Who protects the consumer?

The average price of the British consumers gas bills has risen 28% between 2008-11 and for electric 43% over the same period. A senior minister said that an enquiry into the top six energy companies may damage these companies and drive them from Britain. Charles Hendry said that suppliers might be to important to future energy security to be exposed to the full rigours of a competition investigation, so big business does rule the country not the government.  If this is true and especially in the light that Ofgem said that profit margins were to large and that the average duel fuel bill of £1,200 created £100 of pure profit.and could be rising in the coming years.City analysts predict that Centrica the countries biggest householder supplier could see profits next year increase by as much as 25%. The big six are made up of British Gas, The Southern Electric Group E.ON and Npower, both German owned EDF of France and ScottishPower now Spanish owned. These companies have to find an estimated £200 billion to invest in the energy market that this country needs. If that is true its the consumers who will pay it through higher prices, not the investors. As this country now relies more and more on energy from outside of Britain with these higher gas and electric prices is it not time that these commodities were brought back into state ownership. Profits would then be used to invest in new infrastructures and not to the shareholders as is the present method. If as the experts predict over the next decade oil,gas and electric will become scarcer and dearer to produce. Isn't it about time that we went nuclear, its cheaper, and cleaner with no CO2 omissions. and unlike wind and solar energy it works 24 hours a day. If we had a summer like that of 1976 with three months of virtual sunshine and no wind what would the wind turbines be doing but standing still, solar energy would be great then but how often do we have weather like that every fifty years? If this country wants to be self sufficient over the next fifty years and not be held to ransom by these companies or other countries who own them we have to act now. It may be OK to say that these countries are our neighbours, and friends but in today's world money talks louder than allegiances, or friendship, especially if you hold the whip hand.