The Student Room Group

Energy bill price freeze

Miliband has pledged to block energy companies from changing their prices if elected.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-party-conference-ed-miliband-pledges-to-freeze-gas-and-electricity-bills-if-he-wins-2015-election-8836844.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-heat-is-on-milibands-energy-price-pledge-knocks-950m-of-centrica-shares-8838578.html

My opinion:

Totally unworkable. Prices will rise sharply before the election and then sharply after the freeze has ended. Also as the second link shows, it is highly damaging to British business. Once again Labour have aptly demonstrated their total economic incompetence, and how they are bad for business and bad for Britain.
Reply 1
I completely agree. It's totally uneconomically viable. If prises freeze and costs for the company go up companies will lose money and there will be shortages. Miliband is a fool for making promises that can not be kept. Hopefully people will soon see sense and keep the Tories in power as miliband has no idea how to run a country


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Reply 2
Original post by Benjie
I completely agree. It's totally uneconomically viable. If prises freeze and costs for the company go up companies will lose money and there will be shortages. Miliband is a fool for making promises that can not be kept. Hopefully people will soon see sense and keep the Tories in power as miliband has no idea how to run a country


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The lights will go out in Britain if the left get into power again with disastrous out of touch polices like this.
Reply 3
When Labour were last in Government, Ed Miliband was placed in charge of the department for Energy and Climate Change.
A legacy of this is the Climate Change Act 2008 which costs the Government £18bn a year (until 2050), but more importantly adds a 15% green levy onto everyone's electricity bill.
The media of course is completely ignoring this aspect and putting out his deceitful soundbites to order. They're all in it together.



Of course, Labour's record on energy wasn't great to begin with:
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 4
Ed is just saying this to gain popular support/votes.


he also wants 50% of the labour party to be women.

get rid of the bedroom tax

and the same old line Tories look out only for the rich labour looks out for the poor.
Well, at least Ed is consistent. When he was at DECC he was also touting equally unworkable plans to control energy prices. Milliband has picked up on a view that Energy companies are all overcharging (a view espoused by Ofgem too) - however it isn't at all clear that that really is the case and the energy companies are strongly in dispute of this fact therefore they won't be cooperative with a policy that essentially means the would have to admit that they have been overcharging.

The government needs to realise that it has to provide a workable framework for investment and be prepared to underwrite risks for what are essentially major infrastructure projects. Whilst there is no certainty around policy and government backing risks just increase and prices follow suit. We need a government that will overtly support renewal of the nuclear fleet as well as a concerted effort to support responsible fracking activities.
Reply 6
Original post by WeeGuy
Ed is just saying this to gain popular support/votes.


he also wants 50% of the labour party to be women.

get rid of the bedroom tax

and the same old line Tories look out only for the rich labour looks out for the poor.


What planet are you on?
Reply 7
People who vote Labour need to rethink their entire philosophies if they STILL agree with their policies. I swear that they're all mentally inept. I suppose that goes for anyone who votes for the same party over and over and over as if they're existence is solely to fight for this individuals ideology. Vote strategically to get the important policies put through to make us an economically strong nation again... And lets change this EU thing into something that doesn't resemble a Mafia network.
Reply 8
Original post by dj1015
What planet are you on?



im dont agree with this its what labour says. i just put what ED said in the speech in bullet points.
Reply 9
Sounds like hes starting the pre election 'cutting and making life easier for everyone to get voted' horse nuts that most mainstream parties do leading up to an election.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 10
This exact thing happened in California in the past, it lead to energy firms going bust as they just couldn't cover their costs with frozen prices.

If that's anything to go by then id say its a bad idea.


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Reply 11
Original post by Bloxorus
This exact thing happened in California in the past, it lead to energy firms going bust as they just couldn't cover their costs with frozen prices.

If that's anything to go by then id say its a bad idea.


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Andrew Neil from the Daily Politics asked Caroline Flint (shadow energy secretary ) if they knew what happened in California and she didnt. :dry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bx3sm/Daily_Politics_Conference_Special/

start at 1hr 36 for interview.
Reply 12
Original post by WeeGuy
Andrew Neil from the Daily Politics asked Caroline Flint (shadow energy secretary ) if they knew what happened in California and she didnt. :dry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bx3sm/Daily_Politics_Conference_Special/

start at 1hr 36 for interview.


That must have been embarrassing for her. You would have thought if all of us on this forum and going by the name "student room" I would of said we should be less likely to know these things than the shadow minister.


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Reply 13
Original post by WeeGuy
Andrew Neil from the Daily Politics asked Caroline Flint (shadow energy secretary ) if they knew what happened in California and she didnt. :dry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03bx3sm/Daily_Politics_Conference_Special/

start at 1hr 36 for interview.


This is hilarious. Thank you for this. Rep incoming.

Edit: still watching. This is too good.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 14
Original post by dj1015
This is hilarious. Thank you for this. Rep incoming.

Edit: still watching. This is too good.


thank you :smile:

i love watching MPs squirm:biggrin: particularly when they try to bluff their way out but cant.

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