This is the whole basis of his manifesto? What happens when this "freeze" ends? Prices shoot up to what they would have been had they been continually increased without the freeze? Maybe his manifesto sets out all of this information, but I really doubt his prospects at the next election and wasn't it Labour spending all the money, selling off the gold and borrowing too much that screwed just about everything (NHS, Libraries, other government services) in the first place? Maybe he should be looking at the root cause of excess energy bills. I'm no genius but it seems that most energy companies are seeking to increase profits? While I'm well aware that it's not a charity, maybe British Gas "aiming to make £600m profit this year" by adding £100 to an energy bill is a better target? (see: British Gas to raise bills for 12m customers by £100 - Telegraph) Or maybe he should plan to re-nationalise all the essential services to stop the general public becoming cash cows for private companies? Maybe.
Utilities such as energy companies are subject to regulators. So the proposed policy amounts to mandating the energy regulator not to allow energy prices to be bumped up merely to create excess profits for the energy companies. The regulator ought to be doing that anyway, but has been rather lax. Sounds like a really sensible, constructive policy to me, which will be popular with everybody (except the excess-profit making energy companies and those they pay, obviously).
Or we could just carry on being ripped off for what are basic commodities in a decent society water electric gas even phone........the profits these private companies rape are obscene, would that money not be better back in the public purse sorting shit out?...... and dont give me the 're-investment' line, its all about the shareholders and bonuses! and as for regulation....ffs
given a good number of these energy suppliers are in foreign hands (NPower German owned, EDF is French, etc), then any monies will eventually be leaving these shores, so, yes I think it is a reasonable aspiration to get the energy companies to stop taking the piss. also, as the likes of British Gas, or whatever set of trading companies they are, along with NPower, Eon, EDF, are all producers, then they have the ability to influence the wholesale energy prices artificially (obviously, not that they would), and then claim "it's not my fault guv'nor, the wholesale price keeps going up, so we have to pass it on." the final piss take is the veiled threats now coming out of the energy industries of "you cap our profits, and we turn you power off!" - tail wagging dog, yet again!
I think we'd all appreciate a freeze on energy bills. But I suspect market forces will determine the price. If it looks like there's a monopoly and price fixing, fair enough but I just can't see a government being able to 'fix' prices. Lots of pension funds are tied up in the profits of companies like these so it's not just a case of 'protect the consumer'. Also, how long is the freeze? When does it start and end? Would prices go up in advance and then straight afterwards?
Is 'profit' a dirty word ? Are we not all 'shareholders' ? Where will the money come from for the investment in new energy infrastructure we require ? Is Red Ed in cahoots with his Union Bosses to cripple the energy sector prior to renationalisation ?
Our leccy & gas is constantly going up over here. Load of balls. Fcukin europe & the germans. Greedy cnuts and our goverment are fcukin useless. Ireland is a shit country to live in at the moment, still squezzing the middle and lower classes to nothing. Banks are running our country, government powerless / useless.
The price of energy is only going one way in a global market place. The idea that you can hold down prices by limiting excess profits made by the evil energy companies might be attractive to the Labour Party faithful and those used to the ways of the public sector (are they not one and the same ?) but won't work in the real world. Welcome back to the Labour Party of the 70's.
But it hasn't. There has been no consistent energy policy from government to base investments plans upon. Plus surcharges to subsidise windmills.
Actually, it would be far better to cap profits than cap pricing. That way, it could encourage both investment and employment.
In theory governments like companies to make a profit as hmrc gets a tax take. Presuming whichever numpty party is in charge has a sensible and workable taxation policy. Personally I wouldn't want the utilities renationalised as would not trust any of the 3 main parties to organise a raffle let alone run a large organisation. My other half works for the NHS and the stories she tells me about waste of cash, resourses & time is enough to make you weep.
Ah but yer leftie doesn't want supplying companies to make a profit, wants to pay the lowest possible price for goods and the government to provide essential services for free whilst maintaining investment for jobs. (Cue Loz ) And it is odd how people who work in the NHS often have a slightly different perspective to those who will defend it come what may.
One persons waste is another R&D. And govt love the tax collected from all these profits, ask Google, every private equity business, Amazon...they all love paying takes on their combined billions in profit...oh no, oops!
