[londons_explore]

> cheaply bought up state assets

In the west, we call that "privatization", and it happens pretty frequently, and it's common for the process to be technically open, but practically exclude all but a handful of buyers.

It's also common for those buyers to make a lot of money from the assets before returning them to the state 20 years later, unmaintained and debt laden.

[justrealist]

> In the west, we call that "privatization", and it happens pretty frequently

That's not even slightly true? It's headline news and massively controversial every time this happens.

[mistrial9]

it is deeply true, and everyone actually involved would know that

[justrealist]

Can you name off the top of your head the last 3 significant privatizations?

[joshuaissac]

> Can you name off the top of your head the last 3 significant privatizations?

In the UK, privatisation of Network Rail arches (which will 'break even' for the buyers in about ten years), privatisation or TfL land in London at below-market prices to property developers, and the backdoor privatisation of NHS services through public-private partnerships.

[justrealist]

- 2019

- 2010s? Hard to tell what you are referencing

- Not a real example (subcontracting is not the same as selling off state properties).

So yes, 2-3 examples from the UK over the past 2 decades is not really compelling.

[bmer]

So, why then did you ask for:

> Can you name off the top of your head the last 3 significant privatizations?

I can list similar privatizations in Canada. Here's an article that discusses various issues around it in the Canadian context: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02648...

Even further back: during Prime Minister Mulroney's tenure (which coincided with Reagan's and Thatcher's), quite a few public corporations were privatized. Here's a news article from that time period that gives an idea of the pressures faced in Canada at the time, and how what Thatcher was doing in the UK (producing a long list of public corporations and services to privatize) was affecting Canadian judgements: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1985/08/30/d...

And here's an analysis of how the privatization of Canada's medical isotopes business didn't save the government money, and instead only helped to cushion private owners from risk: https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/chr.2019-0010

We also have a prominent think-tank that is constantly pushing for further privatization: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/time-privatize-gover...

Just some more evidence, from different time spans, in case you are serious.