Let them wear jumpers

So will let them wear jumpers be the new let them eat cake I wonder ? With energy prices in the UK shooting up with British Gas being the latest after SSE to put up their prices this week it is the hot topic of discussion at the moment it would seem. This week at Westminster has been dominated by one topic: energy prices. It is a case study of the biggest theme in politics at the moment, the cost of living. With British Gas joining energy provider SSE in hiking its prices, what are people feeling the squeeze and fearing the cold supposed to do? Enter, stage left, the humble jumper. And welcome to a brief snapshot of how headlines sometimes appear despite what might have emerged out of the lips of politicians and their advisers. Energy Secretary Ed Davey spent much of Thursday touring TV and radio studios criticising British Gas and suggesting people should shop around for the best energy deal. In an interview on the BBC's Newsnight, he was asked about what happened in the Davey household. Did Mr Davey, presenter Jeremy Paxman asked, wear a jumper? "I am sure people do wear jumpers, I wear jumpers at home, but you are missing the point here Jeremy, we do need to help people with their bills, I am extremely worried about them, we can use competition the way we have, we can make our homes warmer and use less electricity and gas by going more energy efficient," said Mr Davey. Cue headlines suggesting the energy secretary said wear a jumper. Great story. Energy Secretary Ed Davey was quizzed about his knitwear preferences Except he didn't say this. Mr Davey was asked about jumpers. Mr Davey mentioned jumpers. But Mr Davey didn't say you or I should wear a jumper. Fast forward 12 hours to Friday's briefing for Westminster journalists, which is conducted by one of the prime minister's official spokesmen. The Daily Mirror - which is no fan of the coalition government - chased this theme with some vigour. The clear aim of the questions was to attempt to get an answer along the lines of "the prime minister tells you to wear jumper". Another great story If he'd said that, I'd have been jumping at the chance to get on the television, radio and online to tell it. But he didn't. Here is the exchange, as I scribbled it in my notebook: Reporter: "Does the prime minister wear a jumper at home?" Official Spokesman: "The prime minister doesn't tend to give fashion tips." Several further questions along the same lines came along, which didn't get very far. The spokesman was then asked about what the PM thought of charities giving advice that perhaps people should consider wrapping up warm. Here was the response: "Clearly, he is not going to prescribe necessarily the actions individuals should take about that. But if people are giving that advice, that is something that people may wish to consider." Next came the headlines claiming the prime minister was suggesting people should wear a jumper. Great story. Except the spokesman did not say this. Labour leapt at the chance to have their say, claiming Downing Street was in chaos and offering Ed Miliband for interview. Downing Street then issued a statement: "To be clear, it is entirely false to suggest the Prime Minister would advise people they should wear jumpers to stay warm. Any suggestion to the contrary is mischief-making." And so concludes the story of a story which isn't really a story at all. All a bit of tittle tattle you may say but there is a real worry for many ordinary people out there this winter heat or eat. Its as simple as that for many.

What’s that Labour would make cuts too?

Yes as predicted the labour party have to start to come clean and admit softly that they too will make cuts if elected in 2015. This comes as no surprise to Marxists and those who have any sort of long term perspectives on the situation currently unfolding around the world. Labour as we know has wedded itself to the dictatorship of the market and thus will bow down to its mantra of austerity. So today’s news that labour will end universal welfare on winter fuel allowance comes as no surprise to me at all. As we know all labour controlled councils have also passed on huge tory cuts so this should have been a signal too. • ovary' Labour would cut winter fuel payments for the UK's richer older people if they won the next general election, Ed Balls is due to say. It would affect about 600,000 people over 61 who pay higher and top income tax rates - saving about £100m. But one pensioners' pressure group said it would undermine the principle that those who paid into the system were entitled to something in return. The shadow chancellor will also promise an "iron discipline on spending". Mr Balls is due to tell an audience at Thomson Reuters headquarters in London that Chancellor George Osborne's economic policies have "failed catastrophically" on growth, jobs and deficit reduction. 'Symbolic' He will say the policies will leave a future Labour government with "a very difficult inheritance", and will promise a "tough deficit reduction plan", coupled with more action to strengthen the economy. "The situation we will inherit will require a very different kind of Labour government to those which have gone before," he is due to say. "We will inherit a substantial deficit. We will have to govern with much less money around. We will need to show an iron discipline . Also there we have it what do those who preach to us Owen Jones and all that we need a labour government? Should we not be building an alternative instead of wasting our time trying to reclaim a party which in all fairness was never even ours? With references to the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22748914

As winter approach's many face tough decisions on fuel bills

As we approach winter with the dark nights drawing in and the first frosts of the autumn arriving. People right across the country will be pressured more than ever to try and find ways of reducing their energy bills and to heat and keep their homes going.

Winter time can be particularly challenging for the elderly and the poor and this year as we face another hard winter of austerity and cut backs. The energy companies have felt the need to squeeze even more out of us and decided a few months back to put up their charges by eye watering figures.

Gas bills will rise by an average of 18% and electricity bills by an average of 16%.

The change will affect nine million households with the average dual fuel customer paying an extra £190 a year.

British Gas customers will have seen their bills shoot up by £258 or 25% within a year”
End Quote
Uswitch
In May, the company said its customers were not paying enough to reflect the increased cost of gas on the wholesale markets, and that this would depress its profits for the first half of the year.

But this argument was rejected by Mike O'Connor, the chief executive of Consumer Focus.

"Wholesale costs have gone up but they are still around a third lower than their 2008 peak," he said.

"Yet in this time British Gas' prices alone have risen by around 44% on gas and 21% on electricity and suppliers have made healthy profits."

Last year, British Gas' residential business made £740m.

Spending squeeze

In June, Scottish Power became the first of the big-six energy suppliers to announce another set of price increases.

It said it would raise the cost of gas by 19% and the cost of electricity by 10% at the start of August.

Energy price rises
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar... ...Aug
*G= Gas E=Electricity

Scottish Power
G: 2% E: 8.9%
G: 19% E: 10%

Scottish & Southern
G: 9.4%

British Gas
G&E: 7%
G: 18% E: 16%

Npower
G&E: 5.1%

E.On
G: 3% E: 9%

EDF
G: 6.5% E: 7.5%

The latest increase in energy bills, which is likely to be followed by other big energy suppliers, comes after a round of increases last winter which saw British Gas put its charges up by 7% in December.

"Average household bill for a dual fuel British Gas customer will now go up from £1,096 to £1,288," said the price comparison service Uswitch.

"In total, British Gas customers will have seen their bills shoot up by £258 or 25% within a year, taking them from £1,030 a year to £1,288," Uswitch added.

Richard Lloyd, of the consumers' association Which?, said the energy firm's announcement was an unwelcome


He can say that again, it is very much unwelcome for many working class families across the land who are finding making ends meet a increasing struggle as this economic crisis of capitalism deepens. I am sure we will see many trying to go without heating this winter with the rise in costs trying to save money wherever they can to get by. After this con-dem government cut teh winter fuel allowance for elderly people i am fearful of this winter where if it reach's really cold temperatures over a consistent period we may risk loosing some of our elderly friends and family if we are not careful. Elderly people who by definition do noth ave bags of money would have been relying on teh winter fuel allowance to get them through the winter. Now it is gone i fer for many who are on the cusp of povety and those in what they call "fuel povety" those who cannot afford to have energy in their homes for long if at all.

This is something we must bear in mind over the winter and lend solidarity to the elderly and the poor if they are in need not to abandon them but offer them shelter in the warmth and not let them suffer. If the government of millionaires dont care the organised working class has got to. The trade unions and labour movement must step in to offer support and help wherever we can. We are all facing hard times but lets not let this actually claim lives we must fight for us all and this winter will be no different.

It is ok for the likes of Ed Miliband to announce to his middle class friends in the labour party that he'll take on the vested interests of the big energy companies its good he recognises thre is a issue here that huge profits are made and te service is poor and unfair to those at the bottom. But what Mr Miliband should be saying he'll do is nationalise all of the utilities and energy companies and bring them under democratic workers control. To be run for peoples need and boy we need energy today and not for the need to make a profit. Need first everytime for me and that way we will have a better all round social society .