Well, in rail privatisation, I think it fits, even if Britain is still much worse than Germany. I actually laughed out aloud when I read that quote, many thanks.

I am happy that not only the Greens but the SPÖ is so combative about this -- and even that Molterer only dared to threaten railfreight is a relief.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

I'd very much appreciate information whether parties in other European countries also have explicitly linked privatisation with financing social services.

I can't think of an indirect example, but direct examples abound: healthcare privatisation is sold in Europe as one bringing in needed capital, and claim allowing extra care for customers who can pay will also pay for improvements in basic service.

I wonder what Metatone has to say about this.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

In the US this is always presented in the context of "Social Security is Doomed," with the sub-text "we have always said this was a very bad idea and won't work. See, we are right."  Meanwhile, they raise withholding for Social Security to levels that would be sufficient, but use the additional revenue to finance deficits.  In eight years Clinton reduced the deficit so as to better enable the government to handle the coming surge in demand from the baby boomers.  Didn't take W long to reverse that. Then they blame "government" for their own cleptomania.  "See, even when you raise withholding there is still not enough."  (There never will be so long as Social Security obligations are taken "off budget." So we might as well cut taxes on the wealthy. Getting the money (back) from the rich is of course, "Class Warfare."

If sanity be culturally normative, then by the norms of this culture I claim insanity.

In institutional terms, long-term reform should aim for a shift to a pension system based on individual savings accounts, as in Chile, as opposed to the current state run, pay-as-you-go pension systems. The individualized savings schemes let each household choose its own desired level of savings according to its particular intertemporal preferences and circumstances. The individualized system also eliminates the debilitating sense of universal entitlement that helped to bankrupt the old regimes and that still pervades the new ones. The privatization process can be linked to the pension reform, by earmarking privatization revenues or enterprise shares now held by the state to help finance the changeover to a private, individualized pension system.

The Chilean system, I note, is considered something between an utter failure and very problematic by Chile's full political spectrum.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake