UK government looking to privatise emergency services

[test_recordings]

Fire sale: Secret Government bid to privatise fire and rescue services revealed

A minister has called for new laws that “would enable fire and rescue authorities in England to contract out their full range of services to a suitable provider”

All 46 fire and rescue services in England could be sold off to private firms under secret Government plans.

Local government minister Brandon Lewis calls for new laws that “would enable fire and rescue authorities in England to contract out their full range of services to a suitable provider” in a letter obtained by the Mirror.

He continues: “I appreciate that the proposals are not without controversy; however these changes will help remove barriers and to increase choices that fire and rescue authorities have to contract out their services.”

Really sensible idea, in my opinion.

[nowaysj]

Haha, love that you guys don't know what is coming for you. What's the next big thing? Haha, you'll see.

[Phigure]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

[zerbaman]

Crackie's gonna rock.

[SCope13]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

Yeah I really don't get how anyone could possibly think it's a good idea

also:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ome_b.html

[Phigure]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

Yeah I really don't get how anyone could possibly think it's a good idea

also:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ome_b.html

that is fucked beyond belief

[test_recordings]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

Yeah I really don't get how anyone could possibly think it's a good idea

also:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ome_b.html

that is fucked beyond belief

Innit! What they gonna do, watch people burn until they get their wallet out? Couldn't work in Germany, it's the law to assist people in danger if possible...

[Terpit]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

Yeah I really don't get how anyone could possibly think it's a good idea

also:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ome_b.html

So is this what is expected when emergency services are privatized?

[Phigure]

that as well as longer reaction times

[Genevieve]

this is an absolutely horrid idea

Yeah I really don't get how anyone could possibly think it's a good idea

also:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... ome_b.html

Too many holes in this story, though. Where does it say it's a private fire department in the first place? I'm not saying that it isn't, I just don't see it. And I'm required by law to carry an ID around in public, yet I'm also expected to pay for the ID every few years myself. So just because you're required to pay for something doesn't mean it's private.

Oh wait, one Google search away and we find out it's actually provided by government. So they paid taxes, but because they lived outside of city limits, they had to pay an additional fee to get fire protection.

[dubfordessert]

the basic problem with this kind of privatization is that it lacks democratic accountability. the cabals in charge of contracting out services are *obliged* to consider private contractors rather than keep services publicly run. There's no actual evidence-based reasoning for this, it's purely ideological, and those who will be using the services have no direct access to the processes which decide to whom services will be tendered, despite it being publicly funded. it is profit-making businesses with a direct interest in privatization who drive privatization and then proceed to monopolize the tendering process while the sop "focus groups" and "consultations" with the public are conducted and then ignored.

you can see this kind of farce time and again with the health service, with education, with policing, etc. whether service users want it or not, it happens, because of this absurd ideological canard that profit-driven services provide better quality at lower cost. while that may or may not be true for a few kinds of services, it's fairly obvious that there are certain public goods for which it is not (energy, infrastructure, health). what tends to happen with privatized services is that quality, staff and wages and provision are cut whilst costs are driven sky-high, and any "efficiency" savings are not returned to the public but creamed off in profit. the government ends up underwriting all these costs and the entire thing goes to shit. meanwhile those at the helm of these companies make a killing.

regardless, even the most staunch of libertarians would doubtless baulk at the naked rip-off represented by this kind of corporatist parasitism on the provision of public goods.

[Pedro Sánchez]

Oh well, X-Factor starts again soon...


I'm already stockpiling my riot gear.

[neon-dubz]

Haha, love that you guys don't know what is coming for you. What's the next big thing? Haha, you'll see.

will you enlighten us, or carry on being smug?

[magma]

a) Yes, it's a very silly idea indeed.

b) It's just a proposal by a single minister at the moment who also happens to be one of the least influential ministers in the entire government; a Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Local Government.

c) I sincerely doubt it'll go anywhere further than the pages of the tabloid it got leaked to. Political shock journalism 101.

[mIrReN]

this should bring forth a great community of people caring for each other

[test_recordings]

In Japan, they have community fire squads and the oldest eligible male is expected to participate in regular drills. It's so they can minimise damage before the professional firefighters get there to finish the job. Can't expect it would work in the UK, someone would be too stoned or something.

a) Yes, it's a very silly idea indeed.

b) It's just a proposal by a single minister at the moment who also happens to be one of the least influential ministers in the entire government; a Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Local Government.

c) I sincerely doubt it'll go anywhere further than the pages of the tabloid it got leaked to. Political shock journalism 101.

Makes the whole lot look like dicks, though.

[Mr Hyde]

[test_recordings]

What's that from? I recognise it, somehow

[nowaysj]

Haha, love that you guys don't know what is coming for you. What's the next big thing? Haha, you'll see.

will you enlighten us, or carry on being smug?

It's one of those you wouldn't believe me if I told you things. But feel free to look into the actual health of your economy, and the implication to all areas of your life?

[Mr Hyde]

What's that from? I recognise it, somehow

It's OCP, privatised policing/megacorporation from Robocop. People slated that film when it first came out as just being overly gory action film but I think it has quite an interesting (and in some ways accurate) vision of the future