| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. 08:07 - Feb 2 with 4420 views | NthQldITFC |
Listening to David Henderson, chief executive of Water UK, shamelessly trying to justify further above inflation rises in water bills and the syphoning off of the wealth, health and future of British citizens to offshore 'investors' just makes me want to puke.
Why the hell do we put up with this sh!t? Why have we all sold our souls to hang onto the shirt-tails of the patently flawed fantasy of progress through perpetual growth? It's insanity. Please make it stop.
Nationalise fundamental infrastructure now! |  |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:09 - Feb 2 with 3048 views | MattinLondon |
Water, being an absolute fundamental right should be free as should electricity (or massively subsidised)
Can people be cut-off if they can’t pay their bills? |  | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:24 - Feb 2 with 2967 views | Swansea_Blue |
“Why the hell do we put up with this sh!t?” Literally.
If people don’t care about the sewage discharges killing off life in our rivers and leading to beaches being closed, they’re not going to bat an eyelid at money being creamed off. Sadly. |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:27 - Feb 2 with 2945 views | Swansea_Blue |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:09 - Feb 2 by MattinLondon |
Water, being an absolute fundamental right should be free as should electricity (or massively subsidised)
Can people be cut-off if they can’t pay their bills? |
Or at the very least shouldn’t be treated as an investor’s cash cow. Minimum standard not for profit with proper accountability (Dwr Cymru have the first bit, but without the second are still able to pollute). Ideally nationalised and ideally subsidised for those less able to pay. | |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:27 - Feb 2 with 2930 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:24 - Feb 2 by Swansea_Blue |
“Why the hell do we put up with this sh!t?” Literally.
If people don’t care about the sewage discharges killing off life in our rivers and leading to beaches being closed, they’re not going to bat an eyelid at money being creamed off. Sadly. |
Nevermind the green infrastructure, we haven't invested in the basics since it all got privatised.
#stockholmsyndrome |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:54 - Feb 2 with 2794 views | keighleyblue |
FUN FACT: England is the ONLY country in the world to have privatised its ENTIRE water system |  | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:04 - Feb 2 with 2740 views | Plums |
They are no longer water companies. They're investment vehicles with small operational functions. We are being rinsed (pun intended) and the British people are sitting back and accepting it. The French would have stormed the barricades if this happened there.
Did the esteemed Mr Henderson mention any cap or moratorium on dividends? I doubt it. It would appear that we're a nation that's collectively too thick to realise that our bills are rising because profits from our public services have filled the accounts of merchant bankers and hedge funders.
I agree. Re-nationalisation of critical national infrastructure is the answer.
Folks. We're paying the highest taxes in history and the country is literally falling apart around us.
We all need to be asking WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE? |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:13 - Feb 2 with 2688 views | MattinLondon |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:04 - Feb 2 by Plums |
They are no longer water companies. They're investment vehicles with small operational functions. We are being rinsed (pun intended) and the British people are sitting back and accepting it. The French would have stormed the barricades if this happened there.
Did the esteemed Mr Henderson mention any cap or moratorium on dividends? I doubt it. It would appear that we're a nation that's collectively too thick to realise that our bills are rising because profits from our public services have filled the accounts of merchant bankers and hedge funders.
I agree. Re-nationalisation of critical national infrastructure is the answer.
Folks. We're paying the highest taxes in history and the country is literally falling apart around us.
We all need to be asking WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE? |
Is renationalising relatively easy to do? Aren’t a lot of pensions tied in to privatisated utilities? | | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:14 - Feb 2 with 2690 views | ChaplinsLob |
It makes no sense to me why a water company should make profits from its population. It should be non-profit, every penny and more going into maintaining and improving the network.
See also the railway network. Slowly remove all these rubbish franchises one by one and nationalise so not to cause meltdown. Put every penny into improvements and maintenance. If a current franchise is doing well, let them continue but make sure the network is joined up.
Interested in hearing more about labours plans to create a new electricity company. If its similar to what I have in my head its a gamechanger, but make it competative with eventual profits going to the treasury. |  | | |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:21 - Feb 2 with 2629 views | NthQldITFC |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:04 - Feb 2 by Plums |
They are no longer water companies. They're investment vehicles with small operational functions. We are being rinsed (pun intended) and the British people are sitting back and accepting it. The French would have stormed the barricades if this happened there.
Did the esteemed Mr Henderson mention any cap or moratorium on dividends? I doubt it. It would appear that we're a nation that's collectively too thick to realise that our bills are rising because profits from our public services have filled the accounts of merchant bankers and hedge funders.
I agree. Re-nationalisation of critical national infrastructure is the answer.
Folks. We're paying the highest taxes in history and the country is literally falling apart around us.
We all need to be asking WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE? |
WHERE IS THE MONEY STILL GOING?
We are allowing ourselves, this very moment, to be raped by corrupt politicians and frenzied 'investors' who are picking our pockets as they do it.
I'd agree that the French have retained more spirit and courage than we have.
I'm revolting. | |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:26 - Feb 2 with 2596 views | MattinLondon |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:21 - Feb 2 by NthQldITFC |
WHERE IS THE MONEY STILL GOING?
We are allowing ourselves, this very moment, to be raped by corrupt politicians and frenzied 'investors' who are picking our pockets as they do it.
I'd agree that the French have retained more spirit and courage than we have.
I'm revolting. |
Where is the money still going? Possibly its ending up in places like Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Bermuda.
By sure coincidence those places have one thing in common. | | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:28 - Feb 2 with 2577 views | DJR |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:14 - Feb 2 by ChaplinsLob |
It makes no sense to me why a water company should make profits from its population. It should be non-profit, every penny and more going into maintaining and improving the network.
See also the railway network. Slowly remove all these rubbish franchises one by one and nationalise so not to cause meltdown. Put every penny into improvements and maintenance. If a current franchise is doing well, let them continue but make sure the network is joined up.
Interested in hearing more about labours plans to create a new electricity company. If its similar to what I have in my head its a gamechanger, but make it competative with eventual profits going to the treasury. |
Part of the problem it seems to me with renationalisation (which in principle I support) is that the public service ethos and expertise that pervaded the nationalised industries has disappeared.
Don't forget that the first thing many of the privatised utilities did was to use huge pension surpluses to give early retirement to those with years of experience, my dad being an example.
Putting it another way, nationalising a broken system will not in my view bring the same benefits as would have been the case had the system not been privatised in the first case. [Post edited 2 Feb 9:29]
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:29 - Feb 2 with 2565 views | J2BLUE |
Talking of above inflation, phone companies add 3.9% plus whatever the inflation rate is. That is absolutely crazy. |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:35 - Feb 2 with 2502 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:13 - Feb 2 by MattinLondon |
Is renationalising relatively easy to do? Aren’t a lot of pensions tied in to privatisated utilities? |
No it’s not easy, which is why Corbyn’s manifesto was largely guesswork - you can only forecast the cost of the equities, and he missed key infrastructure from the estimate. It would take years in the courts, and needs to be done in such away to avoid flight of FDI, people won’t want to invest here if the government can take their assets at will - see Venezuela who’ve been unable to tap some of the largest reserves in the world after kicking out Western firms.
But it can be done sensibly it just needs some long term thinking to ensure stability. Unfortunately our politicians are an able or unwilling to see past the next election cycle. France recently completed the nationalisation of EDF (unfortunately they lost EUR 18bn in the first year of state ownership), and nobody is talking of pulling investment from France. [Post edited 2 Feb 10:02]
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:44 - Feb 2 with 2427 views | mo_itfc |
Yeah, but the boats!!!
Won't someone please stop the boats?!?! | |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:52 - Feb 2 with 2376 views | lowhouseblue |
the water industry needs huge / mind boggling levels of investment. where is it going to come from? increasing bills wouldn't provide enough. do we fund it from general tax (what would we cut to make that possible)? if we borrow it then we have to pay a return on that investment to evil "investors" (pension funds and the like). unless you believe that the state can magically provide / commandeer all the capital that the industry needs you need to have a plan to fund it. |  |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:58 - Feb 2 with 2326 views | NthQldITFC |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:28 - Feb 2 by DJR |
Part of the problem it seems to me with renationalisation (which in principle I support) is that the public service ethos and expertise that pervaded the nationalised industries has disappeared.
Don't forget that the first thing many of the privatised utilities did was to use huge pension surpluses to give early retirement to those with years of experience, my dad being an example.
Putting it another way, nationalising a broken system will not in my view bring the same benefits as would have been the case had the system not been privatised in the first case. [Post edited 2 Feb 9:29]
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Agree, but it still has to be done. | |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 10:05 - Feb 2 with 2294 views | Pinewoodblue |
Inflation busting increases approved by government appointed regulators is something I would expect a Labour Government to put a stop to.
It doesn’t all get invested in infrastructure too much of it is creamed off, not just to shareholders but also senior management.
Communications is another example mobile phones etc inflation +3.9% |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:02 - Feb 2 with 2013 views | jontysnut |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:54 - Feb 2 by keighleyblue |
FUN FACT: England is the ONLY country in the world to have privatised its ENTIRE water system |
My dad used to work for the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority in the 60s looking after gangs of rum old boys, no doubt with string tied round their trouser legs, who cleared streams, rivers and drains etc to prevent flooding. Little of that happens now. |  | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:17 - Feb 2 with 1970 views | GavTWTD |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 08:24 - Feb 2 by Swansea_Blue |
“Why the hell do we put up with this sh!t?” Literally.
If people don’t care about the sewage discharges killing off life in our rivers and leading to beaches being closed, they’re not going to bat an eyelid at money being creamed off. Sadly. |
There's an item on today's news about rainwater runoff from our roads, containing poisonous chemicals. I didn't catch it all, but stopping that is mindboggling. Perhaps something is needed for motorways and may already be factored but its all such a massive problem. |  |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:23 - Feb 2 with 1934 views | leitrimblue |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:02 - Feb 2 by jontysnut |
My dad used to work for the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority in the 60s looking after gangs of rum old boys, no doubt with string tied round their trouser legs, who cleared streams, rivers and drains etc to prevent flooding. Little of that happens now. |
We clearly need more gangs of rum uns with string tied around their trouser legs to sort out drainage problems etc. TWTD |  | | |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:25 - Feb 2 with 1923 views | NthQldITFC |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:02 - Feb 2 by jontysnut |
My dad used to work for the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority in the 60s looking after gangs of rum old boys, no doubt with string tied round their trouser legs, who cleared streams, rivers and drains etc to prevent flooding. Little of that happens now. |
I still wear string tied round my trouser legs. | |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:31 - Feb 2 with 1900 views | Pinewoodblue |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 09:29 - Feb 2 by J2BLUE |
Talking of above inflation, phone companies add 3.9% plus whatever the inflation rate is. That is absolutely crazy. |
Only because they are allowed, by the relevant regulator, to do so.
Wonder if Labour will put a stop to that, has to be some difference. | |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:33 - Feb 2 with 1884 views | leitrimblue |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:25 - Feb 2 by NthQldITFC |
I still wear string tied round my trouser legs. |
I put a small stick inside my wellie just in case a badger rushes out and attempts to bite my leg. Apparently this way it will hear/feel the stick crack and think it's my leg bone and release it.
Absolute genuis [Post edited 2 Feb 14:33]
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:41 - Feb 2 with 1839 views | NthQldITFC |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:33 - Feb 2 by leitrimblue |
I put a small stick inside my wellie just in case a badger rushes out and attempts to bite my leg. Apparently this way it will hear/feel the stick crack and think it's my leg bone and release it.
Absolute genuis [Post edited 2 Feb 14:33]
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Viz was more than just a tit and bum gags compendium, wasn't it?
(not that I'd have minded if it wasn't.) | |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:46 - Feb 2 with 1807 views | DJR |
| What a sh!tty, greedy, scummy society we've become. on 14:02 - Feb 2 by jontysnut |
My dad used to work for the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority in the 60s looking after gangs of rum old boys, no doubt with string tied round their trouser legs, who cleared streams, rivers and drains etc to prevent flooding. Little of that happens now. |
I live alongside a stream which drains into the Medway and which, when I moved in 25 years ago, was under the control of a local drainage board which cleared the stream and banks of vegetation and the like a couple of times a year.
Their functions were taken over by the Environment Agency about 20 years ago, but the funding didn't follow, so that work is no longer done.
I do keep my side of the bank clear and remove objects from the stream, but most householders along the stream don't, thus increasing the risk of flooding.
As it is, the Medway, being traditionally subject to flooding since it was made navigable in the late 18th century, has something (the Leigh Barrier) which I think is unique in the country, especially to prevent flooding in Tonbridge.
The Leigh flood storage area reduces the risk of flooding to around 1,200 homes and businesses in Tonbridge and Hildenborough. It works by storing the peak of a flood upstream and releasing it in a controlled manner once the peak has passed.
The flood storage area sits between the villages of Leigh and Penshurst. When full, it covers approximately 278 hectares. It is formed of a 1.3 kilometre long, 5 metre high earth embankment across the Medway valley. The River Medway itself passes through 3 steel gates built into the embankment. These gates control the amount of water flowing downstream by either letting the river flow normally, or restricting the flow to hold water in the storage area.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leigh-flood-storage-area/leigh-flood- [Post edited 2 Feb 14:54]
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