The simple answer is that it shouldn’t
It is as predictable as Christmas. As soon as a national utility screws up and the public suffer whilst the CEO trousers millions in salary and bonuses, two things happen. Firstly there are reminders from the left that those simple basic things the public rely on in their daily lives shouldn’t be held hostage to profit margins and shareholder dividends.
This is quickly followed by a big splash in hysterical far right rags such as The Daily Mail pleading with readers to remember the early 70’s of rail strikes and blackouts. Complete with black and white pictures showing people queuing for candles the narrative usually finds space to mention Marxists and communists.
It’s a strange quirk of our language that we still describe trips by bus or train as ‘going by public transport’ when for many years such journeys have been anything but unless you live in central London. Even cities such as Manchester outsource the operation of bus and tram links to private entities.
Similarly the term public utility is misleading when the energy to heat a home and (more worryingly) water, the very stuff of life, are supplied by private businesses, many of them based overseas and whose raison d’etre is generating enough profit to pay dividends and bonuses.
The Eloquent Leftie 