What you are all saying is true but none is the whole truth.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to privatizing. Which would depend on the point of view.

From the point of view of the rate payers it is had to imagine how things would improve. But does the government doing the privatizing have constituents who are not rate payers?

The private company would have obligations that the crown company would not have. They either have to pay off investors or the bank for the money raised to make the purchase.

On the other hand, if the government, looking at the projected costs for the utility and knowing that a rate increase was just around the corner might unload it to a private entity so that they would not have to take all the heat for the rate increase.