UK energy bills forecast to hit £3,850 as Russia cuts gas supply further
British households face being told shortly before Christmas to brace for annual energy bills of £3,850, three times what they were paying at the start of 2022, after Russia further squeezed Europe’s gas supplies.
Consumers were also warned that annual charges of more than £3,500 a year, or £300 a month, could become the norm “well into 2024”.
If the next Prime Minister were to call a general election immediately after enthronement, we could end up with a most interesting situation.
The two main parties are unlikely to relish explaining such enormous energy bills and the inevitable hardship stories. It could become very grisly indeed and more importantly, very politically destructive. 'Poisoned chalice' hardly begins to describe it.
In which case, which losing strategies are the main parties likely to adopt for the election? They both have MPs who would do a fine job of losing support if thrust to the front of the campaign so maybe that's all they need to do.
In which case, which losing strategies are the main parties likely to adopt for the election? They both have MPs who would do a fine job of losing support if thrust to the front of the campaign so maybe that's all they need to do.
Both parties would thoroughly understand the need to lose, so it's a finely balanced strategic question this one. Could go either way.
8 comments:
No chance. The lure of power, even for a poisoned chalice, will win out.
Now if MPs were paid by results you might see a different approach. But then MPs would collectively fight tooth and nail to avoid being held to account.
There is quite a stream of turds moving in slow motion towards the heat pump fan.
The NHS, H2S, financial crash, "vaccine" scandle, food shortage. And those are just the ones we know about.
Who would not want to duck that cascade of custard pies.
I see only one option for them if they want to be re-elected. Net zero must be paused, green subsidies must be removed and UK extracted gas and oil must be supplied to the UK at extraction cost not tied to world prices. When the country is back to being able to afford to stay warm and fed they can rethink about resuming it if they must.
There is no other way to significantly reduce costs and improve living standards and GDP immediately across the board, from manufacturing and jobs through to personal budgets. Bet they won't do it though, they will just fiddle round the edges.
" supplied to the UK at extraction cost not tied to world prices."
Venezuela tried that. Didn't turn out well.
That's a fine question. Thinking about it, I've come to the conclusion that Boris looked into the crystal ball and started organising some parties and photographers a couple of years ago. Then he had to pretend his insane wife had decided to ban cars and gas boilers. Finally, he paid a government whip to touch people up in a top Tory club. Reputational damage is hard to bear, but anything would be better than facing this winter.
It's a bit hypothetical.
I assume Tory party members will vote for the screeching educationally subnormal woman as leader.
She will be chucked out after a short while, same is IDS (the previous leader to be elected by members, didn't end well) and replaced with somebody who at least looks capable.
Next election can be postponed until 2024.
At that stage, house prices won't have crashed again (yet - not due until 2025 or 2026) and the rule is, if house prices are going up, the party in govt. gets re-elected. Major managed to narrowly buck this trend somehow, but I think Labour threw away that election rather than Major winning it (as great as he turned out to be).
DJ - and if paid by results, MPs would fudge the interpretation of results as bureaucrats do.
Doonhamer - and that stream of turds moving towards the fan must surely select people who are so up themselves that they think they can get away with being part of it all.
Woodsy - yes, pausing Net Zero could be controversial enough and pragmatic enough to offer a number of political distraction advantages without necessarily dropping it altogether. Ought to be a winner although the loons would scream very loudly indeed.
Peter - yes, it comes from very similar political delusions.
Sam - it's odd because Boris must be astute enough to know what a poisoned chalice he has escaped even though he'll probably be blamed. He appears to have been pushed out but I'm not so sure.
Mark - the odd things is that they must have a few MPs who at least look capable, but they aren't very good at guiding such people into the leadership role even though doing that is in their interests as a party.
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