Not All Doom and Gloom

British Gas has announced more price rises, of nine per cent for electricity and thirty-five per cent for gas, blaming rises in wholesale prices, recalcitrant foreigners, unfavourable astrological conjunctions, the monklike poverty of Britain's top executives, and the fact that they can get away with it. Competition and consumer choice being the life-blood and lymph nodes of the free market, other suppliers will doubtless follow suit. The business minister, energy minister and other public servants dedicated to the welfare of hard-working families do not appear to have had much to say upon the matter.