But. there are serious questions to ask here. First, never let it be said again that strategically important companies cannot be nationalised in the public interest.
Not let it be said that the government cannot decide who should be winners and losers in our economy.
And come to that, never let it be said that investment to secure important government goals is not possible, because it very clearly is.
In other words, let it now be said, loud and clear, that nationalisation is definitely on the agenda, at least when it suits the government.
Always has been too. The question is always when is that “suits the government” something that the rest of us want to have happen? Nationalising a fragile business in the middle of the defence supplier chain might be a case – might! – where it does. Nationalising all food shops might – might! – not be.
Government have, after all, done both……..
Nationalised industries have a proven track record of producing lousy and expensive products and services and of running at eye watering losses with the tax payer having to pick up the tab. A strange definition of being in the public interest.
Being free of the EU means that the UK govt is now able to subsidise and nationalise who it likes, shirley ?
@Ottokring
Nope – received a letter the other day from HMRC regarding the Employment Allowance for ‘smaller companies… and I quote
“If you make or sell goods or services, Employment Allowance counts as ‘de minimis state aid’. There’s a limit to how much de minimis state aid you can get.
You must:
* check that you’re within the de minimis state aid threshold
* work out how much de minimis state aid you’ve received
You must do this even if you do not make a profit.”
…. with crazily complicated examples.
Is Murphy quoting the CCCP? Or just idolising it?
Today’s news that Sun Dawu has been jailed for 18 years for openly criticising the Chinese government shows his third sentence to be true (in China) but also in any country.
His second sentence is over 70 years out-of-date – Attlee nationalised “the commanding heights of the economy” – not a single one of those industries remained a commanding height.
Spud asks on Twitter what is the major anxiety of our time – apparently it’s Boris Johnson according to his Twitter followers. He thinks this is ‘illuminating’ which of course it is but only of the sort of nutjobs that follow him.
As is this from one of his regulars:
“let’s not forget cataclysmic seismic activity of the ring of fire that has laid waste to Australia in the Dreamtime’ Big Wave’s as the tallest mountains on the planet , collapse under their ever increasing volcanic weights!”