Eco Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 As I'm a bit dense can anyone tell me the benefit of having our gas /electricity supplied by private companies rather than British Gas and the CEGB ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Mosquito Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 As I'm a bit dense can anyone tell me the benefit of having our gas /electricity supplied by private companies rather than British Gas and the CEGB ? I think that British Gas and the CEGB may also be private companies these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrs Court Red Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 British Gas are owned by Centrica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eco Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I know, I meant pre-privatisation. What benefits have there been to householders of privatisation ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I know, I meant pre-privatisation. What benefits have there been to householders of privatisation ? Well according to figures released today we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. No consolation of course if you're struggling to pay the bill but once green taxes are reduced further and fracking gets underway things should improve. The waste and inefficiency in the nationalised power industry, pre privatisation is legendary. My father used to come home from work with the CEGB as fresh as a daisy and laughing his socks off at the overmanning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gasbuster Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 No more power cuts due to striking workers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well according to figures released today we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. No consolation of course if you're struggling to pay the bill but once green taxes are reduced further and fracking gets underway things should improve. The waste and inefficiency in the nationalised power industry, pre privatisation is legendary. My father used to come home from work with the CEGB as fresh as a daisy and laughing his socks off at the overmanning. Damn those inefficient nationalised power companies! I must tell those folk at the French government-owned EDF and the partly state- owned German e.On this news. I suspect it is the French and Germans who are now laughing their socks off. As for the prices, like many things presented to the woefully inept regulator and swallowed whole, the Devil is in the detail. Comparing unit price at its cheapest doesn't take into account the multiplicity of deliberately confusing tariffs or the standing charges. Of course, you'd expect a country which produces oil, natural gas, coal as well as various forms of "green" electricity to be cheaper on power prices than somewhere that hasn't got these advantages. The truth is we aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eco Posted March 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 No more power cuts due to striking workers. You mean the miners I take it ? Not sure of the point you're making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrs Court Red Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 No he means the lazey, workshy union vermin that infested utility companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 As I'm a bit dense can anyone tell me the benefit of having our gas /electricity supplied by private companies rather than British Gas and the CEGB ? No. There isn't any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 No he means the lazey, workshy union vermin that infested utility companies. Unlike the lazy workshy fat cat vermin who exist as parasites on the privatised utilities. Actually, workshy is unfair to them - never having done any real work, they can hardly be shy of it. Twenty years in the CEGB and proud of it. HINT: Look for increasing power cuts as the companies decide that extra capacity for peak loads is unprofitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrs Court Red Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 My lines baited for lesser spotted Portland..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davros Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well according to figures released today we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. No consolation of course if you're struggling to pay the bill but once green taxes are reduced further and fracking gets underway things should improve. The waste and inefficiency in the nationalised power industry, pre privatisation is legendary. My father used to come home from work with the CEGB as fresh as a daisy and laughing his socks off at the overmanning. You could'nt have said it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRL Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 Unlike the lazy workshy fat cat vermin who exist as parasites on the privatised utilities. Actually, workshy is unfair to them - never having done any real work, they can hardly be shy of it. Twenty years in the CEGB and proud of it. HINT: Look for increasing power cuts as the companies decide that extra capacity for peak loads is unprofitable. As I understand it CEGB got rid of loads of top paid workers paid loads in laying them off, then re-hired them when they realised they had got rid of all the experience, of course they re-hired them on contract rates at double the cost even when taking into account pension contributions and tax! knew how to waste money, that is for sure, no wonder the bills are so high Shite company, but I can understand why you may have like working for them as for higher workloads, don't all those mothballed power stations reap in the benefits, they bid for business when power consumption is supposed to be high, get the coal burning, charge a shite load, which is passed onto customers, all in the understanding that there will be no power cut during the world cup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 As I understand it CEGB got rid of loads of top paid workers paid loads in laying them off, then re-hired them when they realised they had got rid of all the experience, of course they re-hired them on contract rates at double the cost even when taking into account pension contributions and tax! knew how to waste money, that is for sure, no wonder the bills are so high Shite company, but I can understand why you may have like working for them as for higher workloads, don't all those mothballed power stations reap in the benefits, they bid for business when power consumption is supposed to be high, get the coal burning, charge a shite load, which is passed onto customers, all in the understanding that there will be no power cut during the world cup! As I understand it CEGB got rid of loads of top paid workers paid loads in laying them off, then re-hired them when they realised they had got rid of all the experience, of course they re-hired them on contract rates at double the cost even when taking into account pension contributions and tax! You understand it wrong. It was the successor privatised companies like National Power, not the CEGB, that did that. How do I know? I was one of those contractors, and very nicely I did out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Isn't it funny that the rest of Europe can run nationalised utilities where as we have to privatise everything because the state couldn't possibly make any money from them... We should divorce ourselves from them immediately!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRL Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 As I understand it CEGB got rid of loads of top paid workers paid loads in laying them off, then re-hired them when they realised they had got rid of all the experience, of course they re-hired them on contract rates at double the cost even when taking into account pension contributions and tax! You understand it wrong. It was the successor privatised companies like National Power, not the CEGB, that did that. How do I know? I was one of those contractors, and very nicely I did out of it. :laugh: 50% right then . It was a long time ago I was told about that. I blame brain shrink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Isn't it funny that the rest of Europe can run nationalised utilities where as we have to privatise everything because the state couldn't possibly make any money from them... We should divorce ourselves from them immediately!!! .....yet we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. Maybe some of those countries should improve the efficiency of their utilities, or, alternatively, consider privatisation. Of course if you're coming from a leftist viewpoint it seems that it's the principle that's important not what's actually delivered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 .....yet we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. Maybe some of those countries should improve the efficiency of their utilities, or, alternatively, consider privatisation. Of course if you're coming from a leftist viewpoint it seems that it's the principle that's important not what's actually delivered. If you believe those figures, you'll believe anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 .....yet we have the 2nd cheapest gas and the 5th cheapest electricity in Europe. Maybe some of those countries should improve the efficiency of their utilities, or, alternatively, consider privatisation. Of course if you're coming from a leftist viewpoint it seems that it's the principle that's important not what's actually delivered. Well I'm not sure I accept those figures as true, but regardless of that one of the 'Big 6' is owned by the French Government and another part owned by the German government, so they must be doing something correct. I'm not particularly sold on the idea of renationalisation and it is undeniable that our nationalised services were not offering the tax payer value for money at the point of being sold off, but as pretty much every other country in Europe has public services and utilities operated successfully by the state, you have to admit that there might be another way of doing things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Damn those inefficient nationalised power companies! I must tell those folk at the French government-owned EDF and the partly state- owned German e.On this news. I suspect it is the French and Germans who are now laughing their socks off. As for the prices, like many things presented to the woefully inept regulator and swallowed whole, the Devil is in the detail. Comparing unit price at its cheapest doesn't take into account the multiplicity of deliberately confusing tariffs or the standing charges. Of course, you'd expect a country which produces oil, natural gas, coal as well as various forms of "green" electricity to be cheaper on power prices than somewhere that hasn't got these advantages. The truth is we aren't. Well the French had the foresight to go nuclear and are reaping the benefits. I'm not so sure the Germans are laughing their socks off as, judging by the howls of protest coming from German industrialists, the high price of energy is really beginning to hurt to the point where it's negating the advantages of their devalued currency. Besides food is an even more basic human need than energy. If nationalisation is so wonderful why we don't just go ahead and let the state take over the agricultural industry. A few civil servants could decide what to grow and who is to grow it. The only downside of course is that it's been tried before in Russia and China and caused the two greatest famines in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Well the French had the foresight to go nuclear and are reaping the benefits. I'm not so sure the Germans are laughing their socks off as, judging by the howls of protest coming from German industrialists, the high price of energy is really beginning to hurt to the point where it's negating the advantages of their devalued currency. Besides food is an even more basic human need than energy. If nationalisation is so wonderful why we don't just go ahead and let the state take over the agricultural industry. A few civil servants could decide what to grow and who is to grow it. The only downside of course is that it's been tried before in Russia and China and caused the two greatest famines in history. Well when we tried it - during WWII - the population is said in retrospect to have been more healthy than ever before! But I'm not arguing that everything should be nationalised. Utilities that have been built up by the public purse and everyone uses do seem to be something that can be used to further national policy. It's a position which has been accepted by conservative French administrations under Giscard and Sarkozy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aizoon Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Well the French had the foresight to go nuclear and are reaping the benefits. I'm not so sure the Germans are laughing their socks off as, judging by the howls of protest coming from German industrialists, the high price of energy is really beginning to hurt to the point where it's negating the advantages of their devalued currency. Besides food is an even more basic human need than energy. If nationalisation is so wonderful why we don't just go ahead and let the state take over the agricultural industry. A few civil servants could decide what to grow and who is to grow it. The only downside of course is that it's been tried before in Russia and China and caused the two greatest famines in history. Interesting. This is the classic delusion, shared by Right and Left, that one form of ownership is right for all modes of industry. Hence the Tories' campaign to privatise the NHS, and the Hard Left's desire to nationalise Tesco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eco Posted March 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Well I'm not sure I accept those figures as true, but regardless of that one of the 'Big 6' is owned by the French Government and another part owned by the German government, so they must be doing something correct. I'm not particularly sold on the idea of renationalisation and it is undeniable that our nationalised services were not offering the tax payer value for money at the point of being sold off, but as pretty much every other country in Europe has public services and utilities operated successfully by the state, you have to admit that there might be another way of doing things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 The Chinese are the ones we should be copying - state funded development of Thorium based molten salt nuclear reactors and then mix in a load of renewable. Reduce the dependency on Oil/Coal/Gas to just cars and then fund battery tech and give solid tax breaks to manufacturers of wholly electric cars. It can be done but sadly the government (whichever side it is) never think beyond a single parliament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRL Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 The Chinese are the ones we should be copying - state funded development of Thorium based molten salt nuclear reactors and then mix in a load of renewable. Reduce the dependency on Oil/Coal/Gas to just cars and then fund battery tech and give solid tax breaks to manufacturers of wholly electric cars. It can be done but sadly the government (whichever side it is) never think beyond a single parliament. Aren't the Chinese developing our new power stations,which will double the price of electricity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipdawg Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I never get the "we can't afford the massive infrastructure investment" arguments that are used in utilities/railways, though. Surely, we pay for those anyway through the charges levied by private companies who make the "massive infrastructure investment". One way or another, we - the public - pay for any upgrades. Well yeah, but what's a government going to do? Levy taxes to pay for it or sell it all off and when the charges rocket say "it's out of our hands!" I know which one is likely to lose more votes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Aren't the Chinese developing our new power stations,which will double the price of electricity? We aren't building new power stations. We're building old ones. As to who is building them, the answer is the cheapest bidder. Look at what the Chinese are doing at home with their own infrastructure, not what they can get short sighted and gullible nations to pay them to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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