How can this be fair?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.express.co...-triple-as-bills-soar

Cannot the Government do something about these foreign owned power giants, making these huge amounts of profits why some British pensioners die of hypothermia?

According to something I heard on the radio this morning, they don't even pay British taxes, but the taxes are paid in their own countries, which in turn helps to keep their own peoples energy bills low.

[d9f1c7]

Power would be a lot dearer without the private sector competition.

[sunny-dave]

Power would be a damn sight cheaper if the Thatcher Govenrment hadn't flogged virtually all our North Sea oil and gas reserves for naff all to their business buddies in the 1980s.

Compare and contrast the Norwegian way - assured energy supplies for decades and the profits fed back to the people, not syphoned off by the multinationals. Ah, but that seems to be a bit 'socialist' ...

[Gromit]

Hmmm, who was it who flogged the foreigners the family silver in the first place And she told us it would lead to more competition and cheaper bills. Mad lying cow.

[d9f1c7]

so you think fuel would be cheaper under nationalised utilities then? Get a reality check! Everyone knows anything in the public sector is dead loss

[sunny-dave]

"B*llocks" is my considered and detailed reply to that

[d9f1c7]

very intellectual.

[DTCwordfan]

Fact - Norwegian proven and recoverable reserves > than UK. Far greater when it comes to N-Gas.

Fact - Nowegian population 4.9 million, UK, 62.8 million.

Consequence - we were always going to get through it quicker.

Fact - Blair's party with Brown as CoE bring in penurious PRT (petroleum reserves tax) and disencourage field development, esp in Celtic Sea, N of Scotland and the Shetland/Orkneys. Brilliant must be the conclusion!

[sunny-dave]

... but about as sensible as saying "anything in the public sector is a dead loss"

There is good private enterprise and good public sector, bad private enterprise and bad public sector - dogmatic statements pretending otherwise are fatuous.

[sunny-dave]

Sorry DT - comment aimed at poster above .you ..

[DTCwordfan]

cracking up, Petroleum Revenue Tax.....a tax put on crude oil production even before it sniffs excise or VAT, paid on UK production

[DTCwordfan]

I know sunny-dave!

[d9f1c7]

name a nationalised industry that didn't pi55 millions a week down the loo?

[Zeuhl]

^^
The water board certainly did

[Brenden]

Dave, Blair and Brown had 13years to reverse the privatisation of utilities and the money to do it.

[d9f1c7]

....I wonder why they chose not to!

[rov1100]

Maybe thats the reason they privatised our industries in the first place. The government can now wash its hands and blame it on these beastly foreigners.
In Russia they make sure the oil industries have a Russian partner to nullify any foreign takeover. We don't seem to learn anything.

[DTCwordfan]

So British Gas, BP, the equity and Shell etc - well what market share do our Brit Cos have of foreign markets:

for example,

Shell 40% of HK, Sing, Malaysia, (100 of Brunei), close to in Thailand..

Shell and BP together 25% of the USA and I would ascertain close to in Scandinavia

British Gas 26% of the major Brazilian Oil and Gas fields.....

I could go on but it all gets rather boring as these are global businesses with HOs in the UK - but then who cares? And we have some of those foreign johnnies owning part of our hallowed ground.

Get real.

[DTCwordfan]

sorry, the UK equity part of Shell......

[welshlibranr]

sounds about right!........this is the UK!...............we don't take care of our elderly!.......