Delighted to hand over my role at South East Water to Zoe McLeod
December 5th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For the past five years, I’ve had a consumer champion role at South East Water. For three years, I chaired the Customer Challenge Group which worked with the company on its business plan for the Price Review period 2015-2020. For the next two years, I chaired the Customer Panel which monitored how the company performed against the commitments in its business plan. South East Water has made real improvements in its customer service over this time and it has been very encouraging to see it raise its game.
The water sector is now engaging with the regulator Ofwat on the next Price Review for the period 2020-2025 and it is time for me to leave my role with South East Water and pass on the work to a successor. I’m delighted that the company has chosen Zoe McLeod who is a very knowledgeable and able advocate for consumers in a range of regulated sectors involuting water. You can read more here.
Posted in Consumer matters, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Should we hold Donald Trump to his promises? All 282 of them!
December 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In the course of the long campaign, President-elect Donald Trump made an astonishing number of promises – some very specific, other terrible vague; some quite positive, but many utterly fanciful.
Writing for the “Washington Post”, Jenna Johnson has compiled a list of 282 Trump promises. In the interests of political accountability, the Democratic Party, the media and electors should be watching over the next four years to see how many of these promises are kept.
Of course, many of them are so indeterminate that Trump will have no difficulty pretending that he has met his objectives. In other cases, Trump will use his longstanding ability to flip-flop and either deny that he made the promise or simply change his mind.
You can have real fun – sometimes a loud laugh – working through the list but, like me, you are likely to have mixed wishes on implementation. As an example, I would love to see 1 and 2 but do not want to see 65 and 66. What about you?
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Against the clock: why more time is not the answer for consumers
November 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Citizens Advice has just published a report exploring how long it takes to follow a ‘good’ consumer decision-making process compared to what comes more naturally, and what impact this has on consumers.
In “Against the clock: why more time is not the answer for consumers”, it is explained that:
- Following a ‘good’ decision-making process takes longer than following a natural process (an average of 107 vs 76 minutes per week). This difference is particularly stark in regulated markets, like energy and financial services
- Following a ‘good’ decision-making process leaves consumers feeling less satisfied with their decision than if they simply decide naturally. Again, this is worse in regulated markets
- In regulated markets, consumers are even less satisfied when they take the time to read terms and conditions, than if they don’t bother to do so.
This research adds to the growing body of evidence showing that certain features of regulated markets in particular (e.g. complexity, level of enjoyment people derive from engaging) make them very difficult for consumers to engage with. The clear implication of the findings is that spending more time will not necessarily increase consumer satisfaction. Markets need to be made easier for consumers to navigate, and behavioural insights need to be taken seriously in order to improve them.
You can read a blog posting on the report here and you can access the full report here.
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
Four disruptions that will shake things up for energy consumers
November 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Citizens Advice has just published an interesting new report on the future of energy markets and how these changes might impact on consumers. You can access the full report, “The Disrupted Decade”, here. Meanwhile this is a summary:
It has been said that people often overestimate what can happen in 2 years and underestimate the change that will take place in 10. This is true of the UK energy market today.
Most debate focuses on rising or falling prices, incremental policies and worries about looming supply shortages. However, new technology such as cheap solar power, advanced batteries and big data analytics could mean more dramatic change.
This report looks at potential changes to the energy market over the next 10 years and how we can make sure what happens is in the interest of consumers.
We looked at disruptions that could affect the energy industry and identified four that could have the most impact on consumers. These are:
1. New pricing models
How energy is priced hasn’t changed a lot for decades. Most consumers are billed (usually on estimated use) a fixed standing charge and flat per unit charge.
In the next 10 years, new technology and better understanding of consumer behaviour could lead to the creation of pricing models that are far more tailored to consumers’ lifestyles. The biggest change is ‘time of use’ (ToU) tariffs, that vary energy costs by time of day. Another is energy bills indexed to wholesale costs. Regulators need to understand these developments, because the impact of the changes will vary for different groups of consumers.
2. Energy retail intermediaries
Most consumers buy household energy directly from a retail energy company. However, in the next decade, we see the rise of intermediaries who could allow consumers to reduce their energy bills, making it easier to find and switch tariffs by handling part or all of the switching process for them.
More sophisticated intermediaries will use smart meter data to advise consumers on how to cut their consumption. We need to know how barriers to entry can be lowered (to allow these innovations) and how these intermediaries would be regulated.
3. Widespread adoption of storage
Storage could dramatically reduce demands on the electricity network at peak times by matching demand to supply from a different time of day. This becomes more important if rising demand for electricity continues, and if the grid uses more intermittent renewables like solar. These changes could make electricity cheaper for consumers, and make it far easier and more efficient to use renewable energy.
4. Distributed generation and costs
The rise of distributed generation, like rooftop solar panels, may result in a re-allocation of network costs.
If we keep the tariff structure we have now costs will be spread out unfairly. People using solar generation or storage will increasingly escape paying for networks, while those who don’t will pay over the odds. The longer we delay changing this system, the gap will get larger, and change will be harder
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving in the USA (10)
November 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The last day of my trip was a Sunday and Mike treated me to a cooked breakfast before he drove me to Glenmont metro station for my journey to downtown Washington to spend another day on my own before catching my flight home. First, I made my way to the Capital Hilton Hotel where I left my luggage for the day. I was then free to embark on a self-organised walking tour of the major monuments in the centre of the city. The weather was chilly but bright and, in three and a half hours, I covered all the 10 monuments on my list.
1) The White House – OK, I know this is not a monument as such but it is certainly an iconic building. The north side was closed off as workers constructed stands for the inauguration of Donald Trump in January. On the south side, there was the traditional view of the ‘back’ of the building. A long time ago, I went on an official tour of the White House.
2) The Washington Monument – This imposing structure rises 555 feet (165 metres) and can be seen from many parts of downtown. Completed in 1884, it is now opened again after repairs necessitated by the earthquake of 2011. On two previous visits to DC, I have ridden to the top of the monument.
3) The World War II Memorial – This is located at the east end of the Reflecting Pool and it is a huge structure commemorating the service of some 16M members of the armed forces. It was inaugurated in 2004 and it was the first time that I have seen it.
4) The Vietnam Memorials -There is the black tapered wall with the names of 58,267 dead (1982), the Three Servicemen Statue (1984), and the Women’s Memorial (1993) and this was very much a repeat viewing for me.
5) The Lincoln Memorial – This is located at the west end of the Reflecting Pool and, as well as the huge seated statute of Lincoln, there are side walls with the full text of the Gettysburg Address and an extract from his Second Inaugural Address. Completed in 1922, I have made several visits here.
6) The Korean War Veterans Memorial – This commemorates the 54,246 Americans who were killed in this conflict and consists mainly of a series of white figures with capes. It was opened in 1995 and I have seen it a couple of times before.
7) The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial – At the centre of this structure is a huge statue of Dr King with folded arms and then, to either side, there are stone walls with quotes from his speeches and writings. This is the first time that I have seen this memorial which only opened in 2011.
8) The Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial – This is the most spacious of all the memorials I viewed with an area for each of FDR’s four terms as president plus lots of quotes. It opened in 1997 and I visited it on my last visit to Washington in 2014.
9) The George Mason Memorial – Mason is sometimes called “the forgotten Founding Father”. He was instrumental in framing the Constitution and creating the Bill of Rights. The memorial is the most intimate of those I viewed, being a slightly larger-than-life seated and smiling bronze figure. Although it was erected in 2002, I had not seen it before.
10) The Thomas Jefferson Memorial – Located on the Tidal Basin, the bronze statue of the Founding Father is accompanied with a couple of quotes and set inside a large cupola. This is one of my favourite DC monuments: grand without being grandiose.
One daytime observation was around the White House armed men in black uniforms (and sometimes masks) with prominent Secret Service labels. One nighttime observation was ventilation grills emitting warm air with homeless individuals sitting or lying on them.
My flight home was on a British Airways Boeing 777-300. I had an interesting experience before boarding. At check in, I asked for an aisle seat but the woman member of staff could only give me a middle seat in a row of three. Then, as I was actually about to board the aircraft, my name was announced on the loudspeaker system and, when I came forward, the same member of staff appeared and gave me an aisle seat by the exit! This might have had something to do with the fact that, when we talked earlier, I learned that she was from Lebanon and I spoke a bit of Arabic to her.
I’m home now …
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving in the USA (9)
November 27th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
On the penultimate day of my trip (Saturday), I went into Washington DC on my own.
I started with lunch with a very close and longstanding friend, Larry Cohen, at a Mexican restaurant called “Oyamel” and an ice cream parlour called “Pitango”. I have known Larry for almost 30 years but not seen him since my last trip to DC four years ago. He stepped down as President of the Communications Workers of America last year after serving from 2005-2015 but in retirement has been working flat out on a variety of political campaigns. He was a key member of Bernie Sanders’ effort to secure the Democratic nomination for the presidential race and he now chairs the governing board of Our Revolution which is the successor organisation to the Sanders campaign. Larry and I were together for almost three hours and had an intense political discussion.
Afterwards I stayed downtown and took in another Smithsonian museum: the National Museum of Natural History. In my many visits to Washington, I have never previously visited this particular museum and I was impressive at how extensive and informative it is. The museum houses the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond which is said to be possibly the most viewed artefact in any museum in the world. Other galleries that I viewed included the National Gem Collection, the Last American Dinosaurs and the Mammals Hall. I watched short films on the nature of evolution and the origins of humans. All fascinating stuff.
Back at Brinklow once more, Mike and Laura put on the third film of my stay and the best one: a 2010 work called “Conviction” starring Hilary Swank.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The resignation and then the death of Fidel Castro – democracy postponed
November 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
When I heard of the death of Fidel Castro, I was reminded of my visit to Cuba eight years ago in 2008. Coincidentally, just two weeks before my holiday on the island, Fidel announced his resignation as president and passed the baton to his brother Raul.
All the time I was in Cuba, I was expecting announcements of significant change – a freer economy and moves towards a more genuine democracy. It did not happen and even now the reforms have proved very slow and disappointingly limited.
You can read my experience of the visit to Cuba here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Who was Fidel Castro? – my review of what was essentially his memoir
November 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
When I heard of the death of Fidel Castro, I was reminded of when I read a 700 page book summarising a long series of interviews with the revolutionary leader. The book was called “My Life” and it was written by Ignacio Ramonet. You can read my review of the work here.
Posted in History | Comments (0)
The story of William Morgan, the “American comandante” who fought with Fidel Castro
November 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This morning, I heard the news of the death of Fidel Castro and the American friends with whom I am staying outside Washington DC told me about a feature of the Cuban war of independence and its aftermath that was totally new to me. I learned that there was an “American comandante” called William Morgan who fought for the revolution but ultimately died when the revolution was betrayed and he was executed.
I was shown a television programme about Morgan which is really interesting and well done. It is 54 minutes but well worth watching here.
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving in the USA (8)
November 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Friday saw a return to downtown Washington DC to visit another museum. The Newseum is a private location that charges visitors unlike the Smithsonian museums which are free, but it is an absolutely fascinating place that anyone with an interest in current affairs simply must visit. It opened at its present location on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008 and I went there in 2012, but Mike and Laura had never got around to going there, so today the three of us spent most of the day there.
One outside wall carries a carved inscription of the First Amendment: just 45 words that guarantee five freedoms including freedom of the press. It is recommend that visits start in the basement where there is a very short orientation video, a 4D film about investigative journalism, a gallery about the Berlin Wall, and on our visit a temporary exhibition about the FBI’s efforts to combat terrorism and cybercrime. It is suggested that then visitors go to the top floor and work downwards.
Level 6 has an open terrace with a good view of the Capitol plus a display of the front pages of newspapers from each of the 50 states that day and a gallery on news coverage of the Vietnam War. Level 5 recounts the history of news gathering over five centuries and features more than 300 historic front pages from (mostly American) newspapers. This level has five theatres showing short films and I caught works on the origin of the First Amendment, coverage of the civil rights movement, and mistaken and false reporting.
Level 4 includes a moving commemoration of the horror of 9/11 with a timeline of the attacks on the Twin Towers, newspaper front pages on the event from around the world, and the twisted remains of the antenna that stood at the top of the North Tower. Level 3 has a large map of the world colour-coded to show the extent of media freedom in each country, a wall of photographs of reporters, photographers and broadcasters who died in the line of duty, and a gallery covering the impact of radio, television, and the Internet.
Level 2 covers something as light-hearted as First Dogs and something as serious as media ethics plus a (temporary) photographic display of refugees who have found safety in the USA. Level 1 has the most comprehensive collection of Pulitizer Prize-winning photographs ever assembled.
Newseum is a simply wonderful place that underlines so powerfully the need for a free media and the difficulty of reporting accurately and fairly. At any time, a visit would be relevant but, two weeks after the election of Donald Trump who has attacked so harshly so much of the media, it seemed especially vital to be reminded of what is at stake around maintenance of the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment. In 2012, I spent five hours at the museum; four years later, I was there for another five hours; and I would happily go back for more.
Posted in American current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)