The whole energy crisis thing

Wally

Scott’s been at the daily mail again.

ScottBailey

Wally to be fair it’s got a decent gossip column 😅

Jules72

Given how many energy providers in the U.K. have been going bust it’s clearly not them that are creaming off profits - they’re buying energy at stratospheric prices and selling it to consumers here at the price cap, which in many cases isn’t profitable… so they go bust.

Any companies that own oil and gas fields are the ones that are profiting … or the countries that export energy (and tax those exports) - Russia particularly … do British Gas own any natural gas fields? Don’t think so and so they’re unlikely to be profiteering…

alistair

Jules72 its sovereign wealth funds that are cashing in, waging war and buying football clubs, often at the same time.

Along_the_Wire

Jules72 Look at the cost of gas and oil and look at the profits of BP, Exxon et all. This is fairy tale version of inflation. There needs to be a major intervention - raising the cap? Jesus fucking wept.

Jules72

alistair cashing in on what? They’re invested in global financial markets, which are doing crap right now…they do collect in funds from energy export proceeds but they’re assets are being hosed right now… net net their returns will be badly negative right now

alistair

Jules72 it’s pretty clear which sovereign wealth funds I am referring to. The clue is in “wage war and buy football clubs”

Unbroken1

ScottBailey On the other hand, these professional wellfair parents who have got 6 kids and another on the way, sucking from the system because it pays better than a real job, constantly make bad decisions and choices in life, who didn’t want to live within their means from the beginning…not so much.

…fucking hell Scott, you really think in the grand scheme of things they are the problem!?

ScottBailey

Unbroken1 Nope. Wasn’t laying blame for the cost of energy at their door. It’s gross what the energy companies are doing, and the problem lays squarely with them. Personally I think we should’ve gone full tilt with expanding nuclear energy many moons ago, but the amount of red tape, political toing and froing, and “no to nuclear” protesting that’s dragged places like Hinkley Point into the quagmire has been painful to watch.

I was just pointing out where my sympathy lies more as a result of the above.

Wally

Utilities companys should be nationalised. They fail at the first hurdle of free market economics in that different providers cannot offer different levels of service. Can provider A pump electricity into my house more efficiently than provider B? Nope. Can they provide a higher quality electicity? Nope. Can I live without electricity? Nope. I’m sure it’s classified as a need, not a want in various places which it should be.

It makes the whole enterprise a cartel between providers where they can keep one upping on the price because….. why not…. Others will bump thier prices in tandem and the customer has no where to go.

Nationalise the lot.

ScottBailey

Wally Think I’m in agreeance with this. Just look at the rail network as an example. Privatisation was supposed to save it from ruin, but instead it’s turned into an utter shit show! Didn’t stop the prices skyrocketing in the process either.

Jules72

Wally It makes the whole enterprise a cartel between providers where they can keep one upping on the price because….. why not…. Others will bump thier prices in tandem and the customer has no where to go.

“Because…why not?”…. how does that work then?

Nationalising energy providers wouldn’t help right now because the issue is high prices of energy (nat gas, oil, coal) at source.

Dry-Tinder

The one thing that no one seems to talk about is how it will affect the housing market. People won’t be able to borrow as much as they used to, so, I would expect this to affect property values in the future.

Dubman

I bumped into a mate in Morrisons today who works for a company which provides electricity to small businesses. He said it’s going to more than double in October but then said just wait until next year. I then asked him what could he do to help them. Not a lot was his reply.

Wally

Jules72 raising prices because why not? Human greed and a business’ raison d’etre which is to make money. If they can ramp up prices and know the customer has no choice but to pay, they will. What we’re seeing now is the end game of that philosophy.

alistair

How many surveys do we need to conduct on nuclear power and shale gas extraction before we actually do anything? To ensure long term energy security, reliability of supply and affordable prices, we need a diverse energy mix which of course includes renewables and wind. We have ducked many tough, strategic decisions for fear of unpopular media headlines and look where it has got us.

erik

Wally it’s post capitalism at its finest, a last desperate dash to grab as much of your money as possible

Cunts

Jules72

Wally bollocks - the reason this is happening is because Russia invaded the Ukraine and has been cutting off supply to Europe… nothing to do with the structure of the retail market.

erik

mono-stereo exactly, the slow slide you don’t notice until you’re in that position too, and by that point it’s too late

Wally

Jules72 Yeah sure, that’s why, for example, French prices haven’t risen at all.

Mad_Cyril

The turkeys are coming home to roost for everyone.

If there’s a silver lining it might force more thinking about renewables and better choices.

Don’t see those ‘in power’ doing any such strategic thinking though.

As it is, nobody gives a fuck as long as they’re not personally inconvenienced.

Viva La Revolution

Jules72

Wally Christ Wally you ain’t half talking out of your behind… French energy prices are simply heavily subsidised - the tax payer foots the bill. And the problem with that is that no one makes an effort to cut consumption. If the whole world does that then there would be rationing and black outs - there’s only a certain amount of fuel to go around. So your nationalised utopia would never work…

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