Thanks, Hetty
You, know, the more I think about it, the more I think that the 'mixed economy' model we enjoyed before Thatcher went on the rampage, was a very good system. If you follow the money, apart from the wages and salaries paid directly to people employed in a 'nationalised' service, every single penny spent by that service went to private companies, both large and small. Equipment, uniforms, fixtures and fittings, vehicles, drugs, printed matter, locomotives (perhaps not, were the huge engine building centres run by BR or private companies? ) Do you get my drift?
About the only thing private companies didn't have a chance to make any profit from was actually running public services.
In return we got uniform services available for all citizens...