The London Underground Public Private Partnership (PPP) was one of the biggest political cons in post war British history. It squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money, leaving a legacy of cuts, job insecurity and high fares.
Yet as with all struggles the battle around the PPP produced positives. The fact the trade unions eventually won and were proven right has lessons for us today in the debate about how we resist austerity and fight for a better society. This book is an important conribution to the history of the PPP and that wider debate.
Bob Crow, General Secretary, RMT, 2001-2014
I’ve been totally engrossed in Janine Booth’s book, ‘Plundering London Underground’. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone involved int he fight against the privatisation of our public services.
Janine demolishes the arguments that the private sector is ‘good’ and ‘efficient’. She convincingly makes the case that the best way to run the Tube is under public ownership with proper public funding.
This book is inspirational to the struggle we face now to defend London’s Underground int he face of massive government cuts. Buy it. Read it. Be inspired.
Brian Munro, RMT Executive, 2014
This is a very important book.
Christian Wolmar, transport writer
Janine Booth’s book is the first in mainstream publishing where a strongly socialist take on the situation has been so fully set out. … Ms Booth gives a clear and well-paced account … an important document in explaining the public mood.
Backtrack magazine
A minutely detailed history … the extensive notes and lists of personnel and documentation suggest that this book will be a valuable resource for any further research. Fascinating and informative!
Richard Thorogood, Underground News
Booth provides a panoramic narrative of the complex interaction between the political, economic, social and technical elements that shape the operation of London’s underground public transit system, always in the context of history and class struggle. … Like a coda to a fine piece of music, the final chapeter ‘A Socialist Alternative’ really is quite wonderful – and unique. It includes a vision of what a socialist public transit system structure might look like, geared toward the intersts of workers and transit users … This is an important and engaging book.
Herman Rosenfeld, Socialist Project, Canada
‘Plundering London Underground’ is an excellent and readable book about the Public Private Partnership on London Underground. Its author Janine Booth is a well known RMT activist who was actually there and has got the t-shirt!
This book is a very well researched account of the whole story. It is set to be the authoritative book on the PPP and covers the story for real people. It exposes the economic facts behind the rip-offs as well as looking at a socialist and democratic policy for London Underground.
Oliver New, RMT Executive, 2008-2010
