The authors of a new book on the story of British Rail Privatisation were in Aberdeen on Wednesday, July 5th to launch their new book All Change: British Railway Privatisation. The book tells the inside story of the privatisation and provides the first insight into the processes and dynamics behind it.
All Change: British Railway Privatisation, published by McGraw-Hill, draws on detailed interviews with key government and industry figures and provides an ‘insider’s’ view of one of the most significant events in British transport history. Containing chapters written by regulators, operators, journalists and academics, it reveals, for the first time, the factors influencing the formulation of railway privatisation policy and examines the issues that arose during its implementation.
Three of the “insiders”, the editors Lord Roger Freeman and Dr Jon Shaw, and Mr. Christian Wolmar, a contributor to the book, will be available for interview and photographs at the press conference and photocall.
Lord Roger Freeman is the Former Minister of State for Public Transport, and was one of the principal architects in formulating and implementing the policy of rail privatisation. He is now a consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Chairman of Thomson (UK) Holdings Ltd..
Dr Jon Shaw is a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Aberdeen, and has published extensively on rail privatisation.
Christian Wolmar is a freelance journalist and a writer who has written extensively about public transport and the railway system.
Comments on All Change: British Railway Privatisation:
Rt Hon John MacGregor OBE MP, former Minister of State for Transport, commented:
“While I do not always agree with the points made, the book serves as an excellent starting point for an analysis of the privatisation process. The authors have important, sometimes controversial, but always interesting insights.”
Brian Cox, Executive Director, Stagecoach Holdings plc, commented:
“It seems to me an excellent and valuable record of what took place, with sufficient detail and analysis to be essential for both future historians and those wishing to learn from the experience.”
Further Information:
University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-273778 or email a.ramsay@admin.abdn.ac.uk.