Ports, water and sewage up for commercialisation
Tuesday 13th April 2010, 2:30PM BST.
LIFELINE operations such as Guernsey Airport and the harbours could be commercialised under plans unveiled by Public Services yesterday.
Guernsey Water, States Works and sewage and solid waste management were also included in a review carried out by the department into the potential for commercialisation.
Public Services minister Bernard Flouquet (pictured) will take a green paper to the States later this year with preliminary investigations and ask deputies for direction as to whether PSD should consider part or full commercialisation of the trading entities.
That would require a lot more research and consultation, including with staff and management, before any firm proposals could be put forward, Deputy Flouquet said.
‘In a small community such as Guernsey, the States clearly has a key role in ensuring that essential services like the harbours and airports, water and waste management are provided. However, that does not mean the States is necessarily the best placed to deliver these services,’ he said.
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So what is the problem that has led to this?
Is this another case of trying to find something to do?
Bernard remember is one of the ‘old’ school that sold off Guernsey Telecom resulting in line rentals rising 400% since.
So any ideas how much just asking the questions is going to cost then. After all Flouquet says it “would require a lot more research and consultation, including with staff and management.” The word ‘including’ implies others. How much are these ‘others’ going to cost.
We really don’t need to be thinking about devizing ways to waste more money sorting out a bit of work for the ‘old boys’.
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Please forgive me but the GP have spelt this guys name wrong….. isnt it Burnhard Flouquet?
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Maybe he`s just trying to punish the Guernsey population for loseing his suez dream :)
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Please,please,Send us someone with common sense but who also wears a size 7 hat.
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I just don’t support this idea for commercialisation at all.
Whilst the States may make initial money and make the books look better, it will cost the Island people more!
As soon as organisations are run for profit corners get cut, prices rise and quite frankly the level of service offered tends to drop.
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Why sell these utilities. I know the states have excelled themselves lately wasting our money.I cannot see any benefit to the ordinary people of Guernsey. But I can see costs rocketing, and travel becoming very expensive. Keep these department Guernsey owned.
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More privateisation guess who will pay? Thats right we the tax payer.
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Now that Burny’s lost his chances of a job with Suez perhaps he’s just seeing whether there could be other possibilities for him once he’s left the States.
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Well that’s Guernsey screwed then. Still can’t believe that they sold off telecoms for the same amount of money that it had in the bank.
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Going commercial is just jumping on the bandwagon.Its not the way to go,just look at America and its costly health service and power stations that give hours long blackouts.
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Everything that has been privatized in the UK has been a disaster, two prime examples being hospital cleaning and the railways.
Utilities should be state-owned and for the equal benefit of all. They should not be run as private capitalist enterprises with fat-cat bosses creaming all the profits (like the banks).
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Sell it all, and sell it now!…. public services are never run efficiently, and unions have never ever saved one job or made any services better in any country…. they are more interested in keeping themselves and their unions in work, thier position has got nothing to do with the users of the services in question.
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Thank you coboguernsey for you enlightened contribution to this debate.I would love to know on which reports and studies you have read to come to this conclusion. Also I would be grateful if you could tell me where privatization of any public utility has been a resounding success.
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Commercialisation not privatisation is the answer, strategic services such as Water, Ports, States Works and Electricity should remain in the hands of the Island’s population through the States of Guernsey. They should be run as commercial undertakings with all profits ploughed back into the service and any excess returned to the States general revenue funds. States Works and Guernsey Electric have been run commercially for years and are an example to many other Departments. Telecoms selloff was the biggest mistake ever made by the States. Commercialisation yes! Privatisation no!
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I wonder whether they would like to sell off the dairy too! I’m guessing that C&E have wanted to privatise this too for some years – look out – this is next on the agenda!
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Much as I loathe state ownership in principal, it seems to work OK in Guernsey. Giving Telecom to C&W was absolute folly and it has been disasterous. On the other hand, the States takeover of Aurigny has been successful and it has prevented the island from being held hostage by FlyBe. Remember FlyBe’s tantrums at the time and how they swore that there was not enough custom for more than one airline – them? Privatization of the services in question cannot possibly have a good outcome for the island, commercial competition in these areas will not give the island better value for money. This is too important to screw up like Telecom, leave well alone.
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Thank you Jock for emphasising the difference between commercialisation and privatisation. The States should hold on to these lifeline services and run them like commercial businesses with the people of Guernsey the shareholders. Any profits should result either in further investment or discounts to service users.
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Genesis 25-33;
Esau swore to him, and sold his birthright,
For a momentary gratification-
Anyway I thought he said he would resign; just proves a point about honesty doesn’t it?
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Why not privatise the members of the States, but there again who’d pay anything for that lot!.
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Great news for shareholders not so great for end users.
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