There are services that are essential for the smooth running of a nation. We’ve come to depend upon services like sewers, water provision and electricity, but these are increasingly provided by organisations that need profit to survive. A short-list might include: transport, utilities, healthcare, banking, housing, waste removal and education. But provision of each and every one of these needs difficult decisions – and there are issues with priorities and so on. So, we need them to be provided by organisations expert in their business.
Who should provide these essential services? Is it wrong for people to make themselves wealthy in providing them? Or should they be provided by the State? How are they to be controlled, so that they neither become too expensive nor become neglected. How do we balance the needs of one facility against the demands of another? For example, is the need to provide comfortable, convenient housing more important than preserving the natural environment?
Again, the answers are varied and complex. State education seems a natural need, but is it right for part of the education system to be in private hands and part to be in public ownership? How do we guarantee the safety of our railways, whilst keeping them affordable and available. How do we control investment, so that helpful innovation is possible?
We also need people to respond to emergencies. Where a home or business catches fire, the nation expects a response that limits the damage and prevents spread. We need a police force that upholds the law, and we need to be able to respond to health issues. There are options here, and it may be appropriate for private industry to be involved, but whatever there is needs to be regulated and controlled, so that the costs can be met appropriately. Insurance may also be needed, and the decisions surrounding it are likely to be complex and wide-ranging.