Re: June 8th General Election
 

It is however more likely to hit the 'financially astute' , those that shop around and regularly switch for the cheapest deals. These are the deals likely to rise/disappear. More likely to be Tories, that's why some Ministers/ the Torygraph aren't happy. They called Ed Miliband a 'Marxist' for proposing exactly the same thing the last election !

Privatisation hasn't worked for the consumer, it's just made massive profits for the energy companies.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

May has made it clear previously, that she is prepared, if necessary, intervene in the markets if it adversely affects normal working people. A very positive move in my view. I welcome a more socially conscious Conservative party. Especially as Corbyn's Labour party is heading way to the left.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

If people are so concerned about the cost of their energy and so delighted by this news, why have so few bothered to switch tariffs/suppliers? That's something which doesn't have to wait for an election promise to be honoured years down the line and is going to save them far more than any cap on the standard rate tariff (estimated at only £100pa) is likely to yield.

:confused:

Re: June 8th General Election
 

On a lighter note :)
Former Labour MP Kate Hoey photoshops Lib Dem rival out of picture but forgets his legs

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Mainly because if you want a better tariff, you have to go Direct Debit (this guarantees the Energy supplier their money, as there is quite a bad debt (people not paying) on the Standard Variable Tariffs.

One other thing that the papers/Government never mention - they are insisting that the Energy suppliers roll out Smart meters by 2020, and the companies have to fund this at a total cost of £11 billion.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Guess who they'll be passing that charge onto, energy cap or not? Although I am one of those who unashamedly switches for the cheapest and might get hit by this, there's something very wrong with the current system. Those that can least afford to pay, on prepayment meters etc, are being charged much more per unit of energy. It needs a complete overhaul of make it fairer, whilst allowing the companies to make a reasonable profit.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Surely this can be funded from the billions the companies have made from the rental they charge for the privilege of having a meter which allows them to charge for the energy they supply.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

The problem is a lack of standardisation between smart meters. We had one fitted with one company and when we switched to another company it failed to work correctly and it took 4 months before it worked efficiently enough for my husband to stop having to call to check figures with the company.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Here's Corbyn not answering the question about whether the UK will definitely leave the EU.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/electio...itely-leave-eu

Pathetic fool. He demands clarity and detail from the PM but has nothing to say aside from the same old cloud cuckoo land guff he's famous for.

It's not at all odd how he singles out HMG for being abusive towards the EU but has nothing to say about their actions because, just as he is with nuclear weapons, he's weak and would certainly not get the best deal for the UK in any set of circumstances.

---------- Post added at 18:04 ---------- Previous post was at 17:50 ----------

Not sure I understand that fully, sorry. Are you saying that to change to a new, cheaper, supplier you have to do a direct debit? Yes, to get the very best deal from them you could well have to but there'd surely still be savings to be made simply by changing company and paying the normal way. :shrug:

I don't see why direct debit ought to be a problem for a great many people either. People are increasingly running their lives via automated payments etc.

The whole smart meter thing is going to turn into a very costly joke and yes we will wind up paying for it, just not through our taxes.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

There are quite a lot of people who can't get a bank account, or who have no option but to use a pre-pay meter.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

17 million households of them?

I believe the figures for households without a bank account is 1 to 1.5 million.

Pre-payment meters account for 16% of the market, which is around 4 million households, and they already have a price cap.

https://www.ft.com/content/05b30f7c-...5-4eaa66292c32

Re: June 8th General Election
 

How will increasing their bills help them just about manage more?

I'm not impressed with the tory message, vote for us because we're the best of a sorry bunch and I'm not falling for their scare tactics again like last time either when their a vote for anyone else is a vote for the SNP suckered me.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Yes, they do, but this policy bothers me - at the present time, I cannot see why the problem is being tackled this way.

Far better to steer away from these ghastly green commitments we have entered into and bring bills down that way. Better for the Government to invest in solutions that would work (unlike unreliable wind turbines), like nuclear power, and research into nuclear fusion.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

What is it with Corbyn's cronies and basic numbers? You'd think that after Abbott's inept performances they'd all be right on top of their briefs wouldn't you. It's not much to ask is it? Here's the shadow education secretary Angela Rayner doing her best to make Abbott look good:

http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenter...olicy-ferrari/

She doesn't know how many children will benefit from what she's claiming is a major new Labour policy.

I mean it's not like they stopped her in the street and caught her off guard. She went into the interview and didn't even have the figures. What a complete joke these people are.

Re: June 8th General Election
 

Source & Picture

They really are the nasty party now.