[Politics] Johnson blames energy price rises on Putin

[knocky1]

This is one aspect which I'm slightly surprised isn't discussed more.

As many of these companies were failing one by one, I noticed that I'd not heard of most of them.

It comes with the benefit of hindsight, but it seems pretty obvious there was insufficient regulation in place as almost any Tom, Dick or Harry could start up an energy supply business, immediately undercutting the legacy suppliers and hoovering up new customers quickly.

They were assisted by the likes of Martin Lewis/MSE and various price comparison sites who had a significant vested interest in getting people to move suppliers as they earned a sizeable affiliate kickback each time they introduced a new customer to an energy supplier.

So we had the situation where there seemed to relatively low barriers to entry, and stimulated demand encouraging new entrants to come to market.

It's now all collapsed, leaving everyone to pay the price.

I don't wish to be banned.

 

[knocky1]

Only fly in the 'Johnson is shit and to blame for everything argument' (and I have a fair degree of sympathy for the first part of that argument) is that the horrendous wholesale fuel price rises are just down to Putin and his Nazi-like invasion of a free neighbouring country. Anyone jumping up and down and sqealing 'It's all down to Johnson, Johnson, all down to Johnson' is as mad as a box of frogs. and in their own way just as guilty of stereotyping and blind prejudice as those c**ts bleating about sending brown people back where they belong.

One lot's just as bad as the other (although some prejudices will be less vilified than others on NSC; rightly so, but the stereotyping remains as unworthy).

Although I'm on ignore, read that through. Without any reason you say BROWN PEOPLE SENT BACK WHERE THEY COME FROM.
Woke up man
.

 

[The Clamp]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...re-to-scrap-gas-levy-after-anger-over-profits

France are adding to national debt/printing more money

None of these is a solution

The U.K. prints money to bail out billionaires. I’d rather we get into debt making sure old people and children don’t die of heat poverty and malnutrition related diseases this winter, than making sure Easy Jet or Bankers continue to make money even when they aren’t trading.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The U.K. prints money to bail out billionaires. I’d rather we get into debt making sure old people and children don’t die of heat poverty and malnutrition related diseases this winter than making sure Easy Jet or Bankers continue to make money even when they aren’t trading.

Well that discussion should have been properly had two years ago when we printed money for fun.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

And claims the price we pay for our energy bills should be considered in the context of the price the Ukrainians are paying in blood.

This man has no shame. And the BBC has not said a word of 'hang on a minute, mate....'

:facepalm

2 issues here that Johnson wants to conflate.

1 - Yes, Putin is the cause of these price rises.

2 - The woeful government response whilst their VAT take from fuel prices rockets.


For at least a year they should abolish VAT on Gas, Electric and vehicle fuel. And that's NOTHING to do with Putin.

Apparently the Evil EU would have stopped us doing this, but what about now....

 

[The Clamp]

Well that discussion should have been properly had two years ago when we printed money for fun.

True enough. But right now, I say if it’s okay to print money to bail out billionaires we should have no hesitation printing it to save the lives of U.K. citizens.

 

[drew]

Well said both of you - a bit of balance needed on NSC. It's all very well being 'woke' - a badge of pride for the more socially liberated people on the planet - but, as unacceptable as the idea might be to some on NSC, Boris Johnson hasn't single-handedly caused the world energy crisis any more than he was responsible for the world-wide pandemic that was/is Covid 19.

Was/is he a not very good Prime Minister? History (rather than NSC) may (or may not) judge him as that. Is he the Devil Incarnate, or the instigator of all the plagues that beset the world? 60-40 or more on NSC probably he is, yes, but outside the bubble .............................? Probably less so.

On the contrary, anyone living through this period is entitled to have an opinion on Johnson, most probably don't need the passage of time and a few books written by favourable historians to tell us that he is an abject failure in pretty much everything he has done. Like someone else has mentioned, no one has said Johnson caused the pandemic or the war (seems some are rewriting history already) but it is his job to protect the British public to the best of his ability. On that count, he is, in my opinion, useless.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

True enough. But right now, I say if it’s okay to print money to bail out billionaires we should have no hesitation printing it to save the lives of U.K. citizens.

Which will lead to higher costs and more inflation and the circle continues.

Something needs to be done, but we can’t keep printing money.

VAT cuts on bills would help a bit.

I don’t think it’s going to be long till public opinion starts to change on Russian sanctions.

 

[The Clamp]

Which will lead to higher costs and more inflation and the circle continues.

Something needs to be done, but we can’t keep printing money.

VAT cuts on bills would help a bit.

I don’t think it’s going to be long till public opinion starts to change on Russian sanctions.

No, I agree we should be avoiding printing money, I was making a point of principle. We should be taxing the pants off energy companies and redistributing their profits to ease the pressure on low earners. No bonuses this year, no bonuses next year.

That would go a long way to easing the problem. But that is NEVER going to happen. They’ll cut some essential services, give us some of our taxes back to ensure the energy giants get paid.


Useless.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

No, I agree we should be avoiding printing money, I was making a point of principle. We should be taxing the pants off energy companies and redistributing their profits to ease the pressure on low earners. No bonuses this year, no bonuses next year.

That would go a long way to easing the problem. But that is NEVER going to happen. They’ll cut some essential services, give us some of our taxes back to ensure the energy giants get paid.


Useless.

What would you tax?

The BBC had a break down that a £3500 bill had £63 profit on it

That’s not going to go far!

 

[Driver8]

Which will lead to higher costs and more inflation and the circle continues.

Something needs to be done, but we can’t keep printing money.

VAT cuts on bills would help a bit.

I don’t think it’s going to be long till public opinion starts to change on Russian sanctions.

VAT on domestic electricity gas and oil is only 5% anyway so abolishing it wouldn’t make much difference.

 

[Weststander]

VAT on domestic fuel is 5%.

I’m all for it being cancelled, but a 5/105 = 4.76% drop in home energy costs would be trifling. Saving a household paying at price cap levels Oct to Dec just £14.08 a month. Barely touching the sides.

If that’s Truss’s key measure, millions of households really will be screwed.

 

[Randy McNob]

johnson has been announcing "one nuclear power station a month", for years, they must have built loads by now.

johnson is eton educated and a gentleman, his word is his bond

maybe after the 40 new hospitals?

 

[Weststander]

maybe after the 40 new hospitals?

Save money …. 40 nuclear hospitals.

 

[rigton70]

It what way is it not Europe wide?

From that article: "Europe's gas is still eye-wateringly expensive. It was trading at €242 ($244) per megawatt hour on Friday, an all-time high, according to Auxilione. That's much higher than the spot price for UK gas, which is trading at an equivalent of €160 ($161) per megawatt hour"

Pointless replying to so well uninformed people on here.

It will always be Brexit or the governments fault.

 

[rigton70]

True enough. But right now, I say if it’s okay to print money to bail out billionaires we should have no hesitation printing it to save the lives of U.K. citizens.

You print money inflation will rise.

 

[The Clamp]

You print money inflation will rise.

Yes. My point is that they are willing to risk that for billionaires but not for low income families.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

2 issues here that Johnson wants to conflate.

1 - Yes, Putin is the cause of these price rises.

2 - The woeful government response whilst their VAT take from fuel prices rockets.


For at least a year they should abolish VAT on Gas, Electric and vehicle fuel. And that's NOTHING to do with Putin.

Apparently the Evil EU would have stopped us doing this, but what about now....

Precisely!

As Steve Jones would have said about Johnson, 'what a dirty rotter'.

 

[The Clamp]

What would you tax?

The BBC had a break down that a £3500 bill had £63 profit on it

That’s not going to go far!

How about their pay, profit and bonuses? That would go a long way.


Chris O'Shea (CEO - Centrica): £875,000

Kate Ringrose (chief financial officer - Centrica): £933,000

Keith Anderson (CEO - Scottish Power): £1.15m

Michael Lewis (CEO - E.On): £1m

Simone Rossi (CEO - EDF): £1m

Fellow energy firm SSE, which made profits of £1.5bn in 2020, paid £2.41m to its CEO Alistair Phillips-Davies while just under £5.2m went to other directors.

E.On, EDF and Scottish Power's paid their top executives £4.65m between them, with CEO Keith Anderson believed to be on £1.15m. E.On boss Michael Lewis and Simone Rossi of EDF took home around £1m.

Centrica's bumper profits for the six months to the end of June compared to the £262m recorded in the same period last year.

 

[GT49er]

On the contrary, anyone living through this period is entitled to have an opinion on Johnson, most probably don't need the passage of time and a few books written by favourable historians to tell us that he is an abject failure in pretty much everything he has done. Like someone else has mentioned, [B}no one has said Johnson caused the pandemic or the war[/B] (seems some are rewriting history already) but it is his job to protect the British public to the best of his ability. On that count, he is, in my opinion, useless.

OK.substitute 'Is to blame for the resuts of' - and just research NSC.

Of course, if he hadn't done all that Article 50 nonsense (therefore the devil incarnate), NSC might have forgiven him a world-wide pandemic and a deranged megalomaniac in the Kremlin.