Kingfisher

£750m lost on the first day of trading, billions lost so far. A profitable company sold off on the cheap, an unquantifiable financial loss in total.

We could be kind to the government and call this incompetence on an unimaginable scale, but from where I'm standing this is looking more and more like pretty **** serious fraud.

Well, I hope the governments 'special investors' enjoy spending our cash. I doubt the postal price rises are going to effect them. I doubt they care too much about the Royal Mail job losses.

How do you feel about your government defrauding you?

I looked for wreckage for 3 hours on google maps last night. I didn't see anything.

Oh dear, the whole grubby Royal Mail sell off gets even more grubby. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-mail/10734916/Royal-Mail-shares-taxpayers-and-small-investors-lost-out.html

We may not have the cheapest wholesale, I don't know, where did you get your info? But the EU energy portal, reports on prices to customer. That's where I got my prices from

http://www.energy.eu/

Secondly they are not just building new more efficient energy plants, which will take years to be ready. They are re commissioning existing plants which run on Lignite.

Last year Energy from Lignite, was at it's highest level in germany for nearly 25 years.

Is it harming their economy, Well they are being investigated by the EU, because to forestall job losses they are exempting companies who depend on electricity (I can't think of any company that doesn't depend on Electricity) from paying any green taxes.. This is quite clearly against both EU green laws and competition laws.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21594336-germanys-new-super-minister-energy-and-economy-has-his-work-cut-out-sunny-windy-costly

So I would say yes it is harming their economy, wouldn't you?

My argument is that no significant harm is being felt. Of course the transition to renewables isn't pain free. But to put it in perspective europe's largest economy recorded larger than expected growth in 2013.

Germany's co2 emissions are actually going down because they're producing more energy from less coal.

In this country we have higher energy prices, before tax, so unlike Germany our country isn't generating much tax revenue from household energy bills. Our government isn't gearing for a future without fossil fuels. Germany is.

People are looking closely at them, waiting for it to fail, looking for cracks. Vested interests want it to fail. We should look at Germany, learn from the mistakes. But ultimately we need to be on their path, not the path we are on.

I have to disagree. The EU energy portal records the prices the consumer pays. That quite clearly has the uk significantly lower than Germany.

As for CO2 emissions going down

well

Business green reports that Germany is going up.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2271203/uk-and-germany-see-co2-emissions-from-energy-rise-over-2012

It also reports it has the highest emissions in Europe

Der Spiegel reports how Germany is trying to block any EU co2 reduction deals

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/germany-delays-eu-decision-on-lower-co2-emissions-for-cars-a-908176.html

They are not producing less CO2 because they are producing more energy from less coal. It is quite the reverse. They are producing less energy from more coal, using lignite brown coal. Germany has the Largest deposits of this type in the world. It is often called dirty fuel.

I still don't buy the no harm is being done. Der spigel report on some of the German Automobile industry thinking of moving out of Europe.

And the EU energy portal states that Germans now pay the second highest fuel prices in Europe

http://www.renewablesinternational.net/did-co2-emissions-from-german-power-sector-drop-in-2013/150/537/75866/

Rotten to the core.

I still cling to the belief that Lucas and (the majority of) the Greens are actually in it for the morality/doing the right thing.

.

It's a nice thought, but if they got in power they'd just be riddled with bullshit like any other party.

There ain't no saints in this game.

The problem is that the system at its very core, is designed to resist change. The media machine will ignore anybody with an agenda for reform and modernisation until it can no longer, and then, if needed, discredit and attack that movement.

The House of Commons is full of extremists, Caroline Lucas is a moderate. She's simply in the game to help the ordinary people who vote for her, not to help big business, or the rich elite. That's why she is ignored.

We may not have the cheapest wholesale, I don't know, where did you get your info? But the EU energy portal, reports on prices to customer. That's where I got my prices from

http://www.energy.eu/

Secondly they are not just building new more efficient energy plants, which will take years to be ready. They are re commissioning existing plants which run on Lignite.

Last year Energy from Lignite, was at it's highest level in germany for nearly 25 years.

Is it harming their economy, Well they are being investigated by the EU, because to forestall job losses they are exempting companies who depend on electricity (I can't think of any company that doesn't depend on Electricity) from paying any green taxes.. This is quite clearly against both EU green laws and competition laws.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21594336-germanys-new-super-minister-energy-and-economy-has-his-work-cut-out-sunny-windy-costly

So I would say yes it is harming their economy, wouldn't you?

Germany's co2 emissions are actually going down because they're producing more energy from less coal.

In this country we have higher energy prices, before tax, so unlike Germany our country isn't generating much tax revenue from household energy bills. Our government isn't gearing for a future without fossil fuels. Germany is.

People are looking closely at them, waiting for it to fail, looking for cracks. Vested interests want it to fail. We should look at Germany, learn from the mistakes. But ultimately we need to be on their path, not the path we are on.

When it comes to how not to do things the Germans have nothing on us in terms of energy supply.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26734203

The Germans have high energy taxes, we have high energy prices. The German government is collecting huge sums and reinvesting in renewables. Ours isn't.

Why do I get the feeling that in 20 years time we'll be looking over at the German energy situation with envy?

Not quite true is it?

Germany has higher energy prices than us, gas by about 25% and electric by about 40%

And now they are going back to lignite power stations. Lignite being the Nastiest and least efficient coal there is. Just they are sitting on tons of it

The new coal power stations are replacing older less efficient ones, they produce less CO2. Coal is being used to fill the gap that Nuclear will leave during the ramp up to renewables, when the country decommissions it's last nuclear power station in 2022. Germany have the most ambitious renewable targets in the world, 60% by 2050. High energy taxes are paying for it. They're taking the medicine now, and I think we'll be looking at them with envy in 20 years.

Is this policy harming their economy? Well, they're one of the strongest performing economies in the world.

Everybody should be aware of the transatlantic trade and investment partnership deal being made in Brussels. Here's a bit about it.

http://m.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-one-vital-thing-nigel-farage-and-nick-clegg-were-never-going-to-discuss-during-their-eu-debate

Suicide Smith's bedroom tax isn't working.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26770727

When it comes to how not to do things the Germans have nothing on us in terms of energy supply.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26734203

The Germans have high energy taxes, we have high energy prices. The German government is collecting huge sums and reinvesting in renewables. Ours isn't.

Why do I get the feeling that in 20 years time we'll be looking over at the German energy situation with envy?

We have evidence of £229m worth of fraud. The £5bn figure is flimsy to say the least. Another NHS isn't working story by panorama, part of the drip drip attack in people's consciousness.

An excellent piece by Zoe Williams in the guardian on the unbalanced portrayal of public services.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/25/nhs-fraud-story-terrible-if-true?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite

Out of interest on the pension changes, does anyone know what impact it has with regard to asset limits for financial assessment, i.e. now that it is an 'option' to draw down as much of it as you wish, will people be expected to use their pension pot to pay for care fees/care home fees?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/10720348/David-Cameron-cash-in-your-pension-pot-and-you-may-be-liable-for-care.html

I must admit I'm not the most knowledgable on pensions. Besides all this talk of pensions and savings seem like another world to me and many other 30 something's who's main concern is next months rent.

Terrorism laws are again being used for exact purpose they were designed.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/24/hmrc-criticised-mps-terror-law-tax-whistleblower-hodge

There is one thing that Bez said in that interview that stood out to me. It was something along the lines of, 'lets not be fooled here, lobbying is legalised bribery'.

Speaking of things to cheer. Bez will be standing for Parliament in Salford.

http://youtu.be/hvzAlRhjVcc

Shake your maracas against fracking! Ha ha. Good on him.

Budgets are set nationally, the squeeze in finances have left many councils with no choice but to close many public services. We've given blank cheques to 'bail out' banks.

Another MP on trial this week...sigh. But this one is for something I consider positive for a change!

Here's a link! http://www.carolinelucas.com/media.html/2014/03/21/my-trial/

Ok you're not startled but concerned. And I was being disrespectful. Time on your hands much?

Why are you taking this line of argument? Questioning my honesty because I didn't provide a link. If you wanted proof, a two second search on a job site with keywords is all it takes, as you have demonstrated.

It is startling that so many people are applying for so few positions. I wonder how many people in the crowd are actually counted as unemployed. Are pay and conditions so bad now that a low pay position in a supermarket would be a step up, and not a job market entry level level job. Are these things not bothersome to you?

Brazil is encouraging prisoners to read books, we are not. Who is right, who is wrong? I agree with the conclusions presented within the article, that we are wrong, and prisoners should be encouraged to read books.

The article posses the question that even if Brazil, with its poor reputation can get this right, why can't we?

What are your views on the banning of books in prison?

Based upon the flimsy article that you quoted, I have no view on that particular subject.

The article states that there is a ban on *sending* books to prisoners, and appears to have been sensationalised into making the reader believe that it is a total ban. The writer then picks up on some project in Sao Paulo (Brazil is run on a state by state model), in a patronising effort to put forward, in his mind, 'some third world country' as somehow being better than the UK on the subject of prisoner welfare.

I would be more interested in reading an article about why the ban on sending is taking place, if it is, rather than some commentator twisting things up to accommodate his beliefs, and the beliefs of his target audience.

What is to be achieved by making books harder to get hold of? I think we should definitely take a lesson from Brazil on this and actively encourage reading in prisons. I cannot think of a reason not to allow books in, can you?

But probably not that good, I bet most of the jobs are under the living wage.

The living wage is £7.65 per hour outside of London, isn't it?

We have provided you with a link to the Aldi website that says they pay store assistants a minimum of £7.95 per hour.

Unless you can provide evidence that these jobs are, in fact, not being paid at that rate (perhaps they aren't but we've seen nothing to counteract it apart from your hunches) then we ought to take the evidence presented that they are indeed jobs for which Aldi provide more than the living wage (all of these jobs were outside London).

It's a side issue, whether the jobs are low pay, or very low pay. The startling thing is the number of people applying.