Clive Charlton

The privatization of British Rail

Abstract The privatization of public-sector industries has been a key policy of the UK Conservative government since the 1979 general election. As well as the public utilities such as gas, electricity and water, the transport industry has experienced massive restructuring in the form of privatization and deregulation intended to promote competition and engender a more flexible market-place. This paper examines the privatization of British Rail and evaluates the changing policy objectives and potential impacts of rail privatization.

Competition, Regulation, and the Privatisation of British Rail

The privatisation programme pursued by successive Conservative administrations in the 1979–97 period was based on neoliberal values, and was aimed at the reduction of public sector involvement in industry by the promotion of a competitive ‘free’ market. However, despite this ideological objective, several large utility companies were privatised as regulated monopolies. Against this background, in a notable reorientation of privatisation policy, the Major administration attempted to secure a genuine movement towards market liberalisation when it divested British Rail (BR). An elaborate methodology was used to break BRs monopoly and establish a competitive market for the provision of passenger rail services. The authors argue that, notwithstanding the complexity of the rail sell-off, competition has not materialised and BRs monopoly has to ail intents and purposes been reconstituted in the private sector.

REGULATION AND CONTINUING MONOPOLY ON BRITAIN'S RAILWAYS

Abstract One of the key objectives of rail privatization was to dismantle British Rails (BRs) monopoly and introduce a competitive spirit into the industry. In order to achieve this, BR was fragmented into 92 separate companies. This restructuring is now complete and, at the time of writing, slightly more than two-thirds of these new companies have been divested. Despite this, the government is taking regulatory steps to prevent the competition it wanted to promote and there are signs that a private monopoly has already begun to rise from the ashes of the public one. This paper explores the governments apparently paradoxical regulatory stance and questions the necessity of such a major restructuring exercise within the railway industry.

Problems and prospects for sustainable agricultural systems in the humid tropics

Abstract Rising pressures of population and resource use in the humid tropics make the establishment and maintenance of more productive yet sustainable agricultural systems ever more necessary. This is particularly so for the small-scale farmers who form the majority of the poor population in many countries. A range of agricultural practices that can improve output on a sustained basis are already well recognized. These include more effective fallow-management, fertilization and manuring, improving tillage practices, intercropping and agroforestry. While the scientific community has achieved much in the humid tropics, the potential contribution of indigenous cultivators is increasingly recognized and progress will demand their integration into the research and development process. The search for sustainable production must confront not only many ecological constraints but also many of an economic, social and political character. The wider development process discriminates against the strengthening of sustainable agriculture and tends to generate more exploitative forms of production. This is evident, for instance, with the spread of poor, inexperienced farmers into humid tropical colonization zones. Effective diffusion of ecologically sound agriculture in the humid tropics requires the inclusion of a full socioeconomic perspective as part of an interdisciplinary approach to this crucial problem of land management.

The potential impact of the channel tunnel on Devon and Cornwall

Abstract Most Channel Tunnel impact studies have been concerned with the effect of a fixed link on the core region of southeast England. This paper examines how the Channel fixed link could influence the more peripheral regions of the UK, with particular reference to Devon and Cornwall. Focus is concentrated on the implications for the port and tourist industries in the far southwest.

The competitive spirit re-awakens the ghost of railway monopoly

The 1921 and 1993 Railways Acts were both designed to increase the quality and efficiency of railway services through major industry restructuring. Aside from the fact that the 1921 legislation did not concern itself with privatisation (the rail industry already operated in private hands in the early 1920s), the two Acts appear strikingly dissimilar at first glance because of the very different policies, and their associated ideologies, adopted by each to accomplish its aims. Whilst the 1921 Act sought to eliminate competition from the passenger railway industry and promote monopoly, its 1993 counterpart was formulated to achieve precisely the opposite. However, this paper challenges the existence of a gulf between the two pieces of legislation. We argue that the 1993 Railways Act, far from liberalising the passenger rail market, has created a trading environment which shares key characteristics with that established in the 1920s. This paper therefore explores the conflicting methods and the policy outcomes of the 1921 and 1993 Railways Acts.