UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Tuesday 15 December 2009

The Government is being transformed into an arm of the City‏

In its coverage of the pre-Budget report the Daily Telegraph reported that “Paul Skinner, the former Rio Tinto chairman, is to take the chair at Infrastructure UK, the souped-up Treasury body established to advise on and help deliver new energy, transport and technology projects”. To do this now can only lead to certain cabinet members lining their pockets as advisors post the next election – final pay back time for the ‘inclusive government’ mantra.

This is a sickening development. The current capital money brought forward at the last budget will be sucked into paying for fat advisors to get fatter – partnerships UK has been a palpable failure. This is just about stimulating the equities market rather than finding genuine public sector based financing routes. They will have to chuck public sector assets into the fray big time to give anything like the sums these companies will be after and worse still everything in one pot so long live the monopoly. This is PFI with an arsenic pill for the public sector.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/budget/6772725/Pre-Budget-report-infrastructure-development-body-to-be-headed-by-Paul-Skinner.html