To think gas, electricity and water should be supplied by the government?

[Thisisaname]

Prices the companies are charging are ridiculous!

I'm not saying it should be free, just the same as it is now but is fully controlled by the government, everyone with jobs with those companies now is to work with the government and anyone who would loose their job would probably easier find one due to more people having money due to it being regulated so people buy more stuff and companies have more money so more people to employ.

Also these companies tend to tax avoid so more money on that front and the government HAVE to publish what they pay per unit and how much profit they make and where it goes.

Someone tell me AIBU before I retrain in politics and run for mp, pleeaassee

[MrsLouisTheroux]

YABU but prices should rise with inflation. Same with petrol and food. My wages haven't gone up in years.

[MrsLouisTheroux]

Is that what you meant? In that case YANBU!!

[thenightsky]

Nice idea in OP. I think its been tried in Cuba.

[catgirl1976]

Well the UK government wouldn't be able to do much to fix the prices so YABU

A bit

[JeezyOrangePips]

YANBU. Everyone knows that governments manage to run everything efficiently and with minimum costs.

Oh wait.......

[discorabbit]

like it used to be before thatcher?

[sooperdooper]

Yes, I think it's a great idea

[Wallison]

Yes, because it's so much cheaper to heat and light our homes and get clean water into them since the govt stopped doing it.

Oh wait .........

[chickensarmpit]

Yes!

[SueDoku]

Now now, you know that nice Mrs Thatcher told us that her friends the clever businessmen would make everything much cheaper - we just have to give them time...

[catgirl1976]

We have to import most of our gas. Which would make it difficult for the government to fix prices

We are facing a big energy gap. We just don't have enough.

If shale pans out like it has in the US that could change things. But it could be very bad for the environment

[BunFagFreddie]

It used to be owned by the government until it was privatised. I'm too young to remember whether that was a good thing or not .

[PoppyWearer]

Where do we even begin with the history lesson on this thread?

OP, please refer to the 1970s and 80s. Probably before you were born?

[old gimmer emoticon]

[Wallison]

Ah yes, SueDoku, the almighty free market, where everything finds its natural price and no-one sits at the top funnelling £billions to their mates.

[JeezyOrangePips]

Yeah, and there's been hardly any increase in costs ruled by government, such as duty and council tax.... I've gone fron paying £135 per year to a similar amount per month...

[Sallyingforth]

You mean the government should run the utilities without a profit being required?
Well we used to do it that way until a certain woman decided otherwise.
Now we have to buy our electricity and gas from foreign-owned companies.
Bloody Thatcher.

[AKissIsNotAContract]

If this government could find away to charge the poor and disabled more so that their rich mates could get it cheaper I'm sure they'd warm to the idea.

[HollyBerryBush]

Nationalised infrastructures suck money out of the economy, they had to be privatised, and you will find the baby boomer generation did very well out of investing in the newly formed companies.

The country cant afford anotehr raft of employees with the equivalent of civil service pensions.

[12ylnon]

Wouldn't our taxes just go up?

[catgirl1976]

There isn't actually that big a profit margin being charged by the UK suppliers tbh

[bureni]

My water is supplied by the government but the electricity is private but there is only one supplier so no choice.

[catgirl1976]

Now we have to buy our electricity and gas from foreign-owned companies.

We HAVE to import gas because we don't have a) enough gas and b) enough storage

Not because of de-regulation

[DameMargotFountain]

yup, we used to have nationalised utilities

[bureni]

catgirl, there is a massive profit, my water costs around 45 pounds per year which includes sewerage.