It's the Greens whose agenda is responsible for energy prices being more expensive than it needs to be.

It's the Greens, not the Tories who are really the implicit killers who finish off grannies and oldies too worried to put their heating on this winter.

All so we can look good while China open another forty coal factories next year.

I broadly agree with a lot of what you say mate. Just a couple of points I'd pick up on.

I don't think building houses is necessarily the solution, because all you are doing is temporarily satisfying what looks to be an insatiable demand to live in London, both nationally and globally. That's all tied in with the fact that 80% of jobs under the coalition have been created in London, while the key elements of our economy, the financial and service sectors, are based in the Capital. Housing has actually now become a third prong to which financial sectors are propping up our faltering economy, and the relatively stable inflation of house prices means invested capital in housing in Central London is a big money-spinner, hence why we are seeing, as in the video I posted, foreign investment schemes buying up large estates and tripling rent.

But other than widescale devolution of power from London, what else is there to do? Because the institutions people like the E15 mums and the New Era estate are facing are unaccountable they have no obligation not to maximise profit to the detriment of long-standing social groups. So really there are only two routes I can see: you can have government intervention, which looks pretty unlikely, albeit Labour are claiming they will intervene to help first-time buyers if they win in 2015 which is a very small step in the right direction. Alternatively you need grassroots social action like these two examples to bring these organisations in to the lense of public scrutiny. They have done that, and in the case of the E15 mums, they've won.

Just one other point, given that this thread has been slightly de-railed by arguments about the Greens, one thing I do think could help devolution from London would be the £10 obligatory minimum wage they are proposing. Given that in London by 2020, if inflation continues on its trends, £10 will probably be below the London Living Wage (it's about £9.15 now). But outside London it will still be significantly more than the Living wage, therefore standards of living will be higher. All hypothetical, but a thought.

I get that, but it's a ludicrous exaggeration to make and considering the Greens advocate more funding in to renewable energy resources, which if implemented would actually bring energy prices down, I think it's a bit disingenuous.

I get that, but it's a ludicrous exaggeration to make and considering the Greens advocate more funding in to renewable energy resources, which if implemented would actually bring energy prices down, I think it's a bit disingenuous.

Well you could nationalize the industry and then utilize taxation revenue to subsidise the cost of utilities, recouping through taxation. Whilst it wouldn't actually reduce the cost over all (because ultimately you'd pay out in taxation) it would ensure the provision of an essential utility to all citizens.

Obviously, you could set a tariff by which over x amount of usage is charged to the individual at a certain rate.

Or through monopolization by the state you could recoup the cost through provision to private enterprise (who'd pass the cost onto the consumer) in terms of luxury products.

Whilst neither option makes energy prices any cheaper, they do secure them and make them more affordable / available to all.

In theory as well it should enable the state to wield more power in terms of price paid for power.