Privatisation v Nationalisation: The Debate

Sefton Democracy Club held a heated debate on Privatisation v Nationalisation at its November meeting.

General secretary of the Communication Workers Union Billy Hayes put the case for Nationalisation while Conservative David Sudworth put the case for Privatisation.

Following introductory presentations from David and Billy, the 35-strong audience got the chance to quiz the panellists and take part in the debate.

Questions posed by members included:

• Are we in a financial mess?
• Should we tax the rich out of existence?
• Is the current government's policy the "ideologically driven economy of madness"?
• Will cutting costs lead to a cut of quality and of service?
• Should Royal Mail and the Post Office service be safeguarded as part of the country's heritage?
• If the Post Office was to be privatised, could the government guarantee the service would remain the same?
• Are monopolies creating poor working conditions?
• Is BT a better service post-privatisation?
• Will this government's economic policy create mass unemployment?
• Is China a model which we should be looking to emulate?

Following the discussion, club members voted on what system they would prefer: Privatisation, Nationalisation or somewhere in between (mutualisation).

The results:

Privatisation  2

Nationalisation  17

Mutualisation  16

Sefton Democracy Club co-founder Patrick McKinley said: "It was an excellent debate which certainly shed some light on an age-old discussion point.

"David Sudworth put a strong case for the Conservatives on the benefits of privatisation, while Billy Hayes countered that argument by putting the case for nationalisation.

"We had a fantastic turn-out of people of all ages from throughout Sefton, all of whom had the chance to join the discussion, ask a question or make their point.

"This is exactly what Sefton Democracy Club is all about - engaging people of all political persuasions (and none) and getting the interested in the issues themselves.

"I'd like to thank David and Billy for coming along, but more importantly I'd like to thank the audience members for joining in. We look forward to seeing them again next time."

The next Sefton Democracy Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 8 at Maghull Town Hall, starting at 7pm. The topic up for discussion will be the National Health Service.

Which do you support, Privatisation, Nationalisation or something inbetween?

Have your say below ...

Read Billy Hayes' report from the night here and David Sudworth's here.