Is freezing Council tax fair to

[BCram]

How do you get over the situation where MSM, the civil service Blob and that political parties are only worried about their power.

[Deeranged]

How do you get over the situation where MSM, the civil service Blob and that political parties are only worried about their power.

If we knew the answer to that we might be able to make some progress

[BCram]

If we knew the answer to that we might be able to make some progress

For me the way forward is to get politicians actually in charge of public utilities. Thatcher's privatisation programme was an attempt to kick start investment and improve performance by bringing in capitalist inspired efficiency. I think it worked for a while but the market based philosophy has been disrupted by greed and monopolistic power being abused.
Think we should try to bring back some social ownership.

[Deeranged]

For me the way forward is to get politicians actually in charge of public utilities. Thatcher's privatisation programme was an attempt to kick start investment and improve performance by bringing in capitalist inspired efficiency. I think it worked for a while but the market based philosophy has been disrupted by greed and monopolistic power being abused.
Think we should try to bring back some social ownership.

Re-nationalise?

How are the ferries (sorry) doing under the SNP? I suppose some kind of hybrid where public money can be placed into the hands of private enterprise responsible for the proper running of services and directly answering to government - but wait, did they not do something like during Covid?

[islaydarkblue]

For me the way forward is to get politicians actually in charge of public utilities. Thatcher's privatisation programme was an attempt to kick start investment and improve performance by bringing in capitalist inspired efficiency. I think it worked for a while but the market based philosophy has been disrupted by greed and monopolistic power being abused.
Think we should try to bring back some social ownership.

In my opinion politicians are the last people that you want to put in charge of public utilities or anything else for that matter.
Most of them do not have a clue how to run anything as they are advised by their special advisers and top civil servants what to say.
My MSP Jenni Minto has office staff paid by the Scottish taxpayers to carry out investigate complaints and concerns raised by her constituents.

[islaydarkblue]

Re-nationalise?

How are the ferries (sorry) doing under the SNP? I suppose some kind of hybrid where public money can be placed into the hands of private enterprise responsible for the proper running of services and directly answering to government - but wait, did they not do something like during Covid?

In reply to your question. The Scottish Government owned operating company Calmac Ferries Limited are a total shambles.
However you never hear any problems with the Northlink ferries as their operating company is Serco which is a Public Limited Company also known as a PLC.

[BCram]

Agree with the difficulty in finding a way to deliver public services efficiently. The profit motive does not seem to work. As you point out the covid procurement process seems to have been totally corrupt so any repetition of that seems unlikely to work. Somehow tax must be reformed. Bernie Eccleston showed that not paying tax is a seriously effective way to keep money. If there was no tax avoidance the people who would suffer would be the super rich and those who they employ. There was a time after the Thatcher reforms where the whole of the country spent more on services than they raised in taxes apart from the City of London. They got the benefit of the profits made by the companies who operated in the North Sea and the profits made by the water companies and the power generating companies.

[BCram]

In reply to your question. The Scottish Government owned operating company Calmac Ferries Limited are a total shambles.
However you never hear any problems with the Northlink ferries as their operating company is Serco which is a Public Limited Company also known as a PLC.

Could that be because you live in zuslay not for example Orkney? 😄

[islaydarkblue]

Could that be because you live in zuslay not for example Orkney? ��

There has been no mention about problems with the Northlink ferries on MSN in Scotland but there as been plenty of debate on MSN in Scotland about the ‘clapped out’ Scottish Government owned ferries operated by Scottish Government owned Calmac Ferries Limited continually breaking down and bong withdrawn from service.
Yesterday and this morning there have been no sailings on the Oban to Craignure on the Isle of Mull route because the MV Loch Frisia ferry is stranded at Craignure pier as it has only one working engine. You might know this ferry route. The second and main ferry on this route the MV Isle of Mull cannot sail on the Oban to Craignure route until the MV Loch Frisia which is a new ferry by Calmac standards is able to depart from Craignure pier.
Sorry about slightly changing the subject but another poster mentioned Calmac ferries.

[Deeranged]

There has been no mention about problems with the Northlink ferries on MSN in Scotland but there as been plenty of debate on MSN in Scotland about the ‘clapped out’ Scottish Government owned ferries operated by Scottish Government owned Calmac Ferries Limited continually breaking down and bong withdrawn from service.
Yesterday and this morning there have been no sailings on the Oban to Craignure on the Isle of Mull route because the MV Loch Frisia ferry is stranded at Craignure pier as it has only one working engine. You might know this ferry route. The second and main ferry on this route the MV Isle of Mull cannot sail on the Oban to Craignure route until the MV Loch Frisia which is a new ferry by Calmac standards is able to depart from Craignure pier.
Sorry about slightly changing the subject but another poster mentioned Calmac ferries.

Are you sure the reason for the MV Loch Frisia being stranded in a berth at Craignure is that has only one engine? Surely it can steam, or limp, to a safe haven on one engine or at a push can be towed? I just find that a strange reason to say a boat can't steam.

On another note when I was planning a journey to Mull around three years ago I was strongly advised not to go from Oban to Craignure as it was notorious for being cancelled. I went from Lochaline to Fishnish instead, although that's also CalMac but more dependable.