Politics

Poll: Majority of Brits Want Rail, Energy Companies Nationalized

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Credit: Er0229/wikimedia

Here is part of a write-up on the latest terrifying poll from the other side of the Atlantic (from YouGov):

The majority of the British public – including the majority of Conservative voters – support nationalising the energy and rail companies

Labour's plan to freeze energy prices for 20 months has re-ignited the debate over the role of the government in markets, with Conservatives arguing intervention is a 'con' while Labour claim the state should 'reset' the market. Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh has even suggested Labour are open to re-nationalising train services.

However, YouGov research for the Centre for Labour and Social Studies finds voters of all politics united in their support for nationalisation of energy and rail.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that most Labour Party supporters, who are unashamedly socialist, want rail and energy companies to be nationalized. However, it is frightening that more than half of Conservatives polled agree with Labour supporters on the issue:

Credit: YouGov

The graph above not only shows that the nationalization of rail and energy companies has majority support across the British political spectrum, it also highlights that UKIP members are hardly the supporters of limited government and free markets some seem to think they are. In fact, UKIP members support the nationalization of rail and energy companies more than Liberal Democrats, who are oftentimes described as center-left.

Below is another terrifying graph from the same poll. It turns out that over a third of the British public believe that the government should have the power to control the price of food:

Credit: YouGov

Read the full results of the poll here