Why is nobody talking about the impending disaster?

[Alikado]

I'm not an economics expert, so perhaps someone can explain the situation we now have with regard to energy bills.

The government is going to give people an allowance of up to £1600, not as cash, but as payments towards their energy bills. This money will presumably be paid by the government to the energy companies who have recently announced multi-billion pound profits.

The goverment is then going to apply a 25% windfall tax to those same energy companies, so this will presumably pay for the allowances they are 'paying' to consumers, so the money is just going round in a circle. The energy companies will just have to 'get by' on 75% of their multi-billions of profits.

Wouldn't it be easier to introduce emergency legislation to force the energy companies to lower their prices, and when the energy companies say that this will make them insolvent, then they are taken into public ownership. Of course, no Tory government would ever do that, so the solution is in the hands of the voters.

I realise that this is an over-simplistic view, but isn't this whole situation of recirculating money just designed to prop up a failed system that depends too heavily on non-renewable energy?

The energy companies should be wound up immediately, they are only billing companies, every penny that they've made over and above the profit levels of the last three years should be taken by the Government.

[local]

The energy companies should be wound up immediately, they are only billing companies, every penny that they've made over and above the profit levels of the last three years should be taken by the Government.

That's a very brave idea, who would you leave in charge, our civil servants have not covered themselves in glory recently and besides, they would have to come back to work

Why not just do a "nationalisation light" job on them by increasing the regulator's powers, yes they are sort of civil servants I accept.

The less government involvement the better, "Boris" love him or loathe him doing my "leccy bill" doesn't sound the finest idea this week.

[salus.populi]

That's a very brave idea, who would you leave in charge, our civil servants have not covered themselves in glory recently and besides, they would have to come back to work

Why not just do a "nationalisation light" job on them by increasing the regulator's powers, yes they are sort of civil servants I accept.

The less government involvement the better, "Boris" love him or loathe him doing my "leccy bill" doesn't sound the finest idea this week.

For a start everyone could be billed at wholesale prices by the actual regional energy networks rather than a choice of suppliers who do nothing but just add on their mark up.

[local]

For a start everyone could be billed at wholesale prices by the actual regional energy networks rather than a choice of suppliers who do nothing but just add on their mark up.

I don't and never have supported the idea of countless suppliers for the very same thing competing, but whatever we replace it with there needs to be a tough regime in place to run it for everyone's benefit.

We also need to have a frank discussion on what is actually "green" with an end-to-end examination.

Outsourcing our Co2 is a national disgrace.

Burning forests and off-shoring steel production to the likes of China again dreadful.

Buying lng gas from Russia when it's under our feet is a joke.

The recent Tory governments should hang their heads in shame at this giant con.

Wind power is another green con today we are on 3% it can be fine when it's windy but we have to use an awful lot of gas when it ain't.

[Lamparilla]

If humanity survives another few thousand years, future generations will laugh at the 21st Century's attempts to deal with what is rapidly becoming a global crisis.

We need global solutions, but there are too many vested interests preventing them from being attained.

[Toodles McGinty]

The energy companies should be wound up immediately, they are only billing companies, every penny that they've made over and above the profit levels of the last three years should be taken by the Government.

Gordon Brown is suggesting that energy companies should be nationalised on a temporary basis.

I've a lot of time for Brown, despite the nay-sayers, he brought the country back from the brink after the global banking crash. Liz Truss says "taking money off people in tax and giving it back in handouts" is "Gordon Brown economics". Brown didn't do that. He taxed & gave it to those who needed it most. It's called redistribution. It removed 2 million kids & 3 million pensioners from absolute poverty.

A temporary nationalisation doesn't go far enough. It means the government paying out billions, then handing control back. I want to point out that before the accusation is thrown around that socialists want to nationalise everything, that is patently untrue. Personally I'd just nationalise essential services - energy, water, rail, buses, health. After that, fill yer boots. Make as many billions as you like. Tesco, Netflix, whoever. We need wealth creators. As long as they pay tax, I couldn't give a monkey's. Happy with consumers having a choice. But with energy, water, the rail network, etc there is no choice.

Beyond that, I'm not an economist, but I do know if something isn't done, and fast, we are on the brink of something unthinkable.

Seems the greatest advocate for the poor right now are an ex-PM and Martin Lewis. While the 'caretaker' and Chancellor are missing in a crisis. Again. This goes beyond party politics, or whether Bunter is doing Sweet FA while still in office. It's about actual, real people's lives. Or deaths.

[Alikado]

That's a very brave idea, who would you leave in charge, our civil servants have not covered themselves in glory recently and besides, they would have to come back to work

Why not just do a "nationalisation light" job on them by increasing the regulator's powers, yes they are sort of civil servants I accept.

The less government involvement the better, "Boris" love him or loathe him doing my "leccy bill" doesn't sound the finest idea this week.

It wouldn't need to be Civil Servants, the Power Supply and Gas Supply companies have all the necessary details.

[Dirac]

...it's almost exactly the same as when you left.

You still have blinkered tribal morons defending the indefensible, uninformed onlookers misunderstanding the basics and posters with solid principles and data making valid points that often get drowned out in the melee of mediocrity.

I'll leave people to self-identify on that list...

[MICK/GILLY]

I was watching some French woman on the internet and she was confused at the UKs approach to energy and she was saying that their energy bills were nowhere near as high as ours because the government owned the energy companies and they were even making millions from us by selling us energy.
I think you can only privatise so much, transport and healthcare and basics such as water and energy is going too far, any profits from these things should be going back into them to future proof them regardless of changing governments .

[Stuartli]

I was watching some French woman on the internet and she was confused at the UKs approach to energy and she was saying that their energy bills were nowhere near as high as ours because the government owned the energy companies and they were even making millions from us by selling us energy.
I think you can only privatise so much, transport and healthcare and basics such as water and energy is going too far, any profits from these things should be going back into them to future proof them regardless of changing governments .

We have been buying electricity from the French for many years - it happens when our own supplies are under heavy demand and we require extra supplies immediately.

[MICK/GILLY]

...it's almost exactly the same as when you left.

You still have blinkered tribal morons defending the indefensible, uninformed onlookers misunderstanding the basics and posters with solid principles and data making valid points that often get drowned out in the melee of mediocrity.

I'll leave people to self-identify on that list...

This has got nothing to do with bicycles or cycle lanes so keep your Peddling oN the Path .

[MICK/GILLY]

We have been buying electricity from the French for many years - it happens when our own supplies are under heavy demand and we require extra supplies immediately.

I know that yea and they will want a profit for selling it us I get that but the point was their people pay less as the government haven’t privatised it like here so we are not just paying a standard cost we are paying companies just for … well nothing really .

[Toodles McGinty]

I was watching some French woman on the internet and she was confused at the UKs approach to energy and she was saying that their energy bills were nowhere near as high as ours because the government owned the energy companies and they were even making millions from us by selling us energy.
I think you can only privatise so much, transport and healthcare and basics such as water and energy is going too far, any profits from these things should be going back into them to future proof them regardless of changing governments .

If you want to know how to run a country for the benefit of its citizens rather than billionaires, I wouldn't bother with France. I'd look at Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Norway created a huge sovereign fund & went from the poor man of Europe to the richest based on North Sea oil & gas. The UK p!$$ed it away and waffled on about trickle down economics. Thatcher sold some bull about us 'all being shareholders in the country' and promptly sold our assets to rich people.

Norway has a policy of no one too poor, no one too rich; the UK has people choosing heating or eating.

I'm guessing Scotland has one eye on Norway when they talk about independence. I was also discussing this with Brexiteer acquaintances and they said they wanted the Norway model, but that wasn't ever on offer. But that's another thread for another time.

Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund is worth $1.4 trillion

"Norwegian government is free to use up to 3% of the fund's volume annually for social purposes – that number currently amounts up to $41 billion".

What might have been. Sadly I don't think Labour at the time, or even now, had the foresight to make such changes even if they were elected.

[MICK/GILLY]

Yea sounds good but just the simple idea of not paying companies with shareholders for their names when it comes to the necessities seems to me to be just basic common sense in any language, it could even be a vote winner .

[The PNP]

This has got nothing to do with bicycles or cycle lanes so keep your Peddling oN the Path .

Disagree.....A sizeable proportion of the average family budget, goes on transport nowadays, which invariably means owning multiple cars. Now if they sold those cars got hold of a nice e-bike or two (or three) and put the rest of the money in the bank, chances are they'd be instantly out of debt! Not to mention freeing themselves up from the annual running costs of multiple car ownership - just a thought.