tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812692415595591653.post5581409963943422649..comments2023-08-05T09:14:35.297-07:00Comments on Standing in a Spanish Doorway: Rubbish, water and the General StrikeBrett Hetheringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05702371494104087763noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812692415595591653.post-54671901194030602252012-11-14T03:24:59.637-08:002012-11-14T03:24:59.637-08:00Thanks for the comment, CI. The increase in the nu...Thanks for the comment, CI. The increase in the number of "normal" beggars is noticeable here too. I have to disagree with you about privatisation "usually being a great success." A lot of the evidence I've seen in the past shows quite the opposite, UK and elsewhere. Especially, in the area of health care the more private (i.e. profit-motive) the worse for the patient. I just believe that basic and essential things like water, electricity and yes, even transport should be in public hands, partly because a public monopoly is always better for the average person than a private one.Bretthttp://www.bretthetherington.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812692415595591653.post-90445114223910730362012-11-13T12:17:55.500-08:002012-11-13T12:17:55.500-08:00What you call dumpster-diving, if I understand it ...What you call dumpster-diving, if I understand it correctly, is something gypsies, and sometimes others, have always done. Here it's common to leave something outside 'para que se lo lleven los gitanos', when you no longer need it, or it doesn't work, and it will have gone by the morning.<br /><br />If people who wouldn't normally be doing it are looking through the rubbish, is something I haven't really noticed. But what I have seen, in my area, is an increase in 'normal' beggars, that is, people who were clearly once normal working people fallen on hard times.<br /><br />Changing the way public services are run (like the water you mention) isn't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on how it turns out. In Britain in the 80's many nationalized industries were privatized, or opened up to competition in various ways. Usually with great success (the details are open to debate, of course). The comunications revolution would have largely passd the British customer by under a public service.<br /><br />Here in La Mancha, some hospitals are being placed under private management, in an attempt to stop them hemorraging money. As I say, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out, but it isn't necessarily worse than what went before.The Hickory Windhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02099970252405596982noreply@blogger.com