Is Britain about to privatize and denationalize its road network?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

If reports are to believed this is in the offing with the Highways Agency probably being abolished and foreign investors sought to run the roads.

This could mean that other countries have a say how our roads are maintained, who can drive on them, and the toll charges for them.

So far we do not have (many) toll roads in the UK but this could very well change if the current government has its way.

Like denationalizing the railroads, which has proven a disaster, and doing the same to public utilities, will also be a disaster as far as the roads are concerned.

None of such utilities should ever be in the hand of foreigner and that includes foreign investors.

Roads, railroads and public utilities have no place in private hands and should be part of the national infrastructure and controlled by the people.

Ever since British Rail was destroyed by Maggie Thatcher and her cronies, and the same was done around the same time to the public utilities such as gas, electricity and water, the public are being taken for a ride and prices have gone up, up and up, and that even when the wholesale price of gas and oil have gone down.

The British railroads are a shambles with prices the highest in all of Europe and even the next more expensive country as far as rail travel is concerned, France, costs are less than half of those in the UK.

When going by rail is about four times more than going by plane then something is not right and definitely not computing.

And it is not only in the cost of rail travel that Britain is well ahead of other European Union countries as far as prices, though not service, is concerned.

The poor are being fleeced and made to pay so that the privileged can prosper and become ever richer.

© 2012