1st Edition

The Official History of Privatisation Vol. I The formative years 1970-1987

By David Parker Copyright 2009
628 Pages
by Routledge

632 Pages
by Routledge

632 Pages
by Routledge

This first volume of the Official History studies the background to privatisation, and the privatisations of the first two Conservative Governments led by Margaret Thatcher from May 1979 to June 1987. First commissioned by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair as an authoritative history, this volume addresses a number of key questions: To what extent was privatisation a clear policy... Read more

1: Nationalisation to Privatisation: 1945-79 – the Genesis of a Policy Idea. 2: The Conservative Party, Nationalisation and the 1979 General Election. 3: Balancing the Books: Privatisation and the 1979-83 Government. 4: Privatising Oil. 5: Privatising British Aerospace and Cable and Wireless. 6: Privatising Amersham International, the National Freight Corporation and Associated British Ports. 7: The First Four Years – A Retrospective. 8: Into the Heartlands of the Public Trading Sector: Privatisation and the 1983-7 Thatcher Government. 9: Privatising British Airways, Rolls-Royce, Shipbuilding and the Royal Dockyards. 10: Privatising Bus Transport and the Royal Ordnance Factories. 11: Privatising British Telecom: The Decision to Privatise. 12: Privatising British Telecom: OFTEL and Regulating Profits or Prices. 13: Privatising British Telecom: The Flotation and Repercussions. 14: The Privatisation of British Gas: The Decision to Privatise and Designing an Appropriate Regulatory Regime. 15: The Privatisation of British Gas: The Flotation and Aftermath.

Biography

David Parker is Research Professor in Privatisation and Regulation in the School of Management, Cranfield University, UK.  He has researched privatisation for over 25 years, and has acted as a consultant on privatisation internationally.  Previous publications include co-authoring The International Handbook on Privatization.

"This masterful, comprehensive history of the early phases of British privatization under the first two Thatcher governments (1979-87) emphasizes the evolution of an unprecedented denationalization policy and the learning process that took place as further privatizations were undertaken...In addition to Parker's use of unreleased documents, his discussions with the major players both inside and outside government make this volume truly a comprehensive 'official history'...the book is a must read for all interested in British privatization, which served as the model for similar policies worldwide over the next two decacdes...Highly recommended.  Upper-division undergraduates and above." -- CHOICE, Sept. 2009 Vol. 47 No. 01