The latest
"Private Eye" came this morning and understandably reminded us about
its long opposition and critical views on the Private Financial Initiative, PFI.
Often one does not like to see a journal crying "I told you so" but
this time it is probably justified.
The 1992
General Election had left us with a Conservative Government that did not expect
to be there and a Labour Party wondering how they had managed to lose it. As it
could happen that another election might be soon, their thoughts turned on just
what to do next.
The
Conservatives as well as having a small majority had a lot of members in
marginal seats who quickly formed a long queue at The Treasury wanting big
money projects spent on their patches. The Labour Party when under its new leader
Blair were talking big money to add to this.
But the money
did not appear to be there from conventional sources so new means had to be
found. PFI was the idea that came up from a dream team of the time. When the
"Eye" issued its warning of 1994, my reaction was that whingeing
Lefties were trying to spoil things. But just for fun I would try running the
figures.
It was later
when try as I could the figures did not seem to work. In fact, the longer the
periods and the greater the cost the worse it looked. Being an interested
amateur, I could add or remove what I liked in doing the calculations. Among
mine were unforeseen added costs and long run maintenance and repair.
These were
things not in the government figures or a lot of others. What scared me was
that then the figures looked not simply bad but catastrophic unless
underwritten by a government prepared to take the hit. In the politics of the
late 20th and into the first years of the 21st centuries, these things were not
on the agenda.
By the time
the "Eye" had a major go at PFI around 2005 Major was long gone and
PFI had become one of the Blair and Brown ways and means of buying votes,
helping out their financial friends and claiming to be building a new Britain.
We all know what happened next.
Also, we
should know why successive Chancellors of the present and immediate future are
becoming more and more strapped for cash or for new investment. Given the way
elections go, who votes and what they vote for it is not getting any better.
And the
demands for new projects are no longer in the tens of billions in long run
costs but hundreds of billions.
Many, many years ago, when the PFI scam was in its infancy & being bragged about by Blair & Prudence, I remember a contract being awarded to a large construction firm. I think it was to do with Derriford hospital in Plymouth. The MD of the firm in question came on to live local BBC TV for an interview & I distinctly remember him saying something like "As the head of the winning firm I am deighted to have been awarded this contract. As a UK taxpayer, I think it's a disgrace". The significace was lost on the pretty boy & bimbo who were hosting the interview. That's why I remember it. I raged at the TV screen for some time, urging the prats to follow it up - but they didn't.
ReplyDeleteMany people then saw it was a disaster in the making, but we must't forget that the vast majority of windbags in Westminster don't even know the difference between a debt and a deficit. The Whitehall wormtongues, of course, can hide behind them.
Barstewards all.
DD.
As one affected by the PFI scam - for that's what they are - I sit back in retirement and think "hell mend them all". As usual, of course, it's the rich what gets the gravy.
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