Vocal Voices

Our ruling classes are good at this.
Take the high cost of energy prices. Over the last year we've had:-
1. Nick Clegg telling us how much money a year we waste by re-charging mobile phones for too long.
2. Consumers being blamed for "not searching for the best deal"
3. Today in The Independent a power chief is advising customers "not to drink too much tea", as using the kettle uses a lot of electricity.
Previously, high energy bills were all our fault because we didn't insulate our houses properly, or we had an old fashioned boiler.
All of which is trying to tell us that "It's all your own fault". Well, no it isn't!

It's not nice is it? Not too much detail about how energy firms use the three card trick to deliberately obscure which is the best deal; or about how they own two or three firms in the energy chain all making profit, which is really all the host firm's profit. Nothing about the horrendous subsidies paid for wind farms. Nothing about all our energy firms being owned by foreigners, and the profits vanishing abroad.

It's a fair cop, gov'.

I personally keep all the street lights on, every one, all night, every night. I made all those empty offices keep their lights on, and a bit of heating, over the holidays even though no one was working. I have instructed shops to have lights on, window displays visible from space, and TVs running throughout the night. Worst of all; I keep forgetting to turn the TV 'off' instead of leaving it on stand-by.

Far be it for me to do anything to hit the profits of the energy companies. They have an ifrastructure to upkeep, new power plants to build, and shareholders who need a dividend.

Personally, I don't think that public services should be in private hands, unless the
companies concerned have their activities and accounts strictly monitored.

I agree with you Aggers!

Yes, Maggie was wrong over the privatisation of utilities.

I know that's applying hindsight, because we didn't suspect they'd all finish up in the hands of Australian, American and European conglomerates, and I took and sold on the shares like everyone else back then, but I wish it hadn't happened now ......