“And so say all of us!”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has renewed calls to nationalise all UK utilities, arguing that privatisation has “utterly failed” and is driving up household bills.
Speaking on a podcast with comedian Nish Kumar, Polanski criticised the decades-long privatisation of public services. “These companies took our water infrastructure with zero debt and left it billions of pounds in debt,” he said.
Calling the current system “exploitative,” Polanski said that private ownership of essential services like water is harming the public while enriching shareholders.
“They’re pumping sewage into the water. And charging us extra for the privilege,” he said. “I want to lower people’s bills. People in this country are tired and exhausted. Wages are not going up, but bills are going up. We need to lower bills and raise wages.”
Polanski argued that nationalising utilities would be a key step toward easing the cost-of-living crisis.
“Nothing we need should be in private hands – all of our utilities should be nationalised.”
His remarks struck a chord with many online, who agreed with his position. One X user wrote that businesses are designed to maximise profit, not serve the public, adding: “Not a good premise for public utilities, services, or healthcare, really, is it?”
Another criticised the way water companies cut costs by neglecting infrastructure while increasing prices. They pointed to “sewage in rivers, bills through the roof, richer bosses and shareholders raking it in,” arguing that the current system benefits only a wealthy few.
Others described Polanski’s remarks as “sanity at last,” while one comment simply read:
“And so say all of us.”
Another user added: “No one should profit from your right to survive, your right to exist. Basic human rights.”
The surge of support for Polanski’s comments comes at a time of rising interest in the Green Party. The party saw a membership boost following the public split between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana and doubts over the viability of their new left-wing party.
According to the Greens, more than 1,000 people joined in the days following the fall-out, pushing membership in England and Wales to over 75,000, a rise of more than 10 percent since Polanski became leader last month.
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