Benefit Organisation (NBO)?
- Does it need a new hybrid organisation type?
- What are the objectives of nationalisation? What should the objectives of an NBO be in today’s world?
- What are the financial implications and risks for the country?
- What are the workforce objectives?
- If something is nationalised or made an NBO, what features need to be built in to make it effective over the long-term i.e. to ensure theory works in practice?
- Should nationalised industries have no strike clauses in T&Cs?
- Given the discussion, what do we think of the proposal to nationalise the railways?
This post was edited by # Probably42 at May 30, 2024 4:55 PM BST - What is Nationalisation? What is currently a state-owned enterprise e.g. Network Rail, Civil Aviation Authority? What was in Public Ownership but then privatised e.g. National Grid, BT, Royal Mail. Which have worked and which haven’t?
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