The argument doesn't go away though that nationalised industries are largely unaccountable like the governments they report to. I worked for the railways immed

The argument doesn't go away though that nationalised industries are largely unaccountable like the governments they report to. I worked for the railways immediately before and after privatisation. I can't speak for the whole network but there were a few of us who enjoyed the work and a whole load of people who were happy to sleep through most of their night shift (including the Managers). The awful truth is that money is a powerful motivator for Directors and shareholders although clearly with the danger of moving too far the other way. I'm not sure there are any decent models that could get the best of both worlds. They tend to be nasty bureaucratic PPP type deals which bring more mess than they clean up.