The ongoing recessionary influences such as fundamental cuts in government spending are patently beginning to bother the speculative scavengers – and by scavengers we are of course referring to those companies or organisations influencing wholesale energy prices. OPEC is intimating that it would be quite nice if everyone paid $10.00 more a barrel to make them feel more financially comfortable, unsuprisingly this was pounced on by the market with new highs.

Whilst businesses are still being squeezed (for example Serco’s interesting negotiation with their suppliers! – we could all do without that kind of mutual “coming together”) and with economic growth figures in the order of fractions of a percent, the energy industry is once again raising the temperature in the marketplace. It could be coincidence or synergistic timing, but SSE’s raising of domestic prices in relation to the market was quite timely. 9%, that’s pretty arduous even if we say so ourselves.

So, yet again we have significant rises in energy costs for domestic and commercial consumers without real justification. Is it not about time that the government introduced legislation to prevent this sort of cynical activity.