Jupe, R.E. (2011) ’A Poll Tax on Wheels’: Might the move to privatise rail in Britain have failed? Business History, 53 (3). pp. 324-343. ISSN 0007-6791.
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Abstract
Rail privatisation was a controversial, widely unpopular policy whose implementation was not inevitable. This article employs counterfactual history methodology to examine whether the move to rail privatisation in Britain might have failed. It places the privatisation proposals in context by examining opposition within the Conservative Party and British Rail. The paper then focuses on three key counterfactual questions, including the significance of New Labour's reversal of its commitment to renationalise rail under its ‘third way’ policy and the possible consequences had the move to privatise rail failed. Based on the historical evidence available, it concludes that the move to rail privatisation could have failed, and that performance would have been better had rail remained an integrated, nationalised industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled keywords: | rail privatisation, Railtrack, Network Rail, British Rail, New Labour, Third Way, counterfactual history |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences |
| Divisions: | Faculties > Social Sciences > Kent Business School > Accounting and Finance |
| Depositing User: | Kasia Senyszyn |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Jun 2011 14:14 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Oct 2012 12:54 |
| Resource URI: | http://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/27890 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
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