Inside the minds of politicians privatizing public assets...

Despite widespread and vocal global disgruntlement about privatisation, governments keep on keeping it on. They're selling public assets at ridiculously low rates. They're giving corporations monopoly control of a dizzying array of essential public services. And they're exposing education, health and transport to a profit motive delivering less quality at more cost. Just what can politicians who privatize be thinking? Radio New Internationalist decided to ask.

• Laila Harré - a former New Zealand Cabinet Minister - joins today's program to explore what goes on in the minds of our governments when they're making these huge and irreversible decisions: decisions that effectively let companies take over the functions entrusted to government. As she outlines the players, the politics, and the psychology of privatization, she paints a clear picture of what's coming up next on privatization's broad horizons.

• The privatization cheer-leading squad contains a colourful array of financiers and advisors who are driving the process behind the scenes. New Zealand researcher, writer and activist Bill Rosenberg from the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) provides some profiles, as he outlines some of the international pressures driving privatization.

• A massive 30 per cent of South Africans have no access to electricity even though it's a right given to all by South Africa's Bill of Rights. Silumko Radebe from the South African Anti Privatization Forum explains how he and his colleagues are reconnecting people with the energy services that privatization is trying to take away. 

Today's CD is called Sabou performed by that legendary West African singer Mory Kante. He's a millionaire of a different sort - the first African artist to sell a million singles.

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