# dieter (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover dieter. Page: Feed: --- ## [Nationalising water – the Thames numbers don’t add up](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/publications/nationalising-water-the-thames-numbers-dont-add-up/) _2026-08-12 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ There are many reasons why nationalising Thames Water would be a bad idea. Long gone are the days when governments had the competence to run major companies. The current examples are mostly dire. Nationalisation of the railways resulted in immediately conceding to the rail unions’ pay demands and freezing prices. CalMac, Scotland’s ferry company, is \[ \] The post Nationalising water the Thames… ## [NESO – an accident waiting to happen](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/energy/neso-an-accident-waiting-to-happen/) _2026-07-27 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ It’s very hard to know how close the electricity system recently got to a blackout. Probably not that close, but it’s also hard to know how good NESO (the National Energy System Operator) is at forecasting future demands, and even harder to know whether a system grounded on intermittent small-scale and geographically dispersed wind turbines \[ \] The post NESO – an accident waiting to happen… ## [Podcast 93: Some new faces, same old problems](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/podcast-93-some-new-faces-same-old-problems/) _2026-07-22 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ Following on from the latest change of Prime Minister and announcements about his new Cabinet, what is going to change? Andy Burnham has a new ten-year plan, and is promising a fundamental revision of politics, but Britain’s deeper economic problems remain unresolved. The fact is, underneath the headlines, the country is still trying to live \[ \] The post Podcast 93: Some new faces, same old… ## [How much debt should a water company take on?](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/publications/how-much-debt-should-a-water-company-take-on/) _2026-07-13 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ Following on from OFWAT’s 55% indicative preferred gearing, signals from DEFRA are that it would like to make this a legally binding upper limit. At first glance this sounds like a good idea. It would prevent the sorts of gearing that have got Thames Water into trouble and which might yet bring others down in \[ \] The post How much debt should a water company take on? appeared first on Dieter Helm… ## [Podcast 92: Hotter days](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/podcast-92-hotter-days/) _2026-07-08 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ Climate policy must be judged not by good intentions, but by its real-world costs, impacts and global effectiveness. Renewables alone cannot deliver cheap, secure and clean energy. The wider costs of electricity systems, storage, back-up power and networks also need to be taken into account. The UK’s choices need to be seen in the international \[ \] The post Podcast 92: Hotter days appeared first… ## [Podcast 91: Beyond the nationalisation slogan](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/podcast-91-beyond-the-nationalisation-slogan/) _2026-07-01 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ With the renewed political enthusiasm for nationalisation, what, in practical terms, does it mean and what would actually change? How might “Manchesterism” apply in practice? Using buses, rail, water and electricity as examples, in this podcast I argue that public ownership and public control are not the same thing, and that different sectors require different \[ \] The post Podcast 91: Beyond the… ## [The regulated asset base – the concept, tradeable RABs, the split cost of capital, and pay-as-you-go versus pay-when-delivered](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/publications/the-regulated-asset-base-the-concept-tradeable-rabs-the-split-cost-of-capital-and-pay-as-you-go-versus-pay-when-delivered/) _2026-06-16 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ Origins and context The regulated asset base (RAB) was brought in after privatisations. When the initial prices to customers were set, they were essentially based upon what current pre-privatisation charges had been, in some cases juiced up to attract more investor interest and a higher value at privatisation. These initial prices, carried across to the \[ \] The post The regulated asset base – the… ## [Podcast 90: Why can’t we build infrastructure in this country?](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/podcast-90-why-cant-we-build-infrastructure-in-this-country/) _2026-06-15 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ Politicians have been seeking for decades to put right the infrastructure crisis in this country that is rooted not in a lack of ambition, but in deeper economic and political constraints. Building in Britain is exceptionally costly, with high energy prices, high labour costs and high financing costs making major projects difficult to deliver at \[ \] The post Podcast 90: Why can t we build… ## [Performance politics and the Thames Water scandal](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/publications/performance-politics-and-the-thames-water-scandal/) _2026-06-12 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ The water industry in England and Wales has been the subject of some awful performance politics. First, give the water company executives a good kicking. Let the public think that failures will lead to directors being locked up. Put the blame on them. Next, give OFWAT a good kicking too. Say it’s a failed regulator \[ \] The post Performance politics and the Thames Water scandal appeared first on… ## [The cost of energy and what to do about it](https://dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-climate/the-cost-of-energy-and-what-to-do-about-it/) _2026-06-03 · Cate Dominian · Dieter Helm_ 1. Where we are Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson have a lot in common when it comes to energy. Johnson asserted in a government document that the leaders of Russia and China would be looking to Britain’s energy policies so that they could learn how to emulate us.\[1\] Miliband presumably shares this view on the \[ \] The post The cost of energy and what to do about it appeared first on Dieter Helm . ## [One OS for your AI workforce (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/CgkrcfpetDQu) _2026-06-03 · **Sponsored**_ Build, direct, and supervise an AI workforce from a single operating workspace. ## [The Return of the Baron, Part 3](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/the-return-of-the-baron-part-3) _2026-05-16 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Told from the standpoint of the Baron Von Dieter, burger-headed mascot of the Von Dieter's fast food company ## [The Freedom Trail Mafia](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/the-freedom-trail-mafia) _2026-05-12 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Gwen and I were walking past the Tremont Temple Church the other day, when we saw someone very familiar leading a tour group past it. ## [Mads: The Santa Claus Canon](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/mads-the-santa-claus-canon) _2026-05-09 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Told from the standpoint of Mads ## [The Return of the Baron, Part 2](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/the-return-of-the-baron-part-2) _2026-05-02 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Told from the standpoint of the Baron Von Dieter, burger-headed mascot of the Von Dieter's fast food company ## [The Return of the Baron, Part 1](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/the-return-of-the-baron-part-1) _2026-04-26 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Told from the standpoint of the Baron Von Dieter, burger-headed mascot of the Von Dieter's fast food company ## [Mads: Frieda and the Count's New Von Dieter's](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/mads-frieda-and-the-counts-new-von) _2026-04-21 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Told from the standpoint of Mads ## [Match Game Dream](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/match-game-dream) _2026-04-18 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Recently I had this dream. ## [Stealing Another Coat](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/stealing-another-coat) _2026-04-03 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Mads, my Norwegian companion, and I went to the opera the other night, and on our way out, he stopped at the coat check. ## [The Couch is Not an Option](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/the-couch-is-not-an-option) _2026-03-28 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ After the whole thing with my doppelgänger, I thought a trip to visit my therapist was in order. ## [One Cloud, Every AI Layer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/a9GBEfibECda) _2026-03-28 · **Sponsored**_ Run agents, inference, and infrastructure on one stack — economics improve as you scale. ## [Confrontation with my Doppelganger, Finally](https://matthewpoirier.substack.com/p/confrontation-with-my-doppelganger-459) _2026-03-24 · Matthew Poirier · Boston Stories Vol. 2_ Finally, I was back in the restaurant, sitting across from my doppelgänger, ready for our confrontation.