November 30th Strikes - UK

[Nadkor]

pension system should be abolished and people shud be asked to save and invest for their retirement.

Sensible policies for a happier Britain.

[Spice999]

I think the strikes are a great idea- although that's probably because I got a day off school today!
If the strikers can't afford to pay money into their pensions why are they taking a day off work without pay?

[Vinchester]

Agree with the strike, but where will the pension money come from?

On a less serious note, If I were the Prime Minister I'd cut my salary in half and every other MPs' too. The country could save quite a few millions!

[Free foundation]

we need a revolution in economic ideas. both fiscal and monetary tools have failed us in 21st century.

[Fartsniffage]

The fact that the public sector pension scheme is unsustainable and emulating it would bankrupt the business.

Yeah, okay.. I mean, its not like British Gas announced profits of £7bn at the start of the year then hiked their prices by 20%, or that Vodafone has successfully evaded £126m of tax paying.

British Gas made £7billion profit last year? Bullshit.

[Fartsniffage]

pension system should be abolished and people shud be asked to save and invest for their retirement.

Sensible policies for a happier Britain.

Isn't that actually happening soon? Compulsory private pensions?

[Angleter]

Sensible policies for a happier Britain.

Isn't that actually happening soon? Compulsory private pensions?

That's still somewhat short of abolishing all pensions and just demanding people save up their money in the bank, or invest in stocks.

[Farnhamia]

Yeah, okay.. I mean, its not like British Gas announced profits of £7bn at the start of the year then hiked their prices by 20%, or that Vodafone has successfully evaded £126m of tax paying.

British Gas made £7billion profit last year? Bullshit.

If you used the same definition of "billion" as sensible people ... They did have record profits, though, and raised prices during the coldest weather in a century. Brilliant.

[Fartsniffage]

Isn't that actually happening soon? Compulsory private pensions?

That's still somewhat short of abolishing all pensions and just demanding people save up their money in the bank, or invest in stocks.

Call me a cynic but it seems like the first step towards abolishing the state pension.

[Farnhamia]

Isn't that actually happening soon? Compulsory private pensions?

That's still somewhat short of abolishing all pensions and just demanding people save up their money in the bank, or invest in stocks.

I don't know why you stop at half-measures. Surely everyone is capable of putting something away for the future.

[Angleter]

Agree with the strike, but where will the pension money come from?

On a less serious note, If I were the Prime Minister I'd cut my salary in half and every other MPs' too. The country could save quite a few millions!

MPs are already underpaid compared to most legislators, and they usually have two homes to manage as well. Not to mention that they often spend around 14 hours a day on the job, much of which is spent on legally-obligated replies to wackadoodles who've sent them an email claiming that council tax is unconstitutional, or something like that.

[Fartsniffage]

British Gas made £7billion profit last year? Bullshit.

If you used the same definition of "billion" as sensible people ... They did have record profits, though, and raised prices during the coldest weather in a century. Brilliant.

And the government is demanding that BG and the rest of the energy companies contribute £200billion over the next decade towards the overhaul and modernisation of the British energy network.

The money has to come from somewhere and it was very convenient for the govt. to shift the complaints to the energy companies rather than take the flak itself by raising taxes or cutting services.

Edit: I lied, it's actually £200billion.

[Farnhamia]

If you used the same definition of "billion" as sensible people ... They did have record profits, though, and raised prices during the coldest weather in a century. Brilliant.

And the government is demanding that BG and the rest of the energy companies contribute £100billion over the next decade towards the overhaul and modernisation of the British energy network.

The money has to come from somewhere and it was very convenient for the govt. to shift the complaints to the energy companies rather than take the flak itself by raising taxes or cutting services.

I think it was quite clever.

[Communist Roderikland]

It's their right, and if they find that action is needed, then it is their right to do so.

[Fartsniffage]

And the government is demanding that BG and the rest of the energy companies contribute £100billion over the next decade towards the overhaul and modernisation of the British energy network.

The money has to come from somewhere and it was very convenient for the govt. to shift the complaints to the energy companies rather than take the flak itself by raising taxes or cutting services.

I think it was quite clever.

I wasn't a bad idea on their part, it's just annoying when people rant about energy prices rising without understanding why it's happening.

[Farnhamia]

I think it was quite clever.

I wasn't a bad idea on their part, it's just annoying when people rant about energy prices rising without understanding why it's happening.

Had BG's management a brain in their heads, they might have thought, "I say, chaps, perhaps we might put off the rise in prices until the Spring, don't you know. People might be just a trifle put out were we to announce it during one of the coldest winters on record."

[Greater Mackonia]

I am fully supporting the strikes ideologically to overthrow the lib-con government and establish socialism and pragmatically because it will show the government that their ill thought out plan A economic policy
is making the nation poorer and not many people richer .

[Fartsniffage]

I wasn't a bad idea on their part, it's just annoying when people rant about energy prices rising without understanding why it's happening.

Had BG's management a brain in their heads, they might have thought, "I say, chaps, perhaps we might put off the rise in prices until the Spring, don't you know. People might be just a trifle put out were we to announce it during one of the coldest winters on record."

A bad idea actually. The vast majority of gas is used during winter, waiting until spring would have resulted in a rise in the 40-45% vicinity instead of 7% to claw back the losses made over the winter.

Now that would have really pissed people of.

[Vellosia]

The Energy Companies are a cartel anyway, and should be disciplined by Ofgem.

[Farnhamia]

Had BG's management a brain in their heads, they might have thought, "I say, chaps, perhaps we might put off the rise in prices until the Spring, don't you know. People might be just a trifle put out were we to announce it during one of the coldest winters on record."

A bad idea actually. The vast majority of gas is used during winter, waiting until spring would have resulted in a rise in the 40-45% vicinity instead of 7% to claw back the losses made over the winter.

Now that would have really pissed people of.

Hmm, hadn't thought of that. Pity.

[Bales Rant]

The Energy Companies are a cartel anyway, and should be disciplined by Ofgem.

I'm not sure they can discipline them. All they can do is promote competition.

I remember a spokesman on the BBC saying they can't tell companies to bring prices down but they can tell them to provide more transparent price breakdowns to potential customers - which he argued would bring down prices. Wrong!

[Kilobugya]

pension system should be abolished and people shud be asked to save and invest for their retirement.

That's nonsense. Most wealth can't be stockpiled, so stockpiling money and using interests to pay for retirement anyway means taking from the goods produced at the time in which you are retired, meaning the system is exactly as vulnerable to demographic pressure or economical collapse as a redistribution system.

But the system creates an enormous amount of stockpiled money, which can easily inflate bubbles out of control, increase speculation, and all other destructive forces of the economy. And by encouraging people to save instead of spending, it slows down the real economy.

Redistribution system is the only one that makes sense.

[Fartsniffage]

The Energy Companies are a cartel anyway, and should be disciplined by Ofgem.

I'm not sure they can discipline them. All they can do is promote competition.

I remember a spokesman on the BBC saying they can't tell companies to bring prices down but they can tell them to provide more transparent price breakdowns to potential customers - which he argued would bring down prices. Wrong!

British Gas has been fined a couple of times in the last year by Ofgem.

[Bales Rant]

I'm not sure they can discipline them. All they can do is promote competition.

I remember a spokesman on the BBC saying they can't tell companies to bring prices down but they can tell them to provide more transparent price breakdowns to potential customers - which he argued would bring down prices. Wrong!

British Gas has been fined a couple of times in the last year by Ofgem.

For what?

[Hippostania]

Every person who has participated in these strikes should be ashamed! Their employers should have a right to fire these lazy bastards, they should be happy that they have a job in the first place. And apparently they don't appreciate it.. This is exactly what happens when unions have too much power.