On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:55:20 +0100, "R.C. Payne"
wrote:

Mortimer wrote:
"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...

The Evening Standard in London is apparently saying the Chinese have won
the bid, though. Not sure what that means.
MTR is a Hong Kong company; i guess Hong Kong counts as China, although
saying 'Chinese' certainly suggests the big red bit of China to me. It was
started as a government agency, then partially privatised - the HK
government still owns most of it. Mention has been made of their already
being involved in running other railways outside Hong Kong, but i don't
think this has actually happened yet; they're contracted to build some
lines in China, but haven't successfully completed anything yet.

How long will it be before *every* bit of British life is run by overseas
finance and management. Are there going to be *any* companies in Britain
that are still British? Is it a two-way process: are there any transport or
utility companies elsewhere in the world that are owned by British
companies, or is it all one-sided?

I'm pretty sure that Vodafone is still UK, and they have their fingers
in a great many pies round the world. Others have mentionned the
companies that started as bus barons in the 80s that have done a good
job of hoovering up transport bits and pieces around the world. I would
say it's generally a 2-way street.

Vodafone is an English-registered company but that doesn't prevent
significant portions being held by foreign investors such as e.g. AXA
S.A. (~5% of voting rights).