Neo-liberalism

Outrage as Thames Water allowed to pay just a fifth of record pollution fines

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/outrage-thames-water-allowed-pay-just-fifth-record-pollution-fines

 A Thames Water van

THAMES WATER will only have to pay a fifth of its record £122.7 million in fines under a “sweetheart deal,” with industry regulator Ofwat branded “outrageous” by water campaigners today.

The heavily indebted utility firm was handed the penalties in May for failures over sewage treatment and paying out dividends.

It has already passed a deadline for paying them by August 20 but has now agreed to pay only a fifth by the end of next month, with the remainder subject to securing a private rescue deal and cash injection.

Ofwat said that it had set a final “backstop date” of March 31 2030 for payment of the remaining penalties whether or not Britain’s biggest water company avoids insolvency.

It would have 30 calendar days to pay up after securing such a deal or at the end of an insolvency process that would see it placed into a government special administration scheme.

River Action chief executive James Wallace said: “It is outrageous that Thames Water has been allowed to kick its fine down the road.

“This fine must be paid by those responsible, not future owners and investors.

“Ordinary people do not get to walk into court and say, ‘I’ll pay the rest of my penalty if I get a better paying job.’ Yet that is exactly the sweetheart deal Thames Water has secured.

“This is not accountability. The investors who drained the company and pocketed £170 million in dividends in October 2023 and March 2024 may never feel the consequences.

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/outrage-thames-water-allowed-pay-just-fifth-record-pollution-fines

April 2023 Surfers Against Sewage and Extinction Rebellion protests in St Agnes, Perranporth, Truro and Charlestown which unveiled spoof Blue Plaques to the MPs and Conservative Government who allowed raw sewage to be dumped in the sea (Image: Surfers Against Sewage)
April 2023 Surfers Against Sewage and Extinction Rebellion protests in St Agnes, Perranporth, Truro and Charlestown which unveiled spoof Blue Plaques to the MPs and Conservative Government who allowed raw sewage to be dumped in the sea (Image: Surfers Against Sewage)
Continue ReadingOutrage as Thames Water allowed to pay just a fifth of record pollution fines

‘Never-ending cost-of-living crisis’

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/never-ending-cost-living-crisis

 An online energy bill

Labour urged to reform energy pricing over surprise rise in bills

LABOUR was urged to reform energy pricing yesterday as unions and campaigners warned that a surprise 2 per cent rise in bills will hit 12 million homes already in fuel poverty.

GMB union hit out at the “never-ending cost-of-living crisis” after regulator Ofgem announced that the average household’s energy bill is to rise to £1,755 a year from October — despite wholesale prices falling by 2 per cent over the past three months.

Standing charges — the figure consumers pay per day to have energy supplied to their homes — are set to rise by 4 per cent for electricity and a whopping 14 per cent for gas, or 7p a day.

The 2.21 per cent year-on-year rise means average annual energy bills will be £713 higher than in winter 2020/21.

GMB national secretary Andy Prendergast said: “People are already struggling under a never-ending cost-of-living crisis.

“Any increase in energy prices could crash millions of household budgets.

“To make any green transition work, the UK has to be pragmatic: taking advantage of cheap gas prices to cut bills instead of subsidising heat pumps for the richest.

“The poorest in society must not be the ones who bear the biggest burden for saving our planet.”

Energy minister Michael Shanks blamed wholesale gas prices remaining 75 per cent above their levels before Russia invaded Ukraine. 

But End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis said: “We need urgent reforms to fix the broken pricing system, steps to ensure households benefit from targeted support for cold homes, a nationwide insulation and ventilation drive, reform of energy trading rules and lower standing charges.

“Meanwhile, expansion of renewables and upgrading the grid must be funded by investment or by tackling excess network and energy company profits, not by loading more costs onto struggling households.”

Pointing out that gas unit rates remain almost double pre-crisis levels and the cost of electricity in Britain is set by the most expensive generator — usually gas-fired power stations — he added: “It’s time for action — wind and solar are far cheaper ways of generating power and North Sea gas reserves are unable to meet domestic heating needs from 2027.”

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/never-ending-cost-living-crisis

Continue Reading‘Never-ending cost-of-living crisis’

Summer 2025 ‘almost certainly’ UK’s hottest on record

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https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c1kz18d3wjro

Victoria Jones/PA Wire

The United Kingdom has “almost certainly” had its hottest summer on record, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.

The mean temperature across the country – which includes overnight lows as well as daytime highs – currently stands at 16.13C (61.03F) with less than a week of the season left to run.

This is well ahead of 2018, the previous warmest summer, which had a mean temperature of 15.76C (60.37F).

Temperatures during the rest of August would need to be four degrees below normal to prevent the record being broken – and this does not seem likely.

This is in line with evidence that summers are getting hotter and drier because of climate change.

…

Article continues at https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c1kz18d3wjro

Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him. He says that Reform UK has received millions and millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him. He says that Reform UK has received millions and millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Continue ReadingSummer 2025 ‘almost certainly’ UK’s hottest on record

Dates for the diary: UK Labour Party Conference 2025

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UK Labour Party conference is held in Liverpool 28th September to 1st October 2025.

Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.
Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingDates for the diary: UK Labour Party Conference 2025

At least 20 far-right protests planned outside hotels housing asylum seekers over the weekend

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dangerous-moment

 Protesters outside the former Bell Hotel in Epping, July 31, 2025

AT LEAST 20 far-right protests are planned outside hotels on Friday as fascists seek to repeat last summer’s race riots, anti-racist campaigners have warned.

Stand Up to Racism warned that members and former members of the nazi terror group Combat 18 and the neonazi party Homeland have been organising or attending many of the protests.

Counter-demonstrations are being staged across the country as Labour-run councils joined Tory and Reform authorities looking to block hotels from housing asylum-seekers.

Reform leader Nigel Farage called for the protests after the High Court ordered the closure of the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, following a series of anti-migrant demonstrations.

Stand Up to Racism co-convener Weyman Bennett said: “This is a dangerous moment. The Epping ruling and the so-called protests are a licence for racism and racist attacks. 

“Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick are competing for the racist vote, and in the process are openly encouraging fascists on the ground to employ violence to get hotels closed. This will cost lives. 

“They want a repeat of the violent riots last summer. We won’t let them and will oppose the far right and racists every time they take to the streets.”  

…

Counter-demonstrations will be held in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, Leeds, Leicester, Orpington and Portsmouth on Friday, and in Bristol, Cannock, Horley, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Newcastle, and Wakefield on Saturday.

Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dangerous-moment

Climate science denier Nigel Farage explains that it's simple to blame asylum-seekers or Muslims for everything.
Climate science denier Nigel Farage explains that it’s simple to blame asylum-seekers or Muslims for everything.
Keir Starmer refuses to be outcnuted by Nigel Farage's chasing the racist bigot vote.
Keir Starmer refuses to be outcnuted by Nigel Farage’s chasing the racist bigot vote.

Continue ReadingAt least 20 far-right protests planned outside hotels housing asylum seekers over the weekend