OT: British Gas, Centrica & the forgotten crimes of Tories

[DavidPayne]

British Gas puts up prices by 35% pushing 1 in 3 pensioners into fuel poverty and a fair few families closer to the bread line.

Centrica who own British Gas, or their 1 million shareholders do, release news they've made £5billion profit.

The raise in prices was to maintain and reeastablish reasonable profit levels.

For those irked by the failings of Brown and before him Blair, and willing to blame the present incumbents for these types of crimes against the nation.

Remember who flogged the Utilities to the few who could afford them. Taking posessions that belonged to you, me and everyone around us and sold them to the affluent.

Just imagine if those major utilities could have been made cost-effective and profitable and stayed in Public Ownership!

I hope those of you who voted the Tories in to sell of assets to cut tax for the rich and neglect public service for a generation realise the long-term ripple many predicted. Its here, and your paying.

You cant have it both ways.

Can someone help me down from this soapbox.

[Coco]

The only reason they are so profitable now is because they are in the hands of people trying to make money.
Otherwise they would have continued down the line of gross inefficiencies, and would be a financial burden on our country rather than a profitable private company

[DavidPayne]

But thats just the thing Coco.

They are a huge financial burden on our country, a fact enjoyed by 1million people.

[Coco]

The idea behind private companies is competition, if they are that expensive can't you change your supplier?

[Peter Hick]

Those pesky Tories, they ruin everything!!!!

[Old bones Ian]

Couple of things i've noticed from recent bills i recieved, my direct debit was put up by 100%, when i rang and said this was far to high they immediatly agreed and dropped it by 70%. And going by my average i will still be in credit at the end of the next 3 months.
So how many people are they doing this to? getting free money into the British Gas bank account for them to earn interest on. Some are not as switched on as me and may never change their direct debits.

Also my quarterly bill has now been changed to a 6 monthly bill, so how can i keep an eye on how much this gas is costing me?

Is it the tories fault? not only them, we need to get this labour government to support the change that Gas is not directly linked to the cost of oil. Its an outdated and ridiculous rule.

[Chambers2]

British Gas puts up prices by 35% pushing 1 in 3 pensioners into fuel poverty and a fair few families closer to the bread line.

Centrica who own British Gas, or their 1 million shareholders do, release news they've made £5billion profit.

The raise in prices was to maintain and reeastablish reasonable profit levels.

For those irked by the failings of Brown and before him Blair, and willing to blame the present incumbents for these types of crimes against the nation.

Remember who flogged the Utilities to the few who could afford them. Taking posessions that belonged to you, me and everyone around us and sold them to the affluent.

Just imagine if those major utilities could have been made cost-effective and profitable and stayed in Public Ownership!

I hope those of you who voted the Tories in to sell of assets to cut tax for the rich and neglect public service for a generation realise the long-term ripple many predicted. Its here, and your paying.

You cant have it both ways.

Can someone help me down from this soapbox.

I agree, Maggies Tories are equally if not more responsible than Labour for the current energy climate. The Tories shouldn't have sold off OUR assets they should have concentrated on running them more efficiently. Whether or not the Tories are best party to take the country forward or not is a different question.

Simplistically, politicians are a load of nobhead chancers

[Chambers2]

we need to get this labour government to support the change that Gas is not directly linked to the cost of oil. Its an outdated and ridiculous rule.

I agree, it defies logic. The country is too dependent on the price of oil and considering the areas where alot of that oil is coming from it's a recipe for disaster.

.... and another thing. We should never have entered Iraq either with them 2-bob Johnny BIG Bollox from over the pond, especially on some suspect US 'intelligence' (2 words that shouldn't be put together). How much has that war cost the tax payer? it's no wonder there's no money in the coffers to offset gas/fuel costs!!!

[Coco]

I think that the world is going to become less dependant on oil, not because it is running out or because of enviromental factors, but because the U.S wants to wrest economic control from the middle east.
Suddenly they are making it top priority to find other energy means

[Chambers2]

I think that the world is going to become less dependant on oil, not because it is running out or because of enviromental factors, but because the U.S wants to wrest economic control from the middle east.
Suddenly they are making it top priority to find other energy means

and rightly so, it has do be done for environmental and political reason. We're the smackhead country who is dependent on the firey, unpredicatble doolally dealer from down the road.

The first person to come up with this mythical polution free hydrogen fuel that we can run a car and whatever else on will go down in history, but how long could that take months, years, decades.... lets hope it progresses quicker than the cure for cancer

[Coco]

I think it will be sooner as the U.S never had the will before now, and they only have the will because of fear of middle east economic power.
If oil is no longer of any use, it wouldn't suprise me if they start nukeing the place

[hitman_hatton1]

gotta go and pay my gas and electric bills later.

got a real threatening letter from british gas this morning.

cutting me off on 18th august if i don't pay. :x

love stringing these bastards out.

[twenty six]

I grew up in a working class community in Sheffield.
My father worked gruelling shifts all his life, and my grandfather before him.
I would have been slaughtered literally if I had ever mentioned the words Tory or Conservative within ear shot of either of these proud men.
However can someone please explain to me what the difference is between a Conservative and a Labour Politician now ?

[Chambers2]

However can someone please explain to me what the difference is between a Conservative and a Labour Politician now ?

The colour of their ties

[josh fg]

However can someone please explain to me what the difference is between a Conservative and a Labour Politician now ?

The colour of their ties

erm, working families tax credits, minimum wage, unprecedented public sector pay increase, greatest investment in the NHS ever! Just a few little ones for you... Where as the Tories would bring in the policies which punish women for being single mothers among other terrible ideas.

[Twinkle Toes]

erm, working families tax credits, minimum wage, unprecedented public sector pay increase, greatest investment in the NHS ever! Just a few little ones for you... Where as the Tories would bring in the policies which punish women for being single mothers among other terrible ideas.

Naive, very naive.

I'm not a big political party nuthugger like Dave is, rather preferring to keep an open mind about things.

All I know is, I was better off ten years ago than I am now.

[Loftgroov]

Just imagine if those major utilities could have been made cost-effective and profitable and stayed in Public Ownership!

Yes... just imagine....

However, if you understood about the efficiency failings of state run enterprise (which you obviously don't) you might view things differently.

[DavidPayne]

Britian is ready for someone willing to be proud of it.

Unfortunatley, the worm has turned for Brown and he can't raise his head above the parapit without someone chucking eggs.

Hard to be the beacon of hope with egg yolk on your face.

As my Dad says; they're chasing headlines, not making them.

And Cameron is good enough imitation of Blair in his opposition days to cause the big, flat footed Scot problems.

[Coco]

Unfortunately politics these days is far more about style rather than substance, and Cameron is certainly a Blair clone, I doubt their policies will differ much either.
Blair has been one of the most successful Tory leaders ever!!!
Same with Obama, it is beyond me how a fella with so little policy can be so popular. All rhetoric and image while no substance. A proper General Boulanger figure

[Gray-Fox]

He can be popular because he's a young, attractive democrat. After Bush, that is a winning formula.

[BunglesFingers]

Maybe we should have a general election every year, like the Italians seem to do. Keeps everyone on their toes.

[Poncey]

However can someone please explain to me what the difference is between a Conservative and a Labour Politician now ?

The colour of their ties

Ever noticed that Brown usually wears a blue tie, yet Blair usually wore a red one.

It's pointless shit like that that I think about. Sad, really, isn't it?!

[observer1]

Welcome to the Wonderful World ruled by Corperations. To keep that profit there, we'll go to war if we must ...

Sadly the People are just Pawns for the countries Elite.

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

Call me a marxist if you want but it is the states job (especially one as wealthy as ours) to provide affordable gas, water and electricity to the people. Why on earth should the supply of electrcity and gas to the nation be run on a profit margin? How ridiculous! Especially when old people are dying because they can't afford to pay the gas bill!

It happens in other parts of the world. Why can the South Korean goverment (for example) run a clean, inexpensive, efficient, safe metro system when the British can't - it cost me 2 quid to get from my suburb to the centre of Seoul - about 90 minutes travelling time - how much do you think that would cost in the UK?

Next it will be the health system and people will be saying 'under the commies the NHS was losing money - now under the Tories/BNP it is making a PROFIT' and the shareholders can clink their champagne glasses in toast as they make more money as more people die because they can't afford to go to hospital.

[jamesmcdonnell]

There's another factor at work here.

The unit cost of Gas is also being driven up, because people are becoming more careful about energy use, and therefore people are using les gas, less electricity.

In order to maintain their vast profits, they therefore drive up the unit price to maintain equilibrium. The government know this full well and the

My last gas bill was absolutely huge, 247 quid for a single quarter! I live in a one bedroom flat, and haven't had the heating on once since March! Absolutely fornicating disgusting.