Oddly, private healthcare costs me a lot less thean my tax burden for the NHS. Hardly 'over the odds'.
As for the things that 'shouldn't' be done for profit, on what grounds are your arguments based, or is it just emotional knee-jerk stuff? Certainly I'd agree on free education for all, but the educational system that we have is incompatible with that premise. It's require a significant shift in focus of the system for that to work. Water at cost ditto; privatising water was an error, but then again 'at cost' implies water metering to be perfectly fair within that system, so a rating system is probably more equitable all things considered.
I see no reason why power generation shouldn't be done for profit, as anyone can do it (in theory); I could set up a wind tower in my garden and sell the power thus generated inot the national grid if I so desired, and I see no reason, morally or legally, why someone should be prevented from doing so (aside from the neighbours complaining aboutthis tower in my garden, but you see where I'm coming from). As for healthcare, free healthcare is a bottomless pit that is increasingly unsustainable. What would make sense would be to prioritise the NHS - i.e. 1) emergency care, 2) life preserving, 3) etc (or whatever priorities they might like to set for themselves.). This prioritisation should be left in the hands of the providers, as should the disbursement of funds thereof; removing the control of national insurance from central government is probably the best way to achieve this.
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As for the things that 'shouldn't' be done for profit, on what grounds are your arguments based, or is it just emotional knee-jerk stuff?
Certainly I'd agree on free education for all, but the educational system that we have is incompatible with that premise. It's require a significant shift in focus of the system for that to work. Water at cost ditto; privatising water was an error, but then again 'at cost' implies water metering to be perfectly fair within that system, so a rating system is probably more equitable all things considered.
I see no reason why power generation shouldn't be done for profit, as anyone can do it (in theory); I could set up a wind tower in my garden and sell the power thus generated inot the national grid if I so desired, and I see no reason, morally or legally, why someone should be prevented from doing so (aside from the neighbours complaining aboutthis tower in my garden, but you see where I'm coming from). As for healthcare, free healthcare is a bottomless pit that is increasingly unsustainable. What would make sense would be to prioritise the NHS - i.e. 1) emergency care, 2) life preserving, 3) etc (or whatever priorities they might like to set for themselves.).
This prioritisation should be left in the hands of the providers, as should the disbursement of funds thereof; removing the control of national insurance from central government is probably the best way to achieve this.