Um, yeah. If you compare an honest, well-managed public-owned basic utility to one which is run by "greed is the one true God" capitalists - obviously it's gonna be night vs. day.<p>But the former required an honest, competent government. Wikipedia has a quick summary of the privatization of England's formerly-public water & sewer systems - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_privatisation_in_England_and_Wales#Process" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_privatisation_in_England...</a>