To be fair, it does actually state in UK company law that a director's first responsibility is to the shareholders of that company, so you can't really blame them.

It's the law that needs changing and also the circumstances by which the right to run these things is attached.

No point re-nationalising everything because it would be too costly, too unpopular and too open to the next government just selling it all off again.

But what they should do is start marking off bits of infrastructure management as franchises of national importance. So yer regional water providers, energy providers, trains, etc.

Franchises are awarded on a strict set of governing rules whch put the needs of consumers first, state that a certain percentage of profits needs to be spent on contingency planning and infrastructure BEFORE any profits can be drawn down to shareholders.

Fair conditions and wages must be given to employees and no director can earn a total in salaries/bonuses/pensions more than X times the salary of the lowest paid employee.

Franchises have no expiry date so once you've been awarded one you keep it indefinitely, but if you break the rules above you get no longer than six months to sort your shit out or you lose the franchise and the state takes over till it can be awarded to the next private company.

ALL the infrastructure that you build and manage during your time as franchisee is owned by the state indefinitely, so if you lose your franchise, this stuff still belongs to the state.

If you run into money troubles whilst running a franchise then the state will step in with a bail out, but only for a maximum period of 12 months and during which time no money can be paid to shareholders.