After the election: Ten ways to push for public ownership

We can't sugar-coat it. If you want your public services to be run for people not profit, the election result was bad news. Our scorecard shows that the Conservative Party is furthest away from public opinion on privatisation. Francis Maude promised a 'flood' of new privatisations before the election. It's predicted that a third of public service cash will be spent on private companies in this new parliament. Shares in outsourcing companies Serco, Capita and Babcock jumped on Friday morning. We know that NHS privatisation is accelerating. David Cameron has already said he wants to sell off the public stake in Lloyds bank - what other public institutions does he want to flog off? Meanwhile the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership threatens to make it impossible for sell-offs to be reversed.

What can we do? Here are ten ideas to get started with.

1) Read up

Privatisation is a real David and Goliath battle. The big vested interests have money and influence (George Osborne's best man, for example, has a lot more clout than you or me). So we need all the stones and slings we've got. Let's learn what we can about what's going on and how we can fight it. Have a read of our evidence pages and watch this space for more resources.

2) Get a little help from your friends

Private companies (for example the healthcare companies benefiting from NHS privatisation) have friends in high places. The rest of us just have friends – but maybe we also have passion, solidarity and a belief in something bigger than ourselves. Get together with old friends or make new ones at the emergency meeting in London for the NHS (17th May), Radical Hope organised by Compass (16th May), the G4S AGM protest (4th June) or the People's Assembly national demonstration (20th June). We'll be at some of these events, hope to see you there!

3) Get campaigning

Find your friends locally. Campaigns like the one in Barnet are an inspiration. As they put it, it's time to 'pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again!' There are brilliant groups working across the country that you can get involved with. 

4) Ask your local authority to lead

Northumberland County Council passed a motion in support of our Public Service Users Bill which would make contracts with private companies more transparent and accountable. Southwark Council has introduced a new approach to outsourcing along similar lines. Could you push for your council to pass a motion for the Bill so that people come before profit? Get in touch if you think the campaign could work where you live.

5) Shift the public debate

Every time this government wants to sell something off or outsource it, let's be right there, resisting, campaigning, explaining why they're wrong. If there's a story in your newspaper about privatisation or outsourcing, write in and say what you think. If your letter gets published, send us the link and we'll share it!

6) Learn from Scotland and Wales

The Scottish Government has already passed a Procurement Act which is a step in the right direction. Both Scotland and Wales have devolved powers over public services, have resisted privatisation of the NHS and have water services run for people not profit. Let's learn from them, and talk to them (and to campaigns like Common Weal) about introducing a Public Service Users Bill.

7) Look at the bigger picture

There are so many fantastic examples out there showing that public services can work for people not profit. Let's make the case for more transparency in contracts, sure, but let's get more imaginative too. Let's talk about how cities around the world (including Paris and Berlin) are bringing their water into public ownership. Let's talk about how energy in the US is often run by cooperatives. If the government tries to crush our dreams, let's dream bigger.

8) Play the long game

No one said it would be easy to fight back against 30 years of the myth that 'private is more efficient'. It'll take some time to debunk the myths but we can point to the ways that privatisation has failed. For example, our research with Corporate Watch shows that households would save £250 a year on train fares, water bills and energy bills if these industries were publicly owned.

9) Celebrate the victories

Yes, those of us who value public services have lost a lot over the past five years. But there have also been some terrific and inspiring campaigns, and sometimes we've won. Remember the successful 38 Degrees campaign for public forests? How about the PCS and Law Society victory over the land registry? If there's enough of an outcry, we can win, and we should celebrate every time we do.

10) Share the love 

Most people want public services for people not profit - and the relentless drive to privatise isn't changing our hearts and minds. Sign and share the petition for public services for people not profit, follow us on facebook and twitter, and let's work out together how to resist. 

This list is just a starter for ten. What do you think? What have we forgotten? We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.