Mcpoower! Has The Wee Un Finally Flipped?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41560397
She claims to be intending to sell at just above cost, fair enough but has anyone told JimmyK that history shows that public sector costs tend to climb considerably higher than private sector equivalents. McPoower will get slaughtered by the big boys, not least of which Scottish Power.

[douglas9401]

Slaughtered by the big boys OR they stop profiteering with their defacto monopoly and finally play the game of competition.

Credit where it's due.

[ToraToraTora]

like I said slaughtered, history has demonstrated that nationalised industries are money pits.

[Peter Pedant]

probably

( it is probable that the person in the question has done whatever it is the question is about)

[douglas9401]

I'll not give up my Venezuelan Spanish for beginners classes just yet.

[Mamyalynne]

Just been watching a piece on this recently set up Company, needless to say their website is swamped at the moment.

https://peoplesenergy.co.uk/

[Gromit]

When the Electricity Companies were nationalised costs were not considerably higher than they are now it is in the private sector.
Privatisation of Electricity has been a disaster for consumers. The promise of competition never materialised.
Even the Tories were embarrassed by the huge price hikes, that a manifesto pledge to cap increases was an election promise. True to form, the reneged on that a few weeks after the election.

I have no idea if the SNP plan will work or not, but I see no evidence the private companies are doing a good job. If the promised savings are real, then it will be a popular scheme. If costs are higher and there is no saving then it will fail.

But at least the SNP are trying to do do something about these rip off foreign companies. The Westminster Government promised help and then did nothing.

[Gromit]

// Theresa May had pledged a price cap on energy bills for 17m families during the general election campaign, but the policy was missing from the Queen’s speech.

Alan Whitehead, the shadow energy minister, asked Clark during an urgent question in the Commons whether he accepted that Ofgem’s response “falls far short” of May’s promise. Whitehead said 17m households “will now feel completely betrayed by this policy U-turn”.

John Penrose, a Conservative MP who has led calls for a cap, said the plans were a “stitch-up” by the big six suppliers and urged parliament to legislate. //

[Togo]

Is it worth asking. Who is going to be "financing" this aheem enterprise? Just the people of Scotland or the rest of us? So let us get this right......No Oil......No Fracking........cheap energy. Sounds like a Scottish plan to me. :))

[ToraToraTora]

perhaps this may give a clue, togo:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41560067

[Gromit]

The Scottish Government will partner with Robin Hood Energy. They are already running a not for profit company in Nottingham and Leeds. And it seems to be working. Having no shareholders to pay keeps costs down.

https://robinhoodenergy.co.uk

[Gromit]

Togo/Tora
You seem to be under the impression the energy will be sold at less than cost, and the taxpayer will be paying for it. That is not what not for profit means.

[douglas9401]

A couple of quid each in tax is hardly going to have us hitching up our kilts and running to the heather clad hills.

That's from the same box of dross as 'people are being asked to vote too often' as if actual work was required to put an X in a box.

[ToraToraTora]

Gromit: "you seem to be under the impression the energy will be sold at less than cost, and the taxpayer will be paying for it. That is not what not for profit means. " - no I'm saying that once a public sector laviathon gets going the costs spiral out of control and "at cost" will be a lot higher than the current suppliers, thus it will go down the kazi rapido.

[ToraToraTora]

give it a year or two and jimmy will be pumping £10m month in like British Steel in the good old days. Union infiltration, strikes, good night vienna!

[Togo]

I had read the link TTT. I just wanted a Scottish taxpayer to endorse the plan. Another job scheme for the "lads n lassies". In a few years time it will "employ" half of Scotland.

[Old_Geezer]

If folk are so certain it'll be such a flop then I don't see why they're so worried that they need to poo-poo it. Maybe there's a concern it might actually work ? After all, apart from not wishing to stick it to the workers, there's no real reason costs should be greater in a publically owned company. Same tasks, to reach the same goals.

[youngmafbog]

//When the Electricity Companies were nationalised costs were not considerably higher than they are now it is in the private sector. //

Far too much time has passed to make any comparision like that valid. Even ignoring inflation raw costs such as oil vary and coal use is decreasing and it will continue to change.

Will it work? If Nationalized I doubt it, it willbecome a Union and Management gravy train as it was before. Lights wont go out because there will be other companies to fill the slack but some customers will undoutedly get disruption. Then comes the cost to ALL taxpayers even those that dont use it, unless of course the wee one decides competition is too much to allow us poor plebs.

I would be more impressed if she announced that a non profit organisation, not Nationalised, was being helped to get going. That may work.