Comments on: Electric Surrealism

By: Fine Gael coping on at last | Irish Election

Fine Gael coping on at last | Irish Election — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:36:23 +0000

[...] few months ago Michael Taft highlighted the fact that ESB prices were being kept artificially high to support competition. Now while Michael and me [...]

By: Tackling Inflation at Irish Election

Tackling Inflation at Irish Election — Sun, 20 May 2007 11:04:21 +0000

[...] do people think it should be dealt with. Two idea’s I like are Michael Taft analysis that the energy prices should not be regulated as much. Brendan Keenan in the Irish Independent has the great idea of abolishing Stamp Duty just [...]

By: Colm

Colm — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:53:07 +0000

The figures quoted in the article above are wrong. They are taken from the ATGWU’s deeply flawed response to the Government’s energy policy paper. Using the operating cost figures in ESB’s Annual Reports operating costs increased by 46% not 37% between 2001 and 2005.

But the CER’s annual tariff increases shows that the PES tariff had increased by 47% from October 2001 to December 2005, using the CER’s total weighted average figures. This rises to 65% if you include the 12.6% increase from January 1st 2007. Operating costs for 2006 are not yet available as the ESB has not published its annual report for 2006.

Overall from 2001 to 2005, CER-granted tariff increases and ESB operating costs are very similar – 47% against 46%.

By: The I word at Irish Election

The I word at Irish Election — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:39:48 +0000

[...] us this is bad. We need them to tell us what they will do about it. Michael Taft outlined a very true policy on energy on how the lack of a free-market and government interference is driving prices up. Will any party [...]

By: Cian

Cian — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:06:23 +0000

Donagh, your point on people being fuel poor is well made and of all aspects of life in Ireland it seems that the mortgage/fuel axis is squeezing middle classes into regression. And could it really be the fault of the workers who take up 17% of costs?

By: Donagh

Donagh — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:44:21 +0000

The above pingback is my response to Michael’s article on DO. My comment got too long and rather than editing I wrote more. Typical.

By: Dublin Opinion » The Wholesale Hiking of the Electric Price

Dublin Opinion » The Wholesale Hiking of the Electric Price — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:32:55 +0000

[...] post started as a comment on his article in Irish Election, but got too long, so I’m posting it here instead. I’ll try and summarize Michael’s main [...]

By: Cian

Cian — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:35:44 +0000

it is probably bad for debate but i have to agree with Ben. The absolute lunacy with which this government attempts to impose markets is ridiculous. A market is not a preordained set of mechanisms and where it is necessary to create one it takes ingenious, intelligent and creative people to do it.

Clearly the government and Delloitte have failed in this regard. There is also the presence of that other mystical being, the straw man (in the form of the workers and the greedy esb). By building up one and then knocking it down in a ham fisted fashion, hard decisions have been avoided in place of more simplistic ones.

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:08:28 +0000

what an excellent bloody article.

By: P O'Neill

P O'Neill — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:22:56 +0000

This post pairs well with Simon's from a couple of days ago.