To cut with gusto....

It is becoming clear that the Conservatives are relishing the "opportunity", as they see it, offered by the financial crisis to attack the Welfare State and effect the cuts and changes to public institutions that Margarat Thacher seemed to want, but failed to enact.

David Cameron's statement last week that the cuts he will enforce will "change the culture of the country" is barely veilled threat to destroy what is left of the post-war consensus on sharing the rewards and burdens of economic growth through democratic structures and institutions that deliver a measure of fiscal justice and public services to those that neeed them.

ConservativeHome has an article on an Adam Smith Institute (ASI) report. The main recommendation is that the NHS should not be protected from cuts, (as Cameron has promised) but in fact the NHS budget should be cut year on year. The ASI then nominates some candidates for privatisation.

What is interesting is the comments from Tory activists, and how enthusiastic they are to cut and privatise beyond anything their party will admit in public.

Some examples:

Sell the whole dammned BBC off lock,stock and barrel and of course abolish the Electronic Poll Tax of the TV Licence

1) All remaining council housing; 2) The BBC; 3) The NHS; 4) The Prison Service; 5) The London Underground (properly, not in the half cocked way labour tried and failed to do); 6) The Benefits Agency; 7) DfID (if a privte company can hand out lottery money why shouldn't one handle handing out international charity; besides it will still end up in some kleptocrats Swiss bank account anyway)
 
...selling C4 would provide the chance that its leftie news line may be forced to change under a private sector owner
 
I say: why stop there?
 
What about the Army? That must be worth something...just think what one of the smaller but more ambitious countries in Europe (Serbia say, or Ireland) could do if it had our millitary might and expertise at its disposal.... and of course there's the Royal Navy and Airforce to throw in to the bargain...

And the police force is huge, although it's not really clear if it is owned by the government or local authorities... Just think what you could do with that workforce at your command. It's obviously worth billions to an entreprenuer with deep pockets and a vivid imagination....

Then there's the monarchy...all those titles and palaces and tiaras..

And Gloucestersire... lot's of real estate there....

All that is required is a proper advertising campaign, and some city incentives. An imaginative PR company (of course it would need access to a generous bribe fund) could sell these and many other similar assets to the same international spivs businessmen who bought BT and the railways  etc. the last time the Tories had the chance to sell off our belongings.

Surely our Conservative brethren are being rather narrow in their focus, the possibilities are obviously endless if only we would use our imagination....

Other suggestions welcome....