Our early brush with climate change shows what an unequivocal scandal the privatisation of water represents.

…So what should forever stay in the public realm? No absolute rule seems to fit every service and circumstance. Few deny the privatisation of British Airways or British Telecom was a good idea, but as the NHS struggles to discover which of its functions are core and which can usefully be contracted out, a coherent dividing line eludes most observers.

However, one privatisation will always stand out as an unequivocal scandal: the privatisation of water. It is used all over the world as a classic example of what not to do. Making millions out of an element that falls freely from the skies – profiteering from rivers, rain and clouds – affronted most citizens. It gifted shareholders an absolute monopoly over a necessity no one could do without. There was no chance to choose from another supplier (unless perhaps bathing in Perrier). The price of water doubled, great profits were made and the public got nothing.
guardian.co.uk

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