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Water companies in England and Wales explore ‘surge pricing’ during drought
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2026
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Because we live in the real world unfortunately, so compromises are necessary if you want sustainable long-term solutions. Regarding water, desalination has come a long way in the last few years, but extracting drinkable water from the sea is still very energy intensive and it still makes far more sense to collect rain and spring water.
You also mentioned food and energy, and right now these things take human labour to produce and deliver, which ultimately means you're going to have to pay those workers. The government's supply of money is limited, and it would not be cheap to nationalise water companies, farms, supermarkets and energy companies in order to allow domestic users free access to those resources.
Oh, one of those "real world" arguments where it's ok for example to spend crazy billions on weapons (especially those of mass destruction) that will fingers crossed never be used but in the "real world" decent water, food, energy is far too much to provide. It's a question of priorities. Next you'll be telling me that in the "real world" an NHS is not possible.
mmm yeah the messy real world in which we live, the one that has no built-in justice or fairness, in fact the only unchanging law is that the strong have dominion over the weak. That real world, yes. It seems you are acquainted with it.
We are not masters of it. We are very much at its mercy just like all the other creatures on the planet. Care and thoughtfulness is needed when attempting to design and implement public systems that deliver justice and fairness and are sustainable over the long-term.
Who is it that you think is providing "justice and fairness"? Our capitalist masters or their client politicians or media? O, to live in such a world where the ruling classes care for us poor people at their mercy.