U.K. Gas and Electricity Prices

[Ardamerr]

I know that this post is 'off topic' so to speak but I believe there are many mature and concerned folk use this newsgroup and I value their opinions as to both its content and intent. I have sent the message copied below to a number of Labour M.P.s and I intend to send it to every Labour M.P. over the next few weeks. I note with dismay that, as at today the no. 10 Downing street e-mail facility is 'down'!? Do you believe there is any merit in the 'honourable' members of this group either sending similar (or even direct copies) messages to M.P's?

If you consider that I am way out of order in posting this message on this newsgroup then I beg your forgiveness. As we are all affected by the issues raised I do think that we all should let our M.P.s know if we are not happy with their performance.

THE MESSAGE:

"Prior to posting this e-mail I happened to say to a friend that I wanted to appeal to

the consciences of some Labour M.P.s. My friend remarked that polititians don't have

any such thing as a conscience or if they ever did they are certainly 'seared' by the

time they have been in the House of Commons for very long! Well, that may be true

but, on the points below those dead consciences may be revived?

This 'New' Labour government has failed to protect savers assetts, allowed and

encouraged the dis-inheriting of families of the old, infirm and vulnerable who need

genuine care, by placing them in so called 'care homes' simply for their assets to be

stripped! The care of the old and vulnerable should be the express responsibility of

the state. And now,adding insult to injury, the power supply companies and petrol

supply industry has been given the green light to rip-us-off to their hearts content!

I believe that this government is cursed with the curse of God!

This government has been complicit in condemning the British people to abject misery,

extreme discomfort, and cold, not to mention serious ill health and fuel poverty by

your tacit (or perhaps explicit) approval of the obscene price rises and current

prices for domestic fuels of all types. In terms of home heating we are reduced to

the level of a third world economy, that we are being charged four, five or even more

times the real wholesale price of energy by the monopolistic six energy companies is

common knowledge and verifyable on the internet. Ofgem is a sick joke, electricity,

gas, oil and water are essentials and not optional for the hapless residents of this

cold and unpleasant land so heating commodities should be made available to the

general population at minimum cost and subsidised. You have totally failed to make

ANY provision for the storage of gas accross the nation which could have been

purchased cheaply for use over the Winter months. You have also encouraged the tacit

colusion of price fixing by the so called power companies at the expense of the

populations heath and well being, and even death due to extreme cold!

If You really do want to be re-elected then protect 100% of savers assets, yes, and

more importantly, take power distribution, fuel supply and water companies back into

public ownership! And of course, make the care of the elderly and vulnerable TOTALLY

FREE! It's funny how you can nationalise a bank or two when it suits!

I encourage you to take every action at your disposal to quickly address the above

concerns to reverse this greed driven trend. Contrary to what you may believe, come

the next general election we, the electorate, will not forget these issues. "

[Huge]

So why did you post it here, plonker?

[NOSPAMnet]

I hope your e-mails were "set out" differently from this message?

[Doctor Drivel]

Gas prices are set by world oil prices and are external to the UK government - we import gas. The government are pretty powerless to do much at all, except reduce tax here and there. But tax will be put on something else to compensate.

The good point is that people are focusing on energy conservation: insulation, superior heating controls, solar, etc.

[John]

Yes, that's true, but the *cost* of gas is far less than the *price* of gas because of that link to oil and this country's inability to store gas in any sufficient volume. What I don't understand is this lack of storage capacity because gas comes from a hole in the ground. Once that hole is empty of our (UK) gas, why can't it be filled with foreign gas at a time when foreign gas is cheap for us to buy?

[Doctor Drivel]

I have read that may be the case. Some old mines have been looked at too. "but the *cost* of gas is far less than the *price* of gas". But the UK government is powerless in this. All that can be done is store gas when it is cheap. But if the price stays very high for sustained periods, as it did, then the advantage is lost. We are then left with lots of stored gas in case of pipeline fractures in Russia.

[Ardamerr]

Umm! Well, the market evidence contradicts this view, which is the one I'm sure the U.K. government would have us 'swallow' but even the director of their own energy 'watchdog' EnergyWatch said on national television only last week that there was clear evidence of TACIT COLLUSION between the u.k. energy providers to keep the price artificially high!

[Tim Downie]

You've not been taking your pills, have you?

Tim

[Ardamerr]

Nice one Tim...

[Ardamerr]

Surely Tim, you are not of the opinion that this government might actually receives God's blessing? Or is it that you simply deny the existence of God?

[Huge]

Did you have to quote the *whole* *thing*?

[Tim Downie]

I'm of the opinion that you lost all credibility with the people you hope to influence the moment you penned that line (if not long before).

Tim

[Doctor Drivel]

People are focusing on energy conservation. Insulation sales are well up.

Then they should be taken to court.

[Huge]

I deny the Holy Spirit.

[David]

Damn, I thought it was blank verse and was reading it for an hour in a really deep way

[Toom Tabard]

In general, if you are writing to them about gas and electricity prices then it will only have some effect if you strip out the rhetoric.

And with regard to:-

I have a house, savings and investments which I hope will see me through my old age and still leave something for my family. However, if I end up in care, I'd expect my assets to then be used to cover the cost. We've reached a rather extreme level of dependency culture if we expect the taxpayer to pay the care costs of elderly people who have their own assets, so that their children can inherit a large amount of the money. With views like that you can hardly refer to the 'greed driven trend' of others.

Toom

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 4 Nov 2008 04:13:51 -0800 (PST) someone who may be Ardamerr wrote this:-

MPs (or rather their staff) undoubtedly get such e-mails regularly. However, they are highly likely to ignore them (or send a "reply" which amounts to the same thing) unless they know that the sender is a constituent. The normal way of getting a useful reply from a Minister is to ask your MP to ask them. That may sound like a quaint

18th Century idea (in many ways it is), but it does have the advantage that by convention Ministers are not allowed to ignore a question from an MP.

It is sometimes possible to get a reply from an MP who represents another constituency. However, that depends on a well written and relevant letter. Perhaps that MP has a special interest in the subject or they used to be the writer's MP.

If you write directly to an individual Minister, do pick the relevant one, then you will get less attention than if it comes via an MP. Presumably the Prime Minister's office is bombarded with communications, all of which get fairly standard replies.

If you want to let off steam, bombarding every MP with the same e-mail is one way of doing so. If you want to stand any chance of changing things then there are better ways. Just because one can e-mail every MP does not mean it is a good idea to do so.

[Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot]

This kind of question just boggles my mind. To me it's like saying "Do you deny the world is flat?" or "Do you deny that Santa delivers sugar mice?"

Si

[geoff]

In message , Doctor Drivel writes

Now tell us your story about how house prices can't fall because of demand

[Tony Bryer]

Noting that 'the taxpayer' (or 'the government') is other people's children. A significant number of whom probably have next to no assets of their own.