The Era of Privatisation
Introduction
It was under the Thatcher government that the era of privatisation started and it was “the most radical change in the 20th century
British politics” (Young, 2001, p. 1).
From 1984 to 1991, the telecommunications, gas, water and electricity industries which were under government control, were sold to become privately owned and controlled.
The privatisation of the electricity industry occurred in 1990 but had already begun in 1987 with the creation of a programme describing the different tasks involved in privatising the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
According to Young (2001), the considerable number of privatisations can be explained by the intention of improving the efficiency and a more economic reason concerning the proceeds of the flotation. As far as the case of electricity is concerned, David Parker (1999) argues that the main reason was to promote competition and that all the producers of the four activities (generation, transmission, distribution and supply), could be divided into separate corporations responsible for each activity and open to competition.
After the privatisation of the electricity industry, a regulatory office was created, the Office of Electricity Regulation - also known as Offer. The need for regulatory bodies such as Offer can be explained for example by the requirement of preventing unfair competition when several companies work in the same fields or provide customers the same service, or the need to protect the work force.
Moreover, as Parker argues it can attract international attention.
This essay will firstly attempt to explain the situation of the electricity industry before 1997 and the changes it was subjected to, then it will identify the regulation office responsible for this industry and the role it plays, and finally it will highlight the benefits and the drawbacks of this regulation.
I- The situation of the British electricity industry
A) A historic review up to 1997
Ø The early days
As John Surrey (1996) explains, the Electricity industry existed for about 150 years and it has always required a form of regulation especially when the technology started progressing. The first model of regulation were acts of legislation taken for example after the First
World War, in 1926, by the Conservative Government to “establish the
Central Electricity Board as the owner of a national grid” (Surrey,
1996, p. XV).
Some of the issues were solved, such as the voltage distribution between the different regions but others remained, like the considerable numbers of suppliers. All these considerations tend to explain the nationalisation of the industry in 1948.
Ø Privatisation
State control lasted forty years until 1989, however the need to promote competition in generation and in retail electricity supply, and to separate the transmission from the generation, led the Thatcher
So when the six-year-old Wolfgang had proved his extraordinary talents at the keyboard, Leopold was keen to exhibit those talents along with those of his gifted pianist daughter, Nannerl. Thus Leopold undertook a four month tour of Vienna and the surrounding area, visiting every noble house and palace he could find, taking the entire family with him. Mozart's first known public appearance was at Salzburg University in September of 1761, when he took part in a theatrical performance with music by Eberlin. Like other parents of his time, Leopold Mozart saw nothi...
Mozart was born to a deputy Kapellmeister to the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Leopold, Mozart’s father, was also a minor composer and teacher. Mozart’s musical abilities were first noticed when he showed great interest in the music lessons of his older sister. By the age of five, the Mozart family was touring European courts. The young Mozart showed great ability in the playing and composition of small pieces, many of which were transcribed by his father, and survive today. Eventually, Leopold gave up his own composing to concentrate on the talents of his young son. Leopold was also the early teacher of all of Mozart’s studies. After extensive touring from 1762 to 1773, Mozart was given employ at the Salzburg court at the age of 17. There, he had the op...
Wolfgang started learning music at a very early age from his dad Leopold, who was a violin player. At the age of six he began composing and by eight he had written symphonies. His father toured Mozart and his sister around for the entertainment of nobles across Europe. From 1963 to 1973 Mozart went on tour with his father and family. He performed both publicly and privately for nobles of the time and often was asked to write music for weddings and other special occasions. While his father was often inflexible and hard to deal with, the tours that he went on were mostly improvised. “In 1777 Wolfgang went on a tour with his mother to Munich, Mannheim, and Paris. It was in Paris that his mother died suddenly in July, 1778. With no prospects of a job, Mozart dejectedly returned to Salzburg in 1779 and became court organist to the Archbishop.”(Sherrane, 1.2)
Mozart’s father Leopold Mozart was a somewhat know composer and violinist who recognized Wolfgang’s talent for the piano early in his life. The father quit his job to make sure that his son could meet the best musical education possible, however he was not only thinking of the well-being of his son, he was also focusing on the financial benefits that could come from his young prodigy son. Wolfgang also had a very musically talented sister, Maria Anna; their father took them both on concert tours all over Europe, starting when Wolfgang was six years old. Maria Anna eventually decided to quit touring, possibly because she lived under her brothers shadow, and realized that, because she was a woman, her musical opportunities were limited. While Wolfgang was touring Europe, his mother became very ill...
During the Gilded age, the wealthiest man in all of American history emerged with a net worth of about $340 billion in today’s money which is about four times the net worth of Bill Gates. People, like Andrew Carnegie, owned larged monopolies and controlled major industries like steel, oil, and coal. They became incredibly wealthy and controlled most of the economy. Large monopolies provided jobs for many immigrants, stimulated the US economy, and created the Gospel of Wealth. Owners of major industries and monopolies such as Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller were captains of industry.
In cystic fibrosis, a genetical condition that has a high population of young patients with multiple medical treatment requirements, it is of clinical importance to ensure compliance to their treatments in order to avoid a premature death. Behavioural economics can help here by addressing how we improve motivation with and perceived value of medical treatments – to improve overall patient compliance. In treatment compliance with children, up to 70% of patients with chronic illnesses have poor adherence (Haynes RB, 2002). Poor adherence to cystic fibrosis therapies may result in increased disease symptoms, decrease physical functioning, increased time in hospital, morbidity rates and mortality, as such an increased healthcare costs (Vibeke Bregnballe, 2011). Therefore the more compliant the more cost-effective treatments become, and the healthier the patients stays. It is also important to note that for every drug skipped represents a financial loss. Capgemini group reported in 2013 that the worldwide cost of non-adherence to be estimated at 564 billion dollars. So, if we get childre...
In 1789 James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights-the first ten amendments of the Constitution, to the First Congress. The Bill was heavily influenced by Virginia’s Declaration of Rights and used primarily to protect the citizen’s rights and liberties as well as, as a limitation on the federal government. The “original Constitution contained few guarantees” for civil rights and liberties therefore, the Bill of Rights strengthened them mitigating fears about the new national government (O’Brien 324). Madison and Anti-Federalists hoped to place the same restrictions on states. They found the Bill of Rights practical, explicit, and essential while Federalists found it unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Hamilton seeks justification against the Bill of Rights using the Constitution’s preamble which briefly notes the “liberty” and “prosperity” afforded to the American people (326). He also argues that the Bill may be dangerous because these exceptions being placed on powers have not yet been granted (326). Nonetheless, in September on 1789, Congress proposed 12 amendments to state legislatures which were shortly ratified thereafter in 1791 (326).
During the Golden Age of Capitalism in America even the President enjoyed some leisure time. At the end of WWII the standards of living was up, unemployment was low and the American GNP more than doubled. The population boomed leading suburban living to become the norm. Jack Straus, the chairman of the board of Macy’s, declared “Our ability to consume is endless. The luxuries of today are the necessities of tomorrow.” This became the thinking of the time. Citizens lavished in the new life style of ease that a growing economy could now provide for the average, working, middle class person.
His career in music started at an early age. His birth occurred on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. His dad, Leopold Mozart, excelled in music himself. Because of that, Mozart got pushed in the direction of a musical career early in. By age 4, he could play short pieces on the harpsichord, and at age 5, he began composing and also had his first concert at Salzburg University. His sister, the only other surviving sibling, also had talent in music and together they performed. A story circulated that one day at age 7, Mozart picked up a violin and played the second part of a work for the first time with complete accuracy. Age nine, he composed his first s...
of the capital goods is so high that it is not profitable for a second
Mozart was born on 27 January, 1756, and was named Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, but called Wolfgang Amadeus by his family. His father, Leopold, was a musician at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg, and later became Konzertmeister or Court Composer. Wolfgang could play complicated pieces of music on the piano at the of age four, and at five he was composing, with his father writing down the creation. At the age of 8, Mozart began to write his first symphony.
On the other hand, an interesting factor over here is that the same community that regards themselves as respectable and elite are the main source of income for this industry. The spoilt young children of the extremely wealthy families force women to perform acts that are against their will. People have the idea that such women can perform and do anything for them because they are rich and have a lot of money. On the basis of moral grounds, it is ethically wrong to think that someone can own a person simply because they have a lot of money in their bank accounts. The ethical and moral values within a society define the people living in it. If the people claim that prostitution is an unethical and immoral profession, these same people should also realize the source of income to such businesses. These individuals are equal contributors to this business and profession as the workers who manage this entire industry and the women who are forced to perform these indecent acts. It is the responsibility of the entire society to eliminate such acts of immorality and help those victims who are a part of such an
born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. His father, Leopold, perhaps the greatest influence on Mozart's life, was the vice Kapellmeister (assistant choir director) to the Archbishop of Salzburg at the time of Mozart's birth. Mozart was actually christened as "Joannes Chrysotomus Wolfgangus Theophilus," but adopted the Latin term "Amadeus" as his name of choice. Mozart was one of seven children born to Leopold and Anna, however, only one other sibling survived.
The book by David Archer (2009) includes details that will make the readers understand the future of climate change as well as past events that have changed the present climate, as we know it. David Archer is a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago and has done many public presentations on the earth’s climate change before releasing his book, the long Thaw.
Global warming and climate change have been frequent topics of discussion over the past several years. Although people tend to focus on the politics, it is time to look past the media aspects of it and into the cold hard facts of what our Earth is currently experiencing, and what caused it in the first place. The cause of climate change includes natural causes, but human causes are what is generating such a rapid global change. It’s time that the ways in which humanity affects the Earth’s climate, how scientists record and measure the climate change, and what can be done in everyday life to slow it down and/or stop global warming, are recognized.