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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says the best way to bring down rising energy prices for struggling households and businesses will be to stop providing them with gas and electricity.


Party insiders said scrapping the supply of energy to homes would soon bring down household bills and help customers struggling with the cost of living.


Ms Badenoch said standing charges would remain the same and shareholders would need to be compensated for loss of income but the savings on energy consumption would cover any dividend losses incurred by struggling bond holders.


‘Using gas and electricity to heat your homes or power your business is clearly adding to the everyday cost of living.


Imagine a world without those rising energy bills and imagine a world where I was Prime Minister making difficult decisions on your behalf’.


However, under the latest Tory policy not all households would be affected by having their energy supplies cut off.


Households with an annual income of £100k would be exempt from cuts as they can clearly absorb the rise in energy prices and would not be affected in any way.


Drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea would be maximised as this would also bring down the cost of energy costs here in the UK to virtually zero. Just like it has ever since the first barrel of oil was brought ashore back in 1975.


image by Grok


Circulation figures for free newspapers have increased during 2021. However, this isn't the success story it first appears, because the extra copies are not being read by new subscribers. They are being picked up in bulk for use as fuel, for cooking and for warmth. This is because of the dramatic surge in energy prices.


Angelica and Anastasia (not their real names) agreed to talk to us about their use of free newspapers. Angelica says that the bus station and library are good sources of free papers, with copies of Mature Times, the Metro, property listings and right-on sustainable Eco papers all available. Strong bags are essential to carry the papers and its best to get there early before the commuters. It's good to take a note of publication days for weekly and monthly papers, so that you can get in first. Anastasia estimates that burning free newspapers saves her up to £5 a day in energy costs. She accepts that it isn't very eco-friendly, but shrugs and says 'I'm poor. What else can I do? I used to burn car tyres, but that was very smelly.'


Angelica's husband, Dwaynissimo (not his real name), is less keen on burning the papers and prefers to stuff them down his trousers, for insulation. He says that the Christmas double issue of the Shanklin Argos and Bugle will keep him warm until Easter.





First published 8 Jan 2022


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There is always one thing at Christmas that turns out to be the ‘must have’ present and is nowhere to be found.


Remember searching for that Tracy Island toy, or Pokémon, or Cabbage Patch dolls?


Everyone is afflicted, even the Prime Minister.  Keir Starmer’s top team are scouring all the shopping centres inside the M25 on his behalf.  And Keir himself has taken a long lunch break to search the shops on Oxford Street in London.  All to no avail.


Keir is desperately searching for the perfect Christmas gift for the UK electorate.  It is called ‘good news’, but this has been in very short supply since June 2024.  Keir has come close to finding some good news, but at the last minute it is always snatched from his grasp.  He’s even tried sourcing good news from overseas, but without success.


The ending of the two-child cap seems like good news, but if you don’t also raise the benefits cap, then it’s not as good as it looks.  Supporting our pubs seems like good news, but successive hikes in minimum wage and whacking up business rates have ruined that one.  Inflation coming down seems like good news, but if the price of food keeps going up, then that’s not so good.  Reducing electricity bills by £150 also seems like good news, but if you then load on all the costs of upgrading the national grid, then the good work is undone.


So, the search continues.  Good luck, Keir.  Only seven more shopping days to Christmas...


image from pixabay

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