The swing to the right
publication date: Jul 2, 2010
European voters have switched to parties and politicians who, they believe, can avoid them ending uu in the mess Greece is now in. That is very good news for the private sector.
In the UK we now have a Conservative/LibDem government. In the Netherlands the free-market liberal VVD has a mandate to form a government. And the right has won in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
We are beginning to see the results of this already.
In the UK, further outsourcing and closer cooperation with the private sector looks likely. In Slovakia expect to see changes favouring the private sector in insurance, hospitals and outsourcing. In the Czech Rep there may be further hospital privatisation. Fidesz in Hungary is likely to unveil pro-private sector programmes this autumn.
The one possible exception is the Netherlands where the VVD may be forced into an unlikely alliance with the Greens and the Left.
Spain is almost certain to face early elections this autumn as levels of support for the Socialist government plummets. Polls say that would leave the PP in charge and it strongly favours a much more active role for the private sector in healthcare services.
Of course, there are exceptions. We could see a social democrat government in Sweden this autumn. And we could see a serious challenge from the left to French president Nicholas Sarkosy in 2011.
But the next five years are a real opportunity for the private sector to grow in Europe.
