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PaperclipPerfector  27d ago (text post)   934 thread views

Transnational Thursday for April 4, 2024

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Thames Water is going bust, apparently: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68738410

I don't know how a company with a 100% monopolized industry selling priceless life-sustaining goods to one of the world's richest cities could be going bust. Some have pointed the finger at former owner Macquarie for letting debt pile up and extracting billions in dividends. I suppose the government could also have regulated prices too low.

What a metaphor for modern-day Britain:

But this year's contest between Oxford and Cambridge came with a quite literal health warning that will resonate with customers of Thames Water and millions more around the UK used to hearing about the sewage in our rivers and beaches.

The boat race crews were given safety advice to avoid swallowing water splashed up from the Thames. After the race, the Oxford rowers criticised sewage levels in the river.

The Daily Mail has lurid stories of highly paid executives, nefarious Chinese investment (I don't know what Chinese banks could do to hurt Britain more than the e coli in the Thames is already doing) and characterises Macquarie as the Vampire Kangaroo: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13276291/ANDREW-PIERCE-Thames-Water-bankruptcy-MPs-Chinese-foreign-overpaid-bosses-personal-piggybank.html

Didn't the Thames used to have a reputation of being kind of a sewer river at one point?

Quite right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stink

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