National Grid shares

[Jux]

I've got a few (very few), which I'd forgotten about. Haven't had dividends for years as I moved, got married so name changed and just forgot. They'd devalued them anyway - this was about25 years ago.

They've found me via a search service which wants to ensure I get some dividends (a couple of hundred quid - that's how valuable they are and how many I have!) and want to know if I want to sell them.

Initially I though, oh carry on hanging onto them. I might like a few hundred qiud in forgotten dividends in a few decades time and it was dh's initial thought too. So I was all set to collect the divs and keep the shares but then...

My brother said he thought it was quite likely that part of National Grid will be nationalised to alleviate the mess we're in and then my shares will be worth nothing again so he thinks I should sell.

Anyone any thoughts on this? I really don't know what to do.

Truth is, we have some heavy costs coming up due to flooding; some of which is covered by insurance but not all of it, and we could with £500.

Thanks.

If Labour were in power this might be up for discussion.

With the Conservatives in power, I'd put money on it not happening. They will have donors and their own personal financial interests in ensuring the distribution networks stay as limited companies.

From a practical perspective, nationalising a solvent business means that the UK government has to fairly compensate shareholders or face huge lawsuits. Given that National Grid is a US/UK company that opens a huge can of worms all by itself. So the government would have to pay a substantial sum of money to nationalise an asset that requires constant investment, maintenance and repair.

Not to mention the damage that nationalising anything would do to pension funds that are already struggling.

Frankly the government cannot afford to nationalise National Grid and honestly given the way that the DVLA, Passport Office, DWP etc are run I'm pretty relieved because it would almost certainly see the return of rolling blackouts just because of piss poor management rather than energy supply security.

Do as you will with the shares, but I'd be utterly gobsmacked if you're at risk of losing them to nationalisation. However, as you already know, they can be devalued by more shares being released to the market.

I'd say, even with a labour government, nationalisation without compensation would be unlikely.

It goes against the long history of private property rights we have in this country.

For the UK's reputation as a place to do business, it would be very damaging to start seizing private property.

I did think the Tories were 'unlikely suspects'!

Thanks for your thoughts/knowledge. I have so few it hardly seems worth worrying about but times are hard, and we are surviving on PIP and dh's state pension. OTOH, something always turns up! This is probably the thing