Anyone see the news yesterday.....scores of families interviewed about how they'll struggle to pay their gas bills.

 

One bird and her fella were saying it'll stop them giving their little 'un a 'balanced diet'.....fair enough I thought....until it panned out and they were about 30 stone each & the kid looked like an obese cabbage patch doll.

 

Can't believe ITV news went to all that fuss of interviewing people about summat serious, and then thought it'd be a laugh to show britains fattest couple complain about not being able to afford to heat their grub ::::

heat their grub

Sounds like a few salads wouldn't go a miss. So they won't need to heat their grub then would they??

Edited July 31, 200818 yr by wackerchackers

One bird and her fella were saying it'll stop them giving their little 'un a 'balanced diet'.....fair enough I thought....until it panned out and they were about 30 stone each & the kid looked like an obese cabbage patch doll.

 

I saw that on the news as well, it really made me laugh. I reckon they would be OK if they just cut their food bill by 50% and got to a normal weight.

 

They also interviewed some old lady, who actually had a wooden window, must be a nice area she lives in. Anyway, as she was talking about how little money she had, it panned back to show a couple of packs fo fags on her living room table, and an overflowing ash tray. - why doesn't she just stop smoking, that'll help her save money!

Can someone (perhaps Mr Economics maarsh) explain the need for VAT on fuel anymore?

 

Keeping warm in winter doesn't sound like a feckin luxury to me.

 

Think it's only 5% but it would help.

I saw that on the news as well, it really made me laugh. I reckon they would be OK if they just cut their food bill by 50% and got to a normal weight.

 

They also interviewed some old lady, who actually had a wooden window, must be a nice area she lives in. Anyway, as she was talking about how little money she had, it panned back to show a couple of packs fo fags on her living room table, and an overflowing ash tray. - why doesn't she just stop smoking, that'll help her save money!

 

Plus ALL old dears do their shoping in M&S.

 

If you're that poor go to Netto

Privatising previously nationalised industries was supposed to provide competition and consequently lower prices but companies such as these are answerable to their shareholders and not to the general public and shareholders want to maximise profits. Yet another genius idea that we have Thatcher to thank for.

Privatising previously nationalised industries was supposed to provide competition and consequently lower prices but companies such as these are answerable to their shareholders and not to the general public and shareholders want to maximise profits. Yet another genius idea that we have Thatcher to thank for.

To be honest, I couldn't care less either way, but interesting to see what the good lady had to say about privatisaion in her memoirs.............

 

In her memoirs, the former prime minister evocatively described the sale of state assets as essential to "eroding the corrosive and corrupting effects of socialism".

 

Without privatisation, companies such as Vodafone and Energis might never have been created. A senior corporate finance executive closely involved in the privatisation says: "You may argue about the pricing, the public policy and the structure of the deals but if it had not been done you would not have the competition we now see across all industries".

Wasn't it in Rhyl they filmed it in?

I'd hope it wasn't representative of British towns.

Privatising previously nationalised industries was supposed to provide competition and consequently lower prices but companies such as these are answerable to their shareholders and not to the general public and shareholders want to maximise profits. Yet another genius idea that we have Thatcher to thank for.

 

Nope. You're dead wrong.

 

British Gas have announced profits and everyone is going apeshit. The profits are rubbish as it goes (turnover to profit ratio before you ask - and no company can afford to operate at a loss for very long. There is competition and you are free to swich providers. What everyone should be aware of is that prices for gas are just very high. Demand is high, supply is constrained and that equals a rise in prices. Harsh but a fact of life. Mars Bars were 12p when I was a kid but I'm not whining because they're 40p now.

 

IF gas wasn't privatised right now, we'd be in a heap of shite. prices would either be much higher or the govt. would be baling a beleaguered industry out to the tune of God knows how many million and laying off.

 

Profit is not evil - would the company you work for be better or worse without it???

Wasn't it in Rhyl they filmed it in?

I'd hope it wasn't representative of British towns.

It was indeed Rhyl. I haven't been there for probably 25 years, and boy does it look grim. It must be the poorest town all of the UK if they are "typical" residents

To be honest, I couldn't care less either way, but interesting to see what the good lady had to say about privatisaion in her memoirs.............

 

Unfortunately we're still suffering from the 'corrosive and corrupting' effects of her policies.

The main problem is not enough people change providers. Probably because of the hassle and everyone's heard stories about getting two bills from two companies etc.

 

So British Gas increase their prices, shortly followed by all the other companies who put it up, but keep below BG so they can boast `were cheaper than British Gas'.

 

It's price fixing really with BG leading the way.

British Gas have announced profits and everyone is going apeshit. The profits are rubbish as it goes (turnover to profit ratio before you ask - and no company can afford to operate at a loss for very long. There is competition and you are free to swich providers. What everyone should be aware of is that prices for gas are just very high. Demand is high, supply is constrained and that equals a rise in prices. Harsh but a fact of life. Mars Bars were 12p when I was a kid but I'm not whining because they're 40p now.

I'm sure I heard the bloke on Newsnight (CEO of Centrica I think) say that British Gas operated at just 2% profit for the last half year, which is absolute bobbins, it doesn't matter how much you generate pound note wise, if you're only trading at just 2%, you are in grave danger of being in trouble very quickly.

Nope. You're dead wrong.

 

British Gas have announced profits and everyone is going apeshit. The profits are rubbish as it goes (turnover to profit ratio before you ask - and no company can afford to operate at a loss for very long. There is competition and you are free to swich providers. What everyone should be aware of is that prices for gas are just very high. Demand is high, supply is constrained and that equals a rise in prices. Harsh but a fact of life. Mars Bars were 12p when I was a kid but I'm not whining because they're 40p now.

 

IF gas wasn't privatised right now, we'd be in a heap of shite. prices would either be much higher or the govt. would be baling a beleaguered industry out to the tune of God knows how many million and laying off.

 

Profit is not evil - would the company you work for be better or worse without it???

 

Nationalised industries plough their profits back into their services. Privatised companies hand them to their shareholders in the form of dividends. We now import most of our fuel from abroad in part because of Thatcher's short-sighted policies and as a consequence we are at the mercy of foreign-owned companies whos first duty is to their shareholders and not to the British public.

The main problem is not enough people change providers.

 

You only get a worthwhile discount the first time you switch.

Nationalised industries plough their profits back into their services. Privatised companies hand them to their shareholders in the form of dividends. We now import most of our fuel from abroad in part because of Thatcher's short-sighted policies and as a consequence we are at the mercy of foreign-owned companies whos first duty is to their shareholders and not to the British public.

Do you think that if British Gas was still a national company, that we wouldn't be looking at large rises then? - I think that the prices would already be high, as the government would have seen it as another easy "tax"

Do you think that if British Gas was still a national company, that we wouldn't be looking at large rises then? - I think that the prices would already be high, as the government would have seen it as another easy "tax"

 

We now import most of our fuel so the argument is irrelevant. We have to pay the market rate. All the government can do is to offer fuel subsidies. If we were producing more fuel than we were importing and the industry was still nationalised, the government would not need to raise prices as high as they currently are and nor would they want to, because it would be political suicide.

I'm with Trotter 58 on this one.

 

Centrica made ?1billion profit in the last six months but it was 20% down on last year. To restore confidence in the share price they screw everyone again and up they go.

 

Capitalism without competition is bad bad news.

I'm sure I heard the bloke on Newsnight (CEO of Centrica I think) say that British Gas operated at just 2% profit for the last half year, which is absolute bobbins, it doesn't matter how much you generate pound note wise, if you're only trading at just 2%, you are in grave danger of being in trouble very quickly.

 

You have to assume CWP that he was talking about the stripped out Consumer part of the business, rather than the overall results.

 

Despite a drop in profits of 20% to "just" ?992M for the first 6 months (thats ?5M a day) overall dividend has increased by 16% to 3.9p per share.

 

After all

On Wednesday, British Gas raised gas bills by 35% with immediate effect, to restore "reasonable profitability".

We now import most of our fuel from abroad in part because of Thatcher's short-sighted policies

 

(and then)

 

If we were producing more fuel than we were importing and the industry was still nationalised, the government would not need to raise prices as high as they currently are.

Now you can blame Maggie for many things, but not making an infinate amount of gas under the North Sea wasnt really her fault was it? You need to be having a word with him upstairs over that one.

 

Anyway, whilst we're on the subject of fuel prices........

 

Lots of hysteria by Sun reading mental degenerates rushing to 'cap' their fuel rates because Trevor McDonald's lot interviewed Shirley from Basingstoke who reckons her fuel bills are due to go up by six hundred quid a minute and she wont be able to find enough money to power smoke and buy scratchcards by the boxload.

 

So I looks into it last night.

 

I got out the last years bills to work out how much gas and leccy we used.

 

I then worked out the cost over the next year if the current price remained.

 

I then used the capped rates to compare the difference.

 

The capped rates for a duel fuel tariff were 38% more expensive than what we are paying now and that includes recent increases.

 

So, tell me why its a good idea why I should volunteer to pay another 38% on the fuel bills? Firstly, I might not need to anyway, and secondly why do it months and months before you need to?

 

10% maybe, 15% I'll think about, another 38% is kneejerk reaction by folk beleiving what Trevor McDonald tells em.

I got out the last years bills to work out how much gas and leccy we used.

 

I then worked out the cost over the next year if the current price remained.

 

I then used the capped rates to compare the difference.

 

The capped rates for a duel fuel tariff were 38% more expensive than what we are paying now and that includes recent increases.

 

So, tell me why its a good idea why I should volunteer to pay another 38% on the fuel bills? Firstly, I might not need to anyway, and secondly why do it months and months before you need to?

 

10% maybe, 15% I'll think about, another 38% is kneejerk reaction by folk beleiving what Trevor McDonald tells em.

 

Did exactly the same.. with exactly the same outcome. Plus I'm already on a good fix (but it does run out in 3 months)

 

I'm going to let the hysteria die down first and see how things pan out, and I'll be a bit wiser when it comes to energy saving and she can stop lounging in front of the fire at 4 in the afternoon with the upstairs windows open.

We now import most of our fuel so the argument is irrelevant. We have to pay the market rate. All the government can do is to offer fuel subsidies. If we were producing more fuel than we were importing and the industry was still nationalised, the government would not need to raise prices as high as they currently are and nor would they want to, because it would be political suicide.

 

Welcome to la la land. A government which taxes natural gas production at 75%, had an energy surplus and did not sell the entire balance, offering the remainder for sale at the world market rate would be the most schitzophrenic disaster I've ever heard.

 

I hate to burst the bubble, but whether our supplies are national or international doesn't make a blind bit of difference to your bills unless we can't access supplies at the market rate, which we can.

It was indeed Rhyl. I haven't been there for probably 25 years, and boy does it look grim. It must be the poorest town all of the UK if they are "typical" residents

 

As a slight aside to the thread: I drove through Rhyl on Sunday afternoon on my way home just to see how bad it was. It really is grim.

Nationalised industries plough their profits back into their services.

 

How many of them ever made a profit?

Welcome to la la land. A government which taxes natural gas production at 75%, had an energy surplus and did not sell the entire balance, offering the remainder for sale at the world market rate would be the most schitzophrenic disaster I've ever heard.

 

I hate to burst the bubble, but whether our supplies are national or international doesn't make a blind bit of difference to your bills unless we can't access supplies at the market rate, which we can.

 

Say again in English?