The former PM John Major says Help is needed on Energy Bills
 

Is this a set up?
a Former PM who does not speak much in public



Energy Bills: Major Calls For 'Windfall Tax'

http://news.sky.com/story/1158202/en...r-windfall-tax

http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg

Excellent news!!

So far Downing St.
has said fair idea
but they have no plans for it.

pot kettle springs to mind.

well if saying that i am sure john would have taken all our kettles.

I like John Major

John Major was miles better than this PM we have now.
He is right in what he says here and this Govt and this PM has nothing to say really except switch suppliers.
Some people cannot switch and what is the point anyway,the prices still rise no matter who they go to.

The former PM of a Conservative Govt says something has to be done 'now', the current opposition party also says something needs to be done as well 'now'.
John Major goes even further and implies the latest rises are even unacceptable and unjustifiable too.

What does this Govt say, both Conservatives and Lib Dems, nothing and as to what they intend to do, also nothing.
What a cowardly, weak and rotten Govt we are stuck with until 2015.They are clearly now looking and sounding like a load of yesterday's men and women.

I think the idea is very well thought out, because it directly tackles the energy comanies' dubious claim that the hikes are to pre-empt a rise in the cost of delivering energy to homes (they've been claiming this for years and yet their profits continue to rise... funny, that) and so they really have no comeback. If their claim is true and the increases are to fund outgoings then they will not lose money to this sort of tax. The only reason they will have to pay through the nose is if their insane price hikes end up generating huge amounts of profit for the companies themselves (almost a certainty).

But of course the current government are against the idea... they've proven time and time again that they'll protect the financial interests of the rich over the rights of actual people, by default.

"Cold Weather Payments" are an absolute joke. They do absolutely nothing to help normal, working families having to choose between a cold home and a massive financial squeeze over the winter.

We had a 4 month old when the cold weather hit last year so skimping on gas wasn't really an option, and it went on for a good 3 months. Our dual fuel direct debit has been at £120 a month since then to cover it (and that's with a very warm summer and almost zero gas use for over 4 months). If it's as cold as predicted this year, god knows what that direct debit will look like by spring. Are we eligible for "cold weather payments"? Are we ****. And we're certainly not so well off that we don't feel the hit of potentially a £150+ energy bill every month.

its a disgrace. this is not a market at all, its a price fixing cartel of monopolies
a total perversion of a so called free market. plus tax payers billions pays for most fo the infrastructure and building projects too
the railway sproject is just as corrupt. £70 billion in a recession to get to London 15 minutes quicker and all the money turns into billions of profits for the private companies

the gas of course is also carried on these new speed railways

its a total stitch up , from top to bottom....meanwhile mrs evans down the road gets a few hundred pound fuel allowance per annum to try and stay live in winter

evil scum

Before you know it, this government will be slapping another "Green Tax" on those consumers who are spending £1.500 per annum on energy because they must be contributing to the "Greenhouse" effect.

Don't get me started on the bloody HS2! There was a study done - one that went completely ignored - that basically proved that shortening the journey time from Glasgow to London by an hour has absolutely zero economic impact, because wi-fi on trains and frequently available 3g on the journey even where there's no wi-fi means that businesspeople travelling by train are economically active whilst travelling. They don't NEED the journey to be shorter, they are working on the move. And people who are up and down to London frequently (my dad is down there from Glasgow every couple of weeks) tend to fly, anyway. It's utterly useless. A meaningless vanity project that would be fine in a booming economy, but as things stand, a total splurge of money that just isn't there.

Then, of course, a conservative government or a labour one for that matter, will slap a Rail Passenger Duty on top of the Fare because Britain wants to save the world (isn't that the reason they lumbered us with the Air Passenger Duty? How much of it have they spent on "Saving the World", anyway?)

its a con, to con money out of the tax paying working class massif meanwhile theres billions of british money spent abroad, invests in all sorts of massively polluting companies, as well as arms which is bigger pollutant than anything. yet at home theres a green tax on everything? also why dod the governments destroy town centres with massive rents rates red tape and expensive rules and burocracy from Europe too. then allow cheap or free land to massive retail chains to open massive out of town stores. this enforces everyone to DRIVE to these retail parks, thus polluting the planet more?

ps why do you think thatcher DROWNED the mines after she closed them
this created a massive shortage of energy which could not be fixed without us becoming enslaved by private energy companies cartel of monopolies.

it didn't occur to Maggie thatcher milk snatcher, that we may one day need coal again in the next 100000 years? lovely lady she rreally wanted whats best for Britain long term>? wonderful person, with great friends like pinochet

it is strange that former prime ministers are so easily discarded. American Presidents are lauded forever. All American Presidents have a legacy.

I think all British Prime Ministers deserve to have a legacy too. (even Gordon Brown)

Did you see the way Julia Gillard was discarded in Australia recently? I felt it was very undignified, I didn't like it.

She was the first female Prime Minister in Australian history, but she was tossed to the curb like trash.

Lloyd George had the biggest legacy of all.

who?

learn:xyxwave:

teach

who? Oh wait I do learn about people. Maybe shes gone because shes welsh and not Australian?

no i think it's just the parliamentary system, since the people don't actually vote for their leaders, the parties elect the leaders, so maybe the people don't feel as connected to the Prime Minister?

(she's not welsh, she's very Australian. Saying she's not Australian is like saying Barack Obama is a muslim, stop with that6 nastiness)

born in wales stop being disingenuous

She's as Australian as Australian gets. you are the one being disingenuous. SHe is in no way Welsh. She was loyal to Australia over any country, and she was doing her best for her country, Australia, not Wales.

was she born in wales?

yes. was she raised in wales? does she have any welsh culture? and most importantly, does she describe herself as welsh?

i know you are just trolling, but honestly, have you heard her speak? i know she has a strong accent, but it's definitely not a welsh accent.

coming from the biggest troll here lol

Glad you finally admit she is welsh though. Youre learning a little at last dda iawn

she doesn't sound welsh to me. she sounds like a true blue Australian.





Now that's an impressive Australian Prime Minister. imho.

i'm the biggest troll? i can count the number of your friends around here on a ball bearing. a perfect sphere, so lonely.

Come on ladies put the handbags down... :laugh:
It's unusual for such a senior conservative to break ranks isn't it, could this lead to a mass revolt by like minded tories and lib dems?

In the way he has broken ranks it is Kizzy, he was however a PM with more heart than this one and all he outlined is correct in my view as to these greedy energy companies.

It could be hoped that at the very least this could change the opinions of the Lib Dems as to the energy companies.
However the energy secretary is, cleverly by the PM's choice, a Lib Dem MP Ed Davey, so maybe hoped for change of policy is too much to ask for.

Toy Soldier on this thread said the cold weather payments were a joke,I didn't know much about them until just over 2 years ago but TS is right they are.

Apparantly, it has to be on or below freezing for 7 days in a row to get them, if it is freezing for 5 or 6 days none are paid.
Then they take a week to 10 days to be paid.

If you have someone really freezing and in what they call fuel poverty, then a freezing spell occurs, they have no idea if they will even get anything.
For anyone on these other vile things as to pre payment meters,(which should be done away with in my view from all the research I have done into them),they have to pay upfront,they haven't a luxury of waiting for a bill they have to cough up right there and then.

These rises however are not going to just hit the most vulnerable and poorest in society,they are going to hit a great deal more of working people and it is time someone did get some re-organisation of these greedy and rotten energy companies.

I am not someone who really believes in nationalisation and it most certainly isn't on the agenda of any party as to this issue now.
For me now however I would, I would want to pool all the resources of all the energy companies and make all of those resources work for the benefit of the consumers.
It is time they were well and truly stopped from feathering their own nests at the ever increasing costs as to their customers from them and were made to provide a a more just and fair service to all of them.

gas electricity trains gas and THE RAIN should never have been privatised...its as ridiculous as privatising oxygen

the main problem is and will always be
1) There is no competition, these are all cartels of monopolies who fix prices
2) These massive areas always require the mass of government investment
no company could ever cover all of the expenses to maintain all the railways etc
3) WE the tax payers always have to pay for the infrastructure, only for these private companies to take the billions of pounds cream off the top..oh and then pay 1% tax on it

Yes competition is good, love it. But only in certain sectors, where competiton is actually possible. but no we don't care less about small to medium healthy competition anymore. we are just enslaved to the chosen few monstrous corporations, because they have the spineless politicians in their grubby pockets

I would say I agree with near all that the truth.

I wasn't around when the privatisation programme was done but I certainly agree that electric, gas and also water should never have been privatised.

All that has meant is customers paying more and more for those essential things,also as to gas and electricity,it was the case people had to change to one or the other from open fires and the water heating service from those open fires as to their homes too.

So what's the soloution?...
I would say everyone change back, go back to solid fuel.
Invest in woodburning stoves, eco boilers, solar, insulation anything that takes control back.
We are subject to extortion, as said the government are doing very nicely thankyou from it so they won't rock the gravy train.
I heard of a book and thought of you joey, it's called 'The New Few' by Ferdinand Mount.
Seems like the thinking is we are in a period of transforming into an oligarchy.