Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“George Monbiot once said that I claimed to have invented the word ‘privatization.’ Nothing could be further from the truth, in common with many (if not most) of George’s claims. I have gone on record several times to point out that the word was in use before I was even born, which in my case is a very long time indeed. I did say that I preferred to spell it with a ‘z’ rather than an ‘s,’ as is do with most ‘ize’ endings. The word privatization, specifically the gerund ‘privatizing,’ first appeared in English in April 1923 in the New York Times. It was used within quotation marks in a translation of a German speech regarding the potential for American companies to purchase German state railroads. While that was the first recorded instance of the word itself, its development as a technical term followed a more complex path.” (04/7/26)