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Nick Gane

@nickgane.bsky.social

Sociologist at the University of Warwick.

24 Posts219 Follower231 Folgt
Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Private equity controls UK dentistry. Initial consultation fee up by 23%, tooth extraction up by 32%. Gross profit at private equity controlled companies rose by 20% year-on-year. Profit margins of 20%-30%. Govts handed dentistry to finance industry. Too many can't afford dental care.

The finance curse is devouring the UK

Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward. Th...

leftfootforward.org

Nick Gane@nickgane.bsky.social · last yr.

Sat on a bench in the sun at Warwick today and found a plaque in memory of Meg Stacey. I remember Meg from arriving at Warwick as a student in 1990 but had no idea that she was the first woman professor at the University

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Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · last yr.

Dependence on food banks is the new norm in the UK. In a rich country 14m people, including 3.8m children, food insecure. One in six households went hungry last year. Result of low wages/benefits, unchecked profiteering, govt indifference. 1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined.

Failure to tackle dependence on food banks in UK driving public discontent

One in six households went hungry last year, says Trussell, with Britain facing ‘new normal’ of severe hardship

theguardian.com

Nick Gane@nickgane.bsky.social · last yr.

Just spent 32 mins waiting for my call to be answered by Severn Trent before giving up. Given they make £300m in profits out of a former public utility you’d think they could do better

Mike.L.Farrier@blacksmithpro.bsky.social · 2y ago

When you find out your company is owned by a moron who plans to make you and all your coworkers unemployed while scraping every writer who's ever written for every publication in history to auto scribe new "content" based on whatever it is fed, from fellow auto generated content #AutoGenEchoChamber

Fabio Chiusi@fabiochiusi.bsky.social · 2y ago

Guardian Media Group announces strategic partnership with OpenAI www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-of...

Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 2y ago

The federal civilian worker payroll totaled $271 billion in 2022. The annual cost of permanently extending Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited rich individuals? $400 billion. Keep this in mind as Trump and DOGE lay off thousands of federal workers.

Nick Gane@nickgane.bsky.social · 2y ago

Waiting for a CrossCountry train at Bristol. 200 people on the platform trying to get into 4 carriages. Arriva owned by a private equity group with 40bn assets. Why do we put up with this?

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

UK govt data on annual median state pension. For retirees before April 2016 Male £11,436 Female £9,934 Post-2016 retirees Male £11,490 Female £11,467 Median state pension is less than 50% of minimum wage. 2m pensioners live in poverty. In 2022, 110,000 died in fuel poverty. What future?

Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

questions-statements.parliament.uk

Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 2y ago

Cost of extending the expiring Trump tax cuts for the rich: $4.6 trillion Cost of cutting corporate tax rate to 15%: $1 trillion Both Trump proposals will explode the deficit and be used as an excuse to gut programs that millions rely on. It's reverse Robin Hood.

Evgeny Morozov@evgenymorozov.bsky.social · 2y ago

All of which is to say that the only account capable of explaining the political and ideological power of Big Tech has to start with a thorough analysis of the global economy, and, well, capital. What passes for "techno-feudalism" is merely an effect of capitalism in crisis.

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

Feeding frenzy: Army of advisers making millions from Thames Water. It has £19bn debt, wants another £3bn debt at interest rate of 9.75% in two instalments. Two-thirds of £1.5bn will end-up in the pockets of debt investors, professional advisers. As usual, customers will pay.

Feeding frenzy: how army of advisers is making millions from Thames Water

Court case points to sizeable fees being racked up as firm seeks £3bn loan to try to avoid temporary nationalisation

theguardian.com

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

UK gambling companies covertly track visitors to their websites and sending data to Facebook’s parent company without consent in an apparent breach of data protection laws. Meta uses the data to flood gamblers with ads for casinos and betting sites. Will Govt stand up to predatory corporations?

Revealed: gambling firms secretly sharing users’ data with Facebook without permission

Betting companies secretly track visitors to their sites before sending data to parent company Meta

theguardian.com

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

When is a fine not a fine? When it is levied on England's water companies. Aug 2024: OFWAT announced £168m fine on 3 companies. ZERO Paid. Dec 2024: £18m fine on Thames Water for paying unjustified dividends. ZERO Paid. Regulatory indulgence emboldens companies, encourages more abuses.

The water industry shows how the state indulges corporations to the detriment of society

Since 1989, water companies have been the subject of over 1,100 criminal convictions, but governments are content for them to control the industry.

leftfootforward.org

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

The A&E Crisis Shows How the NHS Is Getting Worse and the Govt Has No Real Plans to Fix It’. It is a political choice, part of privatisation strategy. Govts that bailout banks & energy companies, fund foreign wars, hand subsidies & tax cuts to corporations/rich can relieve suffering.

'The A&E Crisis Shows How the NHS Is Getting Worse and the Government Has No Real Plans to Fix It'

Politicians are refusing to take meaningful action to resolve the perma-crisis in our health service, writes NHS Doctor, David Oliver

bylinetimes.com

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

NatWest Bank finalises £450m bonus pot, 25% higher than last year. CEO remuneration expected to hit £6.6m. Their profiteering is our poverty. Govt tells worker wage rises are inflationary, but that doesn't apply to exec pay, dividends, share buybacks. It's class war.

NatWest finalises £450m bonus pot as return to private ownership looms

The bank's annual results will come with the government on the brink of no longer being its single-biggest shareholder after nearly 17 years, Sky News can reveal.

news.sky.com

Prem Sikka@premnsikka.bsky.social · 2y ago

Barclays Bank tells customers to contact food banks as IT glitch disruption enters third day. It made £6.6bn pre-tax profit last year but can't produce a robust IT system. I bet no one told directors to go to food banks. news.sky.com/story/barcla...

Barclays tells customers to contact food banks as IT glitch disruption enters third day

The bank has apologised as hundreds of customers complain about service disruption and missing funds.

news.sky.com