THE Scottish public has given an uncompromising ''No'' to any proposal
to sell off water supplies, leaving Scottish Secretary Ian Lang with a
daunting task even to convince his party supporters that it is a good
idea.
A major opinion poll, carried out for The Herald, shows that not even
one Tory supporter in 10 is in favour of privatisation.
As expected, supporters of the other major parties are heavily against
-- 93% of Labour supporters, 90% of SNP supporters and 87% of Liberal
Democrats.
Overall, the System Three poll of 1008 adults across the country puts
opposition to privatisation at 87%, with only a paltry 4% in favour and
the
remainder either not knowing or not wishing to state a preference.
Opposition leaders were quick to seize on the figures
and to demand that Mr Lang drop any privatisation proposals
immediately.
The most worrying figure for Scottish Office Ministers is the
breakdown of the answers of their own supporters. When asked if they
were for or against the privatisation of water and sewerage services,
77% of Conservatives said no and only 9% said yes, with a don't know
figure of 14%.
Even the poll tax, which came in for such universal criticism,
received far higher support among Conservatives when it was introduced.
The figures will be ammunition for many Conservatives, particularly
councillors, who believe that privatisation would be a sure vote-loser
for the party. Perhaps the only crumb of comfort for the Tories is the
high number of don't knows, which suggests that at least some people in
the party are waiting to hear both sides of the argument before making
up their minds.
In fairness to Conservative Ministers, the party has not yet said it
is seeking privatisation. The Secretary of State has
appointed consultants Quayle Munro to advise on options for future
organisation of water and sewerage services ''including ways in which
the private sector might contribute''.
Opposition MPs are convinced this will inevitably mean a sell-off as
the Treasury pushes Mr Lang not only to make his contribution towards
reducing the Public Sector Borrowing Rate but also to bring in much
needed cash from a public flotation.
The current estimate is that #5 billion will be needed over the next
10 to 15 years to finance improvements. At present, the money, when
borrowed by local authorities, contributes to the PSBR. If funded
privately, it would not do so.
The point that no decision has yet been taken was emphasised by a
spokesman for the Scottish Conservative Party when asked to comment on
the poll figures. ''Polls on hypothetical issues invariably tell us
little,'' he said.
Decisions on the high levels of investment required in the water and
sewerage services had to be taken soon, he added, and the Government was
determined to secure that investment in the best possible way which
ensured the best possible service for the customers.
The opposition though had no hesitation in claiming the figures
reflected deep disgust by the public in the whole concept.
The SNP's vice-president Andrew Welsh stated: ''This shows there is no
support whatsoever for water privatisation among the Scottish people --
not even amongst the Tories' own voters. Ian Lang should drop the idea
straight away before he is drowned in a wave of public anger at this
ludicrous scheme.
''The Tories have no mandate to steal Scotland's water and the
Scottish people will not stand for it.''
Labour's Shadow Scottish Secretary Tom Clarke commented: ''With no
mention of water privatisation in the Conservative manifesto at the last
election and now these figures demonstrating that the overwhelming
majority of Scots are opposed to a water sell-off,
the Government should immediately drop their privatisation plan.''
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace said: ''If Ian Lang has
any sense at all, he will abandon the exercise now.''
The Government will make no move on privatisation until after the
Quayle Munro report is received, probably at the end of this month. At
present, it is not proposing to make the report public, however a
consultation document setting out the Government's plans will be issued
soon afterwards.
With such a high level of opposition, the Scottish Office may not go
for an immediate sell-off but for gradual contracting out, until the
public is more used to private industry being involved.
Even such a gradual approach will meet immediate opposition from all
the other political parties, who will use figures from the privatised
companies in England and Wales, showing rising charges and rising
cut-offs, to push the case for keeping the system in public control.
[CPYR] The Herald/System Three
The tide against privatisation
Total Cons Lab L/D SNP % % % % %
For 4 9 3 2 2 Against 87 77 93 86 90
Neither/Don't know 8 14 4 12 7
* The poll was taken among 1008 adults in 39 sampling points
throughout Scotland between August 27 and September 2. Results are
unweighted. The question put was: ''As you may know, water services in
Scotland, which include both the supply of water and treatment of
sewage, are currently the responsiblity of the regional authorities and
are paid for through local taxation. Are you for or against the
privatisation of these services in Scotland?''
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