electricity

[Captain Kong]

The problem with industries being Nationalised is, all the profits are poured into the general taxation coffers.
Similar to Road Tax on your car, It should only be used for road improvements but No it is swallowed up into general taxation. So our roads are in a mess, like a third world country around here.

The Nationalised industries profits were all used for that.

Now if a Nationalised Company was run As a private company and the profits used to regulate the price and the quality of that Individual industry it would be a winner,
BUT the politicians pour it all into the coffers and no one benefits from it.
First get rid of Politicians, and get the country run by successful business men.
Brian.

[cappy]

louis i live in the real world not dreamland ....try and ride the stallion of life as opposed to your donkey of continual despair.....we have all seen the chaos of nationalisation......i have freedom of choice do you honestly expect me to put that freedom in the hands of mclusky corbyn mcdonald or diane abbot ......or even yourself ......be bold louis get on the stallion......you will find you need reins ...instead of hanging on the donkeys ears and clip clopping along at your normal speed......cappy

[Louis the fly]

More of the Ill informed nonsense we have come to expect.
Are you on one of your two racehorses or one of your three ponies.
Real world ???

[vic mcclymont]

Louis, back to the good old days when nationalised industries were inefficient incompetent and loosing money head over heels.
British Steel, it took BS 15.5 hours to make a ton of steel, on the continent 6.5 hours. Before BS was denationalised it was losing£1b per year.
Good old Post Office, want a telephone, no problems, you have to share. Remember the party lines. No good for the internet.
British Shipbuilders, losing hundreds of millions a year.
British Coal, same boat losing hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Want a car ? yes you can have one from British Leyland, take six months, losing hundreds of millions a year.
We poured money into the nationalised industries for very little return.
Nostalgia is wonderful.
Regards
Vic

[Ken Trehearne]

Difficult to see any benefit in nationalising rail Louise, as new Board(s) would comprise Govt appointees with Govt demanding preset dividends at a figure unachievable except by exploiting travellers and deferring maintenance. Taxpayers/travellers would be no better off than now.

If there were no return for shareholders or franchises there would be no shareholders or franchises so no trains.

Better, perhaps, for Govt to create fare levels by Regulation - but who can see that happening? Even so, Regulation could raise fares instead of the opposite.

Are cartels illegal in UK? (if one really exists - and one could I guess)

[Louis the fly]

Hi Ken , I am only Louise on weekends.

[j.sabourn]

Speak to you on Saturday Louis. The post I put on here 2 hours ago seems to have disappeared. I originally put in the wrong letterbox about ships in the Bitter Lakes. Nationalization does in some instances do good for the country e.g. Egypt when they nationalized the Suez Canal. Countries went to war over shareholders interests England and France being the biggest shareholders, don't know about Israel. Ivan will have the propaganda put out by the armed forces at the time what they were doing there, but history will show it was to claim the Canal back. I am against seeing the likes of Keilder being sold to foreign interests, but on the other hand the government made a mess of British Steel, although it was a good outfit to work for, there were morons running it. The likes of Kielder I would have preferred to see it nationalised. Rather than the reservoir sold to foreign interests. JS

[Doc Vernon]

We here in NSW on the News just heard that Electricity and Gas Companies are sending letters to Hundreds of Customers telling them that they owe some astronomical amounts on their Bills,due to incorrect reading in the past.

This is ridiculous why cant they get the reading correct in the first place! I do know that many of these Companies don't do actual (Manual ) reading and just go by the average use!
This practice is so dangerous as how on Earth can they just guess!

Over various Seasons one uses different amounts .
Bleedin money making if you ask me!
As for me (well thus far) we are OK and have as yet not had problems with our Electricity or Gas readings as I know that the Meter Man does come and do a Manual read.
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

The water people over here put a new meter in as the old one was giving such low readings and our Bills too low. The new meter is just the same low readings, proving that us scruffy Poms are living up to our reputation. JS

[Ken Trehearne]

Embarrassing apology Louis. Must put the watch to correct time as in Auckland we are only 12 hours ahead of you - or is it 13. Enjoy your breakfast (at 2135 Friday here) KenT