Government considers green levy cut

Energy bills are going through the uninsulated roof and the government is under pressure. The Energy Company Obligation could be under threat. This £1 billion levy on energy bills pays for energy efficiency measures in homes.

Far from obliging companies to put up cash to make homes more energy efficient, the levy is placed on ordinary people’s bills, costing an average of £29 a year.

Insulating homes is necessary, so is action to reduce energy bills. The solution is to make the energy bosses pay for both, by nationalising energy to provide affordable energy to well-insulated homes.

NHS consultants raking in dividends

Nurses marching for the NHS, photo Paul Mattsson

Nurses marching for the NHS, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Profit-seeking capitalists are crawling over all aspects over our NHS, looking for ways to extract money. 481 health consultants in England have shares in profit-making joint ventures, according to think tank Centre for Health and Public Interest. Since 2015, these have generated over £1 billion in revenue. £31 million in dividends has been paid to consultant shareholders.

These ‘joint ventures’, and other private enterprises profiting from our ill health, must be nationalised and integrated into a fully public NHS. So that rather than untold millions going into shareholders’ pockets, the money is invested in the high-quality healthcare we deserve.