When it comes to steroids, public censure and private acceptance have tended to rise in parallel.

NEWYORKER: The Strongest Man in the World

Under Tony Blair it appeared to have moved to a policy of grudging acceptance of private schools.

ECONOMIST: Schools

Since General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) announced the sale of a 51% share in General Motors Acceptance to a private equity group, some have speculated that Ford could sell all or part of its Ford Motor Credit financing arm.

FORBES: Putting On A Private Face

In 2006, GM sold 51% interest in General Motors Acceptance Corp. to Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity company.

FORBES: GM Wants To Make Sure Everyone Can Get A Car Loan

There is no real acceptance of the very Anglo-Saxon idea that banking services are something that only the private sector does or should do.

BBC: How do countries run their state banks?