“The standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.”

Simplified Meaning:

Sometimes, when the government wants to switch public services to private companies, they might use a specific strategy. First, they cut the funding for these public services, like schools or hospitals. With less money, these services start to have problems and don’t work well anymore. People get frustrated because things aren't running smoothly and they aren’t getting the help they need. When everyone is really upset, the government then says it’s a good idea to let private companies take over. This way, the government justifies selling these services to private businesses by making people believe it will be better. Imagine a public park that everyone loves. The government stops spending money to take care of it. The grass isn’t mowed, and the playground equipment becomes unsafe. People start to complain because the park is no longer a nice place to visit. Then, the government decides to sell the park to a private company that promises to make it nice again but may charge entry fees. In this way, the strategy of letting public services fail makes people more accepting of privatization.