EDF - profiting from you

bristol | corporations | opinion/analysis Thursday July 31, 2008 22:47 by Skint

and using your fuel bill payments to promote themselves

This weekend sees the Bristol Harbour Festival, an event organised by Bristol City Council. On the face of it we Bristolians get 3 nights/2 days of free entertainment at a number of locations around the city centre. Much is made of the fact this is the largest ‘free’ city centre festival across the south west, with the accent on ‘free’, and the implication that ‘we’ are getting something for nothing. Oh yeah? But we all know that these days nothing really comes for free, don’t we?

The event is sponsored by a number of commercial operations, the most ‘generous’ being EDF, the French owned power company, who pump so much money into it that its now called ‘The EDF Energy Bristol Harbour Festival 2008’. What a kind and caring bunch eh? But then they can afford it, after all in 2007 they made $8.27billion net profit. And to ensure they keep making a profit, they have just announced price rises for gas & electric use to be paid by you, dear reader – 17% for electricity & 22% for gas. So really EDF aren’t paying for the festival at all, we are, through our fuel bills, but we don’t see our names up on the banner headline do we? Of course we also pay to keep Bristol Council running, and its us that buys the products & services of all those other commercial companies that support the event. Perhaps we should cut out all those middlemen/women (the companies), and claim all the glory – we fund the event, and if these companies weren’t making so much profit out of our payments, not only would we have a free festival untarnished by corporate backslapping, but we’d have cheaper fuel bills too.

I hope everyone has a fun-packed sunny weekend. In this fear-ridden economic period we all need a break, and a laugh. But some things just aren’t funny when you really think about them. As you wander about amidst the congratulatory corporate advertising, just remember…you paid for this festival, not them. And when you open your next fuel bill and wonder how you are gonna pay it (because all the power companies are increasing their prices to you to protect their profits), just ask yourself - are they taking the piss? Ask yourself – why? How? And for how much longer will you put up with it? When the old couple down your street die from hypothermia this winter (your parents perhaps?), or the kids of the family next door are constantly sick, all because they cant afford their heating costs, ask yourself again – how much longer will you put up with it? How much does your fuel bill have to rise before you wont put up with it any longer?

EDF have a presence in Anchor Square this weekend. No doubt they’ll be bigging it up about how green and community-minded they are, as they get fat on the profits from your bill payments. Why not pay them a visit, ask them some questions? All the power companies have offices and phone numbers. Their bosses and shareholders are real people with homes and telephones too, why not ask them some awkward questions too? Or just tell them, EDF OFF.

EDF OFF 0.35 Mb