[doodles]

"Devasting blow" for households in fuel poverty
Not enough MPs bothered to turn up to vote for the Fuel Poverty Bill

The Fuel Poverty Bill has been thrown out of parliament because not enough MPs could be bothered to vote.

The Bill proposed to make homes more energy-efficient and introduce lower prices for vulnerable households, but was rejected in its second reading in the House of Commons this afternoon. It recieved 89 votes for and two votes against - but needed 100 votes to get through.
More>> "Devasting blow" for households in fuel poverty

[Ethics Gradient]

I suppose if I only earned £63,291 per year I couldn't be bothered to turn up for work on a friday.

That's 85% of our MP's didn't turn up to vote.... I'd like to know what those 555 MP's were doing on a Friday afternoon.

If I told my boss I was leaving early on Fridays to get home to the country, I would generally be told where to go in no uncertain manner.

[jendo]

This seems disgusting to me. Unless some information appears to change my mind, I am actually going to get off my but and do something and I ask you to do the same.
This link will find your MP
UK Parliament - Find Your MP

David Heath, the Liberal Democrat MP, put forward the Fuel Poverty Bill and can be contacted at this email
davidheath@davidheath.co.uk

[Anotherlimey]

Have emailed my local MP on the issue.

[JohnG]

If it's anything like my local MP then you won't get an answer and he won't be interested unless it gets him in the papers or on the television.
When I last spoke to my MP on the phone he was uninterested to say the least and sounded like he was asleep.

[oakie]

These scumers get travel for nowt so theres no reason not to turn up

Is there anyway to find out who went and voted?

[oldnewbie]

Originally Posted by oakie

These scumers get travel for nowt so theres no reason not to turn up

Is there anyway to find out who went and voted?

Disgusting isn't it Here is the list of those who could be bothered to turn up Hansard - Commons | Houses of Parliament

[JohnG]

I notice Mr Skinner was there, he must be one of the highest attenders in the house surely. My local MP (Alan Meale) was nowhere to be seen, as expected.

[Sporran]

Ours was home.

The irony being he was interviewed in Milford Haven welcoming in the first delivery of LNG.

BBC NEWS | Wales | South West Wales | First liquid gas delivery in port

[paul1967]

Sent a letter to Dr Taylor just as he is there as a independant,health concern MP.

[Ed Selley]

I notice Vince Cable was there- can't we simply elect him as a benevolent dictator? It surely couldn't result in a shonkier situation than we have at present.

I shall ask my MP (who has always looked a little too much like Alan B'stard for my liking anyway) what he was up to yesterday. I'm a cranky, unemployed person- its the nearest thing I have to a job.

[damo_in_sale]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if my memory serves me correct, fuel poverty is where a household spends 10% of their household income on fuel.

If I have an income of one million pounds per year, and I spend one hundred thousand pounds per year on energy (my private Bombardier jet just gobbles up the fuel you know), then I am in fuel poverty.

Like that other lefty measure of poverty, relative poverty, it is a nonsense.

Please get upset about something that matters, like a £150,000,000,000 budget deficit for next year (many think that's optimistic). Or this years budget deficit, predicted to be just over forty billion by our chancellor in November, now touching 90 billion (very close to the one hundred billion that I predicted and Andy ridiculed not very long ago).

And if this energy issue is so important for you, then lobby the government to lower taxation on it, since the biggest slice of ones energy bill goes straight to HM Treasury.

Kind regards,

Damo

[Ed Selley]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

Please get upset about something that matters, like a £150,000,000,000 budget deficit for next year (many think that's optimistic). Or this years budget deficit, predicted to be just over forty billion by our chancellor in November, now touching 90 billion (very close to the one hundred billion that I predicted and Andy ridiculed not very long ago).

I'd still rather have Vince Cable in sole control for trying to deal with that as well.

[oldnewbie]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if my memory serves me correct, fuel poverty is where a household spends 10% of their household income on fuel.

If I have an income of one million pounds per year, and I spend one hundred thousand pounds per year on energy (my private Bombardier jet just gobbles up the fuel you know), then I am in fuel poverty.

Like that other lefty measure of poverty, relative poverty, it is a nonsense.

Please get upset about something that matters, like a £150,000,000,000 budget deficit for next year (many think that's optimistic). Or this years budget deficit, predicted to be just over forty billion by our chancellor in November, now touching 90 billion (very close to the one hundred billion that I predicted and Andy ridiculed not very long ago).

And if this energy issue is so important for you, then lobby the government to lower taxation on it, since the biggest slice of ones energy bill goes straight to HM Treasury.

Kind regards,

Damo

This is surely a wind up, Its called compassion, There are so many old people die each winter with the cold because of fear that they cant afford to heat there homes even though they get winter fuel payments, So I would suggest instead of concentrating on how the global downturn in the current financial climate is affecting just you why don't you spare a thought for others less fortunate ie have some compassion

[Ethics Gradient]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if my memory serves me correct, fuel poverty is where a household spends 10% of their household income on fuel.

If I have an income of one million pounds per year, and I spend one hundred thousand pounds per year on energy (my private Bombardier jet just gobbles up the fuel you know), then I am in fuel poverty.

Like that other lefty measure of poverty, relative poverty, it is a nonsense.

Please get upset about something that matters, like a £150,000,000,000 budget deficit for next year (many think that's optimistic). Or this years budget deficit, predicted to be just over forty billion by our chancellor in November, now touching 90 billion (very close to the one hundred billion that I predicted and Andy ridiculed not very long ago).

And if this energy issue is so important for you, then lobby the government to lower taxation on it, since the biggest slice of ones energy bill goes straight to HM Treasury.

Kind regards,

Damo

whether they voted for or against is not the full issue here - 555 MP's that are supposed to represent us the public did not even bother to turn up at 1:30 on a Friday afteroon.

They get paid £63k

[IPaintSara]

MPs always used to bugger off at Friday lunchtime to beat the traffic. Blair encouraged them to take Constituency Fridays, to work in their constituencies on Friday and not because he didn't want them cluttering the House up and asking awkward questions about his megalomaniac schemes. This has had the effect of MPs now buggering off at Thursday lunchtime, all except for the speaker who rarely shows his face before Tuesday in any case. MPs who simply can't be arsed with attending like to put in a written question on Monday, collect the answer later in the week and then phone their usually supine local newspaper who write it up to make it look like their MP has actually done something that week

[jasonf01]

Originally Posted by Ethics Gradient

whether they voted for or against is not the full issue here - 555 MP's that are supposed to represent us the public did not even bother to turn up at 1:30 on a Friday afteroon.

They get paid £63k

For £63K, I'd take a tent and camp in the commons all week!

No, seriously, I would if they'd let me!

Jas.

[damo_in_sale]

From the Times story, linked by the OP, is this gem:

"There are currently 5.5 million households living in “fuel poverty”, where one tenth or more of income goes on gas and electricity bills. David Heath, the Liberal Democrat MP, put forward the Fuel Poverty Bill after it has become clear that the Government’s attempts at tackling the problem were not working."

The very notion that 5.5 million HOUSEHOLDS are living in 'fuel poverty' just goes to show what a nonsense the whole definition of 'fuel poverty' is. It is as meaningless and as stupid a definition as 'relative poverty', whereby North Korea would be at or about the very best performing of all nations.

Originally Posted by oldnewbie

This is surely a wind up,

I am afraid not

Originally Posted by oldnewbie

Its called compassion,

I call it accepting a dumb definition without thought. The very definition of 'fuel poverty' is stupid.

Originally Posted by oldnewbie

There are so many old people die each winter with the cold because of fear that they cant afford to heat there homes even though they get winter fuel payments,

My Grandma's sole income is from the taxpayer, and according to her she is awash with money. So much so that she offers me money every time I see her (which I refuse, of course).

I suspect that the people who are in real trouble are those who saved all their life, and as a result aren't eligible for Mr. Browns means tested 'benefits'. These are people who rely on the interest on their savings to provide an income in retirement. These are people who understand that dipping into their savings principle means diminished returns on their investment and hence diminished income.

Many of these elderly folk would do better to withdraw their savings, burn the whole bleeding lot and ask for Mr. Browns benefits.

Originally Posted by oldnewbie

So I would suggest instead of concentrating on how the global downturn in the current financial climate is affecting just you why don't you spare a thought for others less fortunate ie have some compassion

I am unaware of any comments I have made regarding the current economic climate, and how it has affected me.

In fact, given that I had predicted that Gordon Browns economic miracle was a sham, many many times in these very forums (and during the so called 'good years'), I have arranged my finances in such a way that I benefit from Mr. Browns incompetence.

It is my understanding that there, quite possibly, might be elderly people in the future. By considering HMG's annual deficit (which is monstrous), and railing against it, I think that I am looking out for their future.

As for the 'global downturn', in simply stating it as such one forgoes cause and effect. And identifying cause and effect is somewhat important.
Markets such as the UK and USA were awash with debt, and debt not only buoyed our economy but also those nations who produced our goods and services- China, India, Germany, Japan, Taiwan etc.
And now, there is nobody stupid enough to lend to us, and so we can no longer consume as in the past.

This is a failure of monetary policy, both in the US and the UK. It was pathetically lax, and deliberately so, and now our citizens are consumed in massive debt.


Kind regards,

Damo

[jendo]

I can see were you are coming from mate. With fuel costs rising so sharply more people are falling in that bracket then expected. Maybe a reclassification is needed to target the help where its most needed. Although it still doesn't change the fact that most MPs couldn't be bothered to vote on a bill that should of sailed through its second reading.

[dazza74]

I'd be quite happy if it was only 10% personally for me at the moment of my current income. First proper paying job I've managed to get this week since the new year and it will all go on paying this month's quaterly gas and electric along with the car insurance, oh well at least it's sunny

[IPaintSara]

The only thing that stops this island being as cold as southern Alaska is the Gulf Stream and if climate change messes with that its going to be time to buy some rather thick underwear. Rather than introducing new measures to alleviate fuel poverty the government should have restricted price rises last year. The firm that Gordon Brown's brother works for had its price rise capped at 5% in France, in Britain it got away with over 30%.

There are a great many houses to which insulation cannot be fitted so perhaps its time to look at replacing the worst housing stock. As a longer term measure this country needs to lose its obsession with flimsy brick built houses and go for super insulated triple glazed structures with communal heat pumps. Cool in summer, warm in winter.