"Obscene" British Gas profits

2.50pm update to this blog which was posted earlier today...
Energy regulator Ofgem has launched an investigation into the markets in electricity and gas for households and small businesses.

My second year history teacher Mrs Freer said I was an angry young man. She also had a few things to say about my handwriting but that's another story. Well here I am, 42 years old and with similar waistline stats. And I'm still angry.
I was hopping mad the minute I woke up today. So was Mark Brittain, our senior assistant editor.
We'd both started our morning with the news headlines proclaiming that British Gas has reported annual profits of £571m at its residential arm, up from £95m in 2006.
That's the British Gas which has just slapped a 15% increase on the gas and electicity bills for its domestic customers. I won't trouble you here with the complex mathematics the BG fat cats are offering in their defence. It's cobblers. You know it and they know it.
Consumer group Energywatch are on their case - they've clear evidence of the likes of BG failing to pass on savings to customers when wholesale energy prices are lower.
It has called for a Competition Commission investigation into the way the energy market functions.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, has got straight to the point. Today he called the increase in British Gas profits "obscene".

The grotesque circus of the Diana inquest is only serving to further fuel our rage. So I was delighted to see in The Times today that senior politicians and legal experts are calling on the coroner to consider ending the inquest.
"I think it's a total waste of time and money. The extraordinary performance of (Mohammed al) Fayed has turned the whole thing into a circus," said one.

I'll have to chill out if I want to emulate Enid Williams, who features on page 3 of today's Daily Post. She has just celebrated her 106th birthday at her home in Penrhyndeudraeth. She told ourt reporter that she'd avoided smoking and drinking all her life. I wonder if she also avoids the 7 o'clock news when she gets up in the morning?
Either way, penblwydd hapus, Enid