Has anyone seen the latest on this?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65626241
Thanks god Feargal Sharkey acts as the sensible voice of reason!
Environmental campaigner and former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey said people had put their trust in the regulators, the government and the system to do the right thing, but instead they had "poisoned our rivers and taken our money".
Calling it a "half apology", he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The whole thing is utter chaos. What we need is somebody in charge to simply enforce and hold these companies properly to account - not more vacuous, empty promises about putting our bills up and punishing the customers."
"They are now suggesting we should pay them a second time for a service we haven't had. We should have an apology for the suggestion they are going to put bills up by £10 billion for their incompetence and their greed."
Well said Feargal
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65626241
Thanks god Feargal Sharkey acts as the sensible voice of reason!
Environmental campaigner and former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey said people had put their trust in the regulators, the government and the system to do the right thing, but instead they had "poisoned our rivers and taken our money".
Calling it a "half apology", he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The whole thing is utter chaos. What we need is somebody in charge to simply enforce and hold these companies properly to account - not more vacuous, empty promises about putting our bills up and punishing the customers."
"They are now suggesting we should pay them a second time for a service we haven't had. We should have an apology for the suggestion they are going to put bills up by £10 billion for their incompetence and their greed."
Well said Feargal
In reply to Post #1
Fergal has certainly given a higher profile to the many existing campaigns.
I started to become more aware of the issues when I followed Ray Walton on Facebook.
He has been brilliant at unearthing the info on the water companies, their pollution incident histories, chief executive pay and bonuses, shareholder dividends, foreign investment fund ownership of the water companies, etc...
Ray deserve's a medal for his tireless work on this
Fergal has certainly given a higher profile to the many existing campaigns.
I started to become more aware of the issues when I followed Ray Walton on Facebook.
He has been brilliant at unearthing the info on the water companies, their pollution incident histories, chief executive pay and bonuses, shareholder dividends, foreign investment fund ownership of the water companies, etc...
Ray deserve's a medal for his tireless work on this
In reply to Post #2
Good shout Dave. Another river guardian not afraid to speak out.
Good shout Dave. Another river guardian not afraid to speak out.
In reply to Post #1
Feargal Sharkey has been active for some time and was a politician in Ireland, I'm glad to hear him speak out as I've said before the water companies have been milking it for too long, paying big dividends to wealthy share holders that should have been invested in modern plant and expansion of existing plants. Sadly these companies won't pay the price it will be the working people yet again .same with the energy companies blaming the war in Ukraine, coved blah blah when it's our government that sold out to french who keep our prices high to subsidise theirs.
Feargal Sharkey has been active for some time and was a politician in Ireland, I'm glad to hear him speak out as I've said before the water companies have been milking it for too long, paying big dividends to wealthy share holders that should have been invested in modern plant and expansion of existing plants. Sadly these companies won't pay the price it will be the working people yet again .same with the energy companies blaming the war in Ukraine, coved blah blah when it's our government that sold out to french who keep our prices high to subsidise theirs.
In reply to Post #1
I meticulously remember when Thatcher privatised the Water Industry in 1989, it was done on the guarantee that when privatised they would invest into replacing the old Victorian Water & Sewage systems. Now it's blatantly obvious to anyone with even a miniscule bit of intelligence that these guarantees have not been fulfilled – no matter how you look at it, that's a “Blatant Fraud!”
It's way over due that all the Water Companies were prosecuted, they truly have taken the p out of the customers for 34 years, I think the politicians who's job it was to monitor them over those years should also be prosecuted for sheer incompetence in office too!
I meticulously remember when Thatcher privatised the Water Industry in 1989, it was done on the guarantee that when privatised they would invest into replacing the old Victorian Water & Sewage systems. Now it's blatantly obvious to anyone with even a miniscule bit of intelligence that these guarantees have not been fulfilled – no matter how you look at it, that's a “Blatant Fraud!”
It's way over due that all the Water Companies were prosecuted, they truly have taken the p out of the customers for 34 years, I think the politicians who's job it was to monitor them over those years should also be prosecuted for sheer incompetence in office too!
In reply to Post #5
Agreed. Those politicians who are now saying that the investment is needed had the chance to vote to punish the water companies and voted against it in their hundreds.
Decades of paying for something that hasn't been done.
Agreed. Those politicians who are now saying that the investment is needed had the chance to vote to punish the water companies and voted against it in their hundreds.
Decades of paying for something that hasn't been done.
In reply to Post #6
Shameful really.
Shameful really.
Comparatively our rivers are filthy compared to most of Europe. Which have largely been improving during the same period our water quality was declining. The untreated sewage releases are frankly scary.
In reply to Post #5
Spot on, Keith.
It would be interesting to know if the terms and conditions of investment in future infrastructure were stipulated in the privatisation documents.
Just shows how toothless and complicit OFWAT are in all of this.
The British water comanies are mostly owned by foreign investment and pension companies, so they have little care about British water quality, and interested in prof it for shareholders.
If there were terms and conditions that were breached then hopefully there is an avanue to persue renationalisation as they have defaulted. Hopefully it's a cheap way out of this mess.
Water companies now will try and charge the consumers extra to fund the work they have neglected for all this time.
BARSTEWARDS.
Spot on, Keith.
It would be interesting to know if the terms and conditions of investment in future infrastructure were stipulated in the privatisation documents.
Just shows how toothless and complicit OFWAT are in all of this.
The British water comanies are mostly owned by foreign investment and pension companies, so they have little care about British water quality, and interested in prof it for shareholders.
If there were terms and conditions that were breached then hopefully there is an avanue to persue renationalisation as they have defaulted. Hopefully it's a cheap way out of this mess.
Water companies now will try and charge the consumers extra to fund the work they have neglected for all this time.
BARSTEWARDS.
In reply to Post #8
Our rivers were spotless, the environment agency spent decade's, as long as I can remember, returning them to a decent state only to be put into a recent rapidly declining state by business and politicians backing them
The environment is number 1 and sustainability is another big factor that should be driving business. Managing waste streams and ultimately reducing or eliminating then!
This has literally opened the flood gates for business to do what it wants, and they will!
The corncern for me is that the decisions made, what I have read have not been made on facts or data just some stupid politicians opinion and they should be held accountable. It needs to stop now before the damage is irreparable. As I have said before, in another 100 years time when everything is seriously ****ed they will look back at our era as a very dirty one and rightly so
I have always been a fan of nature and that has a direct link to the environment, it's the major influence and dare I say it greed is destroying everything. From a UK perspective we have the power to control this and we should but it comes at a cost (example waste disposal) but what chance has UK business got when we are competing with mass produced Chinese crap as a whole and a nation who don't give a flying **** about their people or the environment.
All UK business needs regulation to ensure that they manage and control their waste in the most environmentally focused way possible, it's that simple otherwise it's a free for all and business will put pressure on politicians to save costs to “save jobs” (share holders profits) but the message is simple for me, if you cannot run a viable business then you should not be operating, sounds hard line but that's a fact. Stop dumping effluent into our waterways and fine them, but fine them hard!
Our rivers were spotless, the environment agency spent decade's, as long as I can remember, returning them to a decent state only to be put into a recent rapidly declining state by business and politicians backing them
The environment is number 1 and sustainability is another big factor that should be driving business. Managing waste streams and ultimately reducing or eliminating then!
This has literally opened the flood gates for business to do what it wants, and they will!
The corncern for me is that the decisions made, what I have read have not been made on facts or data just some stupid politicians opinion and they should be held accountable. It needs to stop now before the damage is irreparable. As I have said before, in another 100 years time when everything is seriously ****ed they will look back at our era as a very dirty one and rightly so
I have always been a fan of nature and that has a direct link to the environment, it's the major influence and dare I say it greed is destroying everything. From a UK perspective we have the power to control this and we should but it comes at a cost (example waste disposal) but what chance has UK business got when we are competing with mass produced Chinese crap as a whole and a nation who don't give a flying **** about their people or the environment.
All UK business needs regulation to ensure that they manage and control their waste in the most environmentally focused way possible, it's that simple otherwise it's a free for all and business will put pressure on politicians to save costs to “save jobs” (share holders profits) but the message is simple for me, if you cannot run a viable business then you should not be operating, sounds hard line but that's a fact. Stop dumping effluent into our waterways and fine them, but fine them hard!
In reply to Post #10
When a business makes tens of millions a quarter million quid fine is nothing. Many of these companies as said are foreign owned and often the big share holder are companies as well so the top owner is hard to track down and may have no say in the decision making . My local sewage company appears to be sixty percent owned by an Australian guy who also when I was searching also had a huge stake in Thames water. Personally this talk of raising prices to cover improvement costs stinks of cover up and I'd like to see them trace all major shareholders who have profited and make them pay .
When a business makes tens of millions a quarter million quid fine is nothing. Many of these companies as said are foreign owned and often the big share holder are companies as well so the top owner is hard to track down and may have no say in the decision making . My local sewage company appears to be sixty percent owned by an Australian guy who also when I was searching also had a huge stake in Thames water. Personally this talk of raising prices to cover improvement costs stinks of cover up and I'd like to see them trace all major shareholders who have profited and make them pay .
In reply to Post #9
I'm willing to bet that Margaret Thatcher sold them off with minimal conditions.
The theory was, she didn't want the government to take the hit from modernisation, although I'm sure company profits in the 1980's were enough to improve the infrastructure.
This foreign investment is in every company that was privatised, utilities, public transport, steel, nothing remains in British hands.
What no government since Thatcher has understood is that you need to invest money from this country into this country. That means British companies investing money in training employees (apprentices, doctors, nurses), British owned Power stations, British owned utilities, or you end up relying on foreign imported workers...
I really hope all the above get renationalised.
I'm glad that big names like Feargal Sharkey and Paul Whitehouse are calling the government out on sewage, the general population has been ignored.
I can't remember who said it, but the big CEO's need to be jailed rather than the companies just fined.
I'm willing to bet that Margaret Thatcher sold them off with minimal conditions.
The theory was, she didn't want the government to take the hit from modernisation, although I'm sure company profits in the 1980's were enough to improve the infrastructure.
This foreign investment is in every company that was privatised, utilities, public transport, steel, nothing remains in British hands.
What no government since Thatcher has understood is that you need to invest money from this country into this country. That means British companies investing money in training employees (apprentices, doctors, nurses), British owned Power stations, British owned utilities, or you end up relying on foreign imported workers...
I really hope all the above get renationalised.
I'm glad that big names like Feargal Sharkey and Paul Whitehouse are calling the government out on sewage, the general population has been ignored.
I can't remember who said it, but the big CEO's need to be jailed rather than the companies just fined.
Surprisingly, it was staunch Tory Nick Ferrari of LBC fame who suggested prison. And to be frank, I wholeheartedly agree with him. Fergal Sharkey, Ray Walton and Paul Whitehouse have all been excellent on this issue and deserve the absolute backing of the public. It's taken time but this country is politically a disgusting place nowadays.
In reply to Post #13
Surprisingly, it was staunch Tory Nick Ferrari of LBC fame who suggested prison
Thank you, I remember seeing the video come up on my FB newsfeed, but not who it was.
Surprisingly, it was staunch Tory Nick Ferrari of LBC fame who suggested prison
Thank you, I remember seeing the video come up on my FB newsfeed, but not who it was.
In reply to Post #13
Politically disgusting....
The mp's who voted to allow the water companies to carry on dumping sewage...
Including the ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY therese coffey and her junior ministers Rebecca Pow and Mark Spencer ffs...
https://www.carvemag.com/2023/01/every-uk-mp-who-just-voted-to-allow-water-companies-to-continue-dumping-raw-sewage-in-rivers-and-the-sea/
Use your vote to make a difference
Politically disgusting....
The mp's who voted to allow the water companies to carry on dumping sewage...
Including the ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY therese coffey and her junior ministers Rebecca Pow and Mark Spencer ffs...
https://www.carvemag.com/2023/01/every-uk-mp-who-just-voted-to-allow-water-companies-to-continue-dumping-raw-sewage-in-rivers-and-the-sea/
Use your vote to make a difference