That happened in Ramsey Macdonalds time and little has changed since, imo of course.

Aye, but it was a long way from Morayshire to Primrose Hill in the 19th Century.

What a stupid comment.

You would have to be a bit thick to assume as you seemingly do that they would legislate to ensure wholesale price falls were not passed on especially [isince they have called for the companies to do just that[/i given the large drop in wholesale prices is NOT being passed on anything like in full.

Indeed given wholesale prices have fallen by 20% since November and we are seeing cuts in domestic bills of around the 3.5 and 5 percent mark there is still plenty of opportunity for pricing reform here. Scottish power's 4.8% cut announced today (due in Feb by the way) amounts to a grand saving of 63p a week on the average bill. The price of a cabbage in Tesco.

The high cost of energy has not gone away especially as electricity which is not seeing a decrease in price is in often the much larger bill anyway.

I don't like Cameron one little bit, but why the hell should he have UKIP yapping in his ear while that brother back stabbing blatherskite gets away with not having the Greens doing the same to him. Anyway the whole TV debate thing is joke, but it gives people the idea they are making an informed choice so......

Just be glad you have electric....we frequently do not, here



If 4.8% equates to 63p, the weekly bill is 13 pounds. That doesn't seem especially high for an average bill.

It's a long way from Moray to anywhere

£33 a year is what it amounts to. The saving that is. Gas is quite a lot cheaper than electricity which is why for most people ground or air sourced heat pumps are uneconomical as the electricity you have to buy to run the pump is more expensive than just paying for the gas.

I don't know about you but my gas bill is much smaller than the electricity bill.

However from a national point of view given we have a number of gas fired power stations you have to wonder why electricity prices have also not fallen.

I work 37 hours a week in one job and another 15 in a second, I have zero debts to pay, no credit cards or overdraft, I don't drink, do drugs, smoke or gamble yet I am counting the pennies in and looking at the calendar waiting for my next wage. I am existing at the moment, working just and I mean just covering my bills. Regularly there are weeks when I do no shopping because I'm worried about bills being due and not having the money to pay them.

I'm in my late 40s and have worked all my life and have never been so hard up not even in the last recession when I was a much younger man on a lower salary.

Please don't try telling me that Labours insistence on people not feeling the economic upturn is just a sound bite because I and I'm sure many others find it grossly insulting!

It is just a soundbite if they have no solution to offer and until they are forced to issue their manifesto its difficult to see what on earth makes them any different to their main rivals.

Its their selling mantra to you, it grabs your attention and makes you feel that they also feel your pain whereas in fact they haven't yet come up with one solution or plan to give you more money in your pocket every payday, and nor will they other than tout some woolly plan that will never see the light of day - they can't force down prices anymore than they can fly a balloon to the moon.

At least they acknowledge there's a problem whereas Cameron, Osborne and Duncan-Smith are totally out of touch, in deep denial or just plain covering their s while practicing extreme ideology because it suits them.

Another term in office for the Conservatives will take us back a century

Not for the rich it won't. They'll continue to do just fine while the state helps them out every chance it gets.

The Stately Homes of England,
How beautiful they stand,
To prove the upper classes
Have still the upper hand;

The gap between the haves and have nots will be grow even wider, we aren't that far away from workhouses again.

I think you've summed it up perfectly, I can't believe for one minute that IDS isn't a normally rational man who really believes the tripe he spouts in order to protect Cameron and the faceless puppet operators above him (no-one is THAT stupid) he is simply a patsy hence the reason that he's still in the position.

Truth is though, many people simply do not question what they are being preached at and the opposition that Labour offer up to them is ineffective or non-existant, unfortunately I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Tories sold us all a line again and got back in on their own majority.

Personally, I reckon there is more chance of a Tory overall majority, than a Labour one, though realistically we are probably looking at a Tory/Lib Dem coalition again.

Milliband is s**t, simple as.... I'm 45 and have voted Labour all my life. However, this May will be the first time I haven't, simply because he, and all the wet bunch in his shadow cabinet, offer absolutely nothing.

Only one senior Labour figure would inspire me to vote for them and that is Alan Johnson, and even he is quietly distancing himself from the present leadership and its (lack) of policies... His frequent appearances in the general media have seen him happy to make fun of Milliband & co - He knows as much anybody how inadequate and hopeless they all are.

It is just a soundbite.

I'm doing great. You are not. Bummer - try doing something about it. New Qualification / New Job etc instead of blaming others.

No it's not!

I have a degree and a masters already!

Not blaming anyone, just stating facts about the Tory (Nazi) Party

Don't get drawn mate, our resident battery-licker and shower-drinker, is well-known for his tremendous personal success, even though some of us remember his days working in a filling station.

If Greece goes down the pan pre-GE I think the Tories will get a majority. I agree with what you say except IF there is no overall majority I think we could see a Con-Lab coalition. Having said that, Labour will not get its usual number of seats as the SNP will trounce them in Scotland.

I must have missed these 'facts'.

..... Really??.... A government without an opposition??

I know it all depends on numbers, but I think there are 3 realistic coalitions - A continuation of the present Con/Lib Dems, A Con/Irish Unionist partnership, or Lab/SNP.

Personally, I'd prefer better the devil you know with regards to coalitions, so I'd be satisfied with the Con/Lib Dems over the other two.

Come on Dally don't be daft.
There are a few options for coalitions depending on the numbers but a Con-Lab one isn't an option.
The most likely scenario is a Labour-Lib Dem/SNP coalition. Maybe a coalition involving all 3.

If the Tories get more seats than Labour then they may possibly be able to get another coalition with the Lib Dems but I'm not sure how happy either the Tories or Lib Dems would be with that, or whether the Lib Dems will have enough seats to make a worthy partner for the Tories. The same goes for UKIP, though I'm sure I remember Farage saying he wouldn't go into coalition with the Tories, not that that means anything in UKIP-land.

I can't see an outright victory for the Tories, so if the election goes well for them I think it'll be a Tory-UKIP/Lib Dem/Irish coalition.
If the election goes really well for Labour they may, just may sneak a majority but the more likely scenario is they'll have to partner up with the Lib Dems or SNP.

Yes. That's was the "democratic will of the people" last time. If it is again, then I think it will be hard to ignore a Con-Lab coalition. Having said that I think the Tories will either win or comfortably be able to achieve a working minority government. The Labour leadership gives them no hope.

No chance.... We would have to be under a serious, imminent threat of invasion from an IS type enemy. for the two main parties to form a coalition.

There are several different combinations of parties that could form possible coalitions, but Con/Lab isn't one of them.

Back on subject.

Cameron is prevaricating yet again. After the broadcasters agreed to include the Green party, albeit including Paid and SNP, he's now demanding that the DUP also be included in any debate. No doubt if the broacasters agree, we'll then see demands from Sinn Fein and SDLP for inclusion too.

No Northern Irish parties should be included in the British televised debates, simply because the major parties do not field candidates at all in Ireland.

He also wants the debates to take plce BEFORE the campaign is officially under way, making the spurious claim that they diverted from REAL campaigning in 2010.

The man is coming across as frightened to take the floor and open himself to any serious investigation.

No government will ever be able to comfortably achieve a working minority government.

It can work but it wouldn't be comfortable and would be very difficult to maintain.