Water is a public good, not a commodity. Today there will be a hearing in the European Parliament on the European Citizens Initiative – Right to Water (watch it live online). Nearly two million people signed this initiative across Europe, asking the European Commission to propose legislation implementing the human right to water and sanitation as recognised by […]
Posts Tagged ‘Utilities’
The case for public ownership
Dec 5th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The public’s demand for re-nationalisation is steadily growing, partly because the record of privatised companies has been so poor, partly because the excuse of globalisation is now seen not to betoken greater efficiency but rather funnelling increasing assets to the very rich and undermining job security for workers, and partly the big new outsourcing companies […]
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Water companies are as bad as Starbucks, Google & Amazon
Nov 19th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.The banks forced a £800bn bailout on the taxpayer after the derivatives crash, as well as manipulating Libor to enhance their profits or hide their weakness, and now are enmeshed in £10-15bn repayment to clients for their PPI mis-selling scandal. The Big 6 energy companies are likely (though of course they deny it) fiddling the wholesale […]
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Some basic demands the left must start to make
Dec 29th, 2011 by James Bloodworth.Ever since the inception of New Labour, the left in Britain has been characterised by timidity when faced with an electorate ready to embrace change. The reluctance to break with a right-wing status quo has not been confined solely to the British labour movement either, but has become a commonplace right across the contemporary European […]
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The utilities – almost as bad as the banks
Nov 29th, 2010 by Michael Meacher.There are three good reasons to hate the utility companies. They raise prices as soon as wholesale markets rise, but when wholesale prices fall they delay a response and then don’t pass on more than a fraction of the wholesale price reduction. They act like a cartel, and keep their bills so confusing and complicated as to […]
