Ot bills

[millertop]

Expect even more suicides

[ragingpup]

Utility companies have to pay the market price for gas and electric. If they don't pass it on to their customers they go bust - just like many did last year.

When we're talking about record profits in the back of te current crisis, we're talking about producers, who are raking in massive billions of pounds of profits, not the utilities, who as you say have to pay and pass on. Might there be some scope for the Governments to intervene and use the money gained to support customers, many of whom are simply not going to be able to make it through the winter, even with support from the utilities - they just don't have that kind of money.

I'm not committing anything but I'm registered with the Don't Pay UK scheme which is calling for a collective non payment from 1st October if there is no action taken to reduce these bills but will only act if over a million join the scheme. Probably won't happen as only have 100k at the oment, but it seems a peaceful protest that we can collectively pursue, and avoids, which I fear will happen if this goes on unchecked, violent street protest.

Check it out, be interested to know if folk think it might help force action if enough customers join in: https://dontpay.uk/

This is a horrific calamatous situation unfolding before us and we need the government to take the lead with strong and unprecidented intervention. It seems the first thing they could do is share the windfall made from the crises to help those most in need. Just my opinion.

[great_fire]

You should do stand up.

I live in a rural location. The field directly behind my house had barley in it from a spring sowing. I walked across it at the weekend (on a footpath). Some of the cracks in the ground were so wide that I was concerned about turning an ankle. The yield will be pitiful because of how dry it has been.

For the benefit of Brin, much of the beef produced in this country is raised on barley based animal feed as is chicken and egg production which means that meat prices will rise too.

The dry and hot weather across much of the world has nothing to do with measures to tackle climate change.

So you don't know what's been happening in the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, this country too they're paying people to quit farming.

Bill Gates buying up all the farmland in the USA.

Food supply is just another way to control people, the best way really, everyone needs food.

[KerrAvon]

@raging

@dontpay are like Labour under Corby - a dangerous bunch of people who offer superficially attractive solutions without explaining the risks they are asking people to take taking which are:

1. Losing the advantage of the cheaper tariffs available to people who pay by DD;
2. Eventually ending up on pre-payment meters, which are even more expensive.
3. Junking their credit rating so that credit either ceases to be available or becomes more expensive.
4. Adding to the costes of utility companies, which will have to be passed to all customers or, in the worse case, will reduce some of the weaker ones to economic basket cases that will need government support - money that could to be used to support hard pressed customers.

I've not been on their website, but I'm guessing the above isn't set out.

Producers are reaping the benefit of increared prices and I agree that further windfall taxes could be taken to support the worse off. Nothing comes without consequences however.

[ragingpup]

@raging

@dontpay are like Labour under Corby - a dangerous bunch of people who offer superficially attractive solutions without explaining the risks they are asking people to take taking which are:

1. Losing the advantage of the cheaper tariffs available to people who pay by DD;
2. Eventually ending up on pre-payment meters, which are even more expensive.
3. Junking their credit rating so that credit either ceases to be available or becomes more expensive.
4. Adding to the costes of utility companies, which will have to be passed to all customers or, in the worse case, will reduce some of the weaker ones to economic basket cases that will need government support - money that could to be used to support hard pressed customers.

I've not been on their website, but I'm guessing the above isn't set out.

Producers are reaping the benefit of increared prices and I agree that further windfall taxes could be taken to support the worse off. Nothing comes without consequences however.

Not researched yet so not committing to any action until I have chance to researc the org properly. But I imagine that any organisation that forms to take quite extreme political action will be formed by or attract such people.

So we agree that further windfall taxes could be imposed to reduce the incoming devastation (loaded word used advisedly, I don't know how else to refer to the situation), but the government are showing no signs of doing anything to make this happen - what can we do to make this happen but as you say reduce the chances of making it worse. I can only think of a collective non payment threat such as this with enough people taking part so as to make it impossible to instal meters/affect DDs etc. It just would be unmanagable, and surely the Government would then take steps.

I accept that the Ukraine was is a big factor and we all have to pay more, and accept this will have a horrible impact on many people even if windfall taxes are imposed. That's part of being in a war situation. But we surely need our leaders to pull out all stops to take the most urgent remedial action to reduce the devastation on as many families as possible, and when even Gordon Brown is having a pop at the Gov for inaction, then we collectively need to pressure the Gov ourselves. I can't think of anything else to do, but fear that this is oing to lead into a very dark place on the streets and we need peaceful means to avoid this.

So re: Don't Pay UK - and I am still weighing up my taking part, might it be said that whilst we may not agree with the overall political aims of some of the organisers and participants, just looking at the idea itself - to use massive collective and organised action to force an outcome to support the less well enough from what they are about to endure, can you think of a better solution or action we could consider?

[KerrAvon]

I don't know the political views of don't pay. I just know it's a daft idea.

The argument seems to be that the utility companies won't be able to deal with large quantities of default. That's like saying that playing chicken on the M25 would be okay if there's enough people to get stuck under axles and go through windscreens into the face of the drivers so that the traffic eventually has to stop.

Government action requires a functions government. I'm sure that you can see the problem there.

[ragingpup]

I don't know the political views of don't pay. I just know it's a daft idea.

The argument seems to be that the utility companies won't be able to deal with large quantities of default. That's like saying that playing chicken on the M25 would be okay if there's enough people to get stuck under axles and go through windscreens into the face of the drivers so that the traffic eventually has to stop.

Government action requires a functions government. I'm sure that you can see the problem there.

Is it any dafter than standing by, doing nothing, whilst lots of families struggle between freezing or starving?

[KerrAvon]

See above. It all depends on whether the 'something' that you are contemplating doing will help the problem or make it worse.

[ragingpup]

See above. It all depends on whether the 'something' that you are contemplating doing will help the problem or make it worse.

Agreed. Need to consider carefully any action but also need to take into account that allowing the powers that be to do nothing whilst people around us literally freeze, starve or kill themselves is a very high price to pay for non action. But I take your point of not making an awful situation worse through mindless, counter productive action

[crashbang]

I've just stocked up on 20 hose pipes,
Before the ban.