Don't Pay UK

[newfhouse]

Yes, you are right. Nationalise Food Production (Farming) too, reduce the price of Food.

Reduction ad absurdum is absurd.

 

[Wobblers]

If we don't do anything do you think they'll bother...with the energy rises just around the corner it's too late to not do anything That's what they rely on !
About 5 or so years ago ? A large percentage of the Irish public refused to pay for their water bill & the govt was forced to take action.France seemed to have capped bills ?
Collective action works,it's more a case of who's willing to take it.

It's a global market. If we refuse to pay, the energy companies will happily sell it to others instead: they'll still make their excess billions. The government would have to step in and subsidise gas and electricity costs. But this is the thing: the government has limited resources - where do you allocate them? Boosting the NHS? Ensuring that public workers get a decent wage increase? Bringing houses up to a liveable standard? More social housing? A convincing case can be made for all these, but we can't do all this at once. (And before you say we just borrow it, no we can't. Huge spending increases without the economic stability to support it will come very unstuck very quickly. We're already perilously indebted.)

That's why I'd prefer more targetted help. Much as I dislike it, I can afford the increases. Instead of subsidising my bills, and people in my situation, it'd be far better to be targetted to those who face genuine hardship. That way, there might just be enough to pay NHS workers enough so that none of them needs to use food banks.

Of course, this is all moot whilst Sunak and Truss argue over tax cuts - which of course benefit the more affluent the most.

 

[Wobblers]

Well, if Nationalisation is such a great idea, and, will fix the Energy Crisis, and the Railways, why not go for broke and Nationalise Farming too?, and the Supermarkets, and anything else you can think of.

I don't recall privatisation being terribly beneficial to the railways. Especially not for the passengers.

Nor has privatisation of the electricity industry been particularly beneficial. The old CEGB policy of ensuring diversity of energy sources meant that a price shock in one fuel would be limited in impact to the consumer. That went out the window on privatisation: instead a lot of gas fired power stations were built - cheap, so a rapid return on investment, you see. Now most of our electricity comes from gas - with its all too predictable consequences for prices.

 

[Deleted member 49]

But this is the thing: the government has limited resources - where do you allocate them?

Surely the pandemic and the wasted billions has shown you that just isn't true.It just that the wealth of the country gets to stay where it is for the chosen ones.

I don't recall privatisation being terribly beneficial to the railways. Especially not for the passengers.

Nor has privatisation of the electricity industry been particularly beneficial. The old CEGB policy of ensuring diversity of energy sources meant that a price shock in one fuel would be limited in impact to the consumer. That went out the window on privatisation: instead a lot of gas fired power stations were built - cheap, so a rapid return on investment, you see. Now most of our electricity comes from gas - with its all too predictable consequences for prices.

This I'm suprised at you on...you really want to use British Rail as a scapegoat of how we shouldn't look back ? I could bore you sh1tless with a list of privatisation that hasn't worked,well maybe for some shareholders 🙄
Private companies such as( Royal Mail for one)pretty much by definition are there to make profit. Remove that profit layer, and things do become cheaper in the long term.Beneficial to it's workers aswell.
If energy is publicly owned, the govermentt can set its own prices,like in France, where energy price rises have been capped at just 4% while ours are set to rise by over 100% !
No disrespect to you but it seems you only want to focus on the negative of Nationalisation ? There's a good reason why this Government and so far Labour want to keep those profits high !

Apologies Wobblers I read your post wrong ! Was kindly corrected by Claud.
But you get the jist of what I meant 😁

 

[BoldonLad]

I don't recall privatisation being terribly beneficial to the railways. Especially not for the passengers.

Nor has privatisation of the electricity industry been particularly beneficial. The old CEGB policy of ensuring diversity of energy sources meant that a price shock in one fuel would be limited in impact to the consumer. That went out the window on privatisation: instead a lot of gas fired power stations were built - cheap, so a rapid return on investment, you see. Now most of our electricity comes from gas - with its all too predictable consequences for prices.

I am a bit confused, are you agreeing with me, ie Nationalise them, or not?

 

[BoldonLad]

As I said it's your idea...you do have a idea don't you ? I think you'll find nationalising utilities,railways has a proven track record on other countries,was quite a popular policy for Labour last time round.
Bit I'm still curious of your idea to nationalise farming and now supermarkets 🙄

Nationalisation isn’t my idea, it is, or was, a recognised policy I even lived through what was its peak in the UK. Remove the profit sucking shareholders, and fat cat bosses, got to be better, hasn’t it? That’s why I voted for Jeremy.

 

[theclaud]

No disrespect to you but it seems you only want to focus on the negative of Nationalisation ?

I don't think that's what he said.

 

[Deleted member 49]

I don't think that's what he said.

Duh your right ! Still half asleep 🙄

 

[Wobblers]

I am a bit confused, are you agreeing with me, ie Nationalise them, or not?

It's true: on the internet, no one can hear you sigh.

The consequences of privatisation of the electricity business was a switch to gas for the quick return on investment. I didn't think I'd need to spell out that this has a direct bearing on the high prices we're now paying for our energy.

Incidentally, France generates most of its electricity with nuclear power. They aren't seeing the same stratospheric price rises. That's not a coincidence. Britain was once a world leader in wind and wave power: investment in those was killed stone dead with privatisation, along with nuclear. We're all now quite literally paying for those short term decisions.

 

[BoldonLad]

It's true: on the internet, no one can hear you sigh.

The consequences of privatisation of the electricity business was a switch to gas for the quick return on investment. I didn't think I'd need to spell out that this has a direct bearing on the high prices we're now paying for our energy.

Incidentally, France generates most of its electricity with nuclear power. They aren't seeing the same stratospheric price rises. That's not a coincidence. Britain was once a world leader in wind and wave power: investment in those was killed stone dead with privatisation, along with nuclear. We're all now quite literally paying for those short term decisions.

Yes, I knew all that.

I was suggesting Nationalisation.

 

[Beebo]

View attachment 1897

I’d like to know how many of the people with EDF utilities have no idea what it stands for.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I’d like to know how many of the people with EDF utilities have no idea what it stands for.

...ripping-off customers?

 

[Xipe Totec]

I’d like to know how many of the people with EDF utilities have no idea what it stands for.

EDF! EDF!! EDF!!!

 

[Milkfloat]

Coming back to this. I get confused easily. I am not sure how this push to 'don't pay' can help. The companies that we are paying are usually middlemen who are paying more at the moment for the energy that we consume than we pay them. We are a liability to them and in the short term they would be better off without us. The organisations to target are the generators and transporters of the energy therefore hitting them with excess profit taxes seems the most logical solution?

 

[theclaud]

Decent video from Don't Pay UK.