Public Services are trapped in an EU market straitjacket

A much neglected aspect of the 'European debate' is the extent to which the EU is a driving force for the liberalisation and privatisation of public services. Judith Clifton writing for the LSE's British politics and policy blog, examines how local and national governments have lost power over key areas of public service governance to Brussels. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions has complained that the European Commission 'proclaims to be neutral but in practice veers towards applying internal market rules to public services in an overly-market focused way, eroding local democracy'
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/beyond-hollowing-out-straitjacketing-the-state/

Resist going ‘back to the future’ on public services

The Con Dem Government's Open Public Services white paper asserts that going back to purchaser/provider splits will enhance public services. We know from the experience of our members In health and local government since the 1980's that falsifying public services to act as ‘clients and contractors’ is playing a game of shop and does nothing to enhance service quality or cost. Instead it introduces marketization into public services to ripen them for privatisation. This APSE briefing explains why splitting off public services along market driven lines is simply bad practice and one that sensible public service providers reject.
PM