The Audit Commission, which as a monopoly provider was immune from such concerns, counts the exposure of serious wrong-doing at Westminster Council - which had sold off council homes in a bid to boost Conservative election prospects - as among its finest moments.
Deutsche Post, for example, was fined by the European Commission in 2001 for abusing its monopoly by allowing its global parcels business to receive big subsidies from its letters franchise.
One positive development: In 1999, government passed a new anti-monopoly law, which provides for a business supervisory commission to help ensure a level playing field, a move that theoretically helps the disadvantaged and largely punchless community of small businesses.