Disaster capitalism, and the outsourcing of violence in the UK
Corporations bleed what profits they can from disaster. Democracy is replaced by a business plan. An excerpt from Antony Loewenstein’s Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe.
“I am very passionate about our values and building this company not to make a profit. If profit is an immediate byproduct, then that’s wonderful. If you can make it have an impact on society, people’s lives and make it fun, crumbs, then we don’t have to worry about making this profit or that. It happens naturally.”
Former Serco chief executive Christopher Hyman, 2006
CHRIS-HYMAN-RACING-GEAR300.jpg Chris Hyman, ex-boss SercoI was driven
to a poor suburb to the north
of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire. Children
and parents played
in the street. The houses looked shabby, some painted
various shades of red, with boarded-up windows. I arrived with
local activists at a nondescript property. Michael, who
was from Cameroon, opened the door
and welcomed us warmly
in fluent English.
The house was managed by British multinational G4S. It was a damp-smelling, three-storey building with steep stairs. Though the tenants received little money from the state and were not legally allowed to work, they had to buy cleaning products and other essentials for themselves. Clearly, this was not a priority. In the kitchen I saw the effect of leaking water, grimy around the sink. A mop stood in the corner. I was told the floor remained stained even after washing.
