Blow Dog

1)I think we can all agree that Labour have basically signed their P45's.

2)Dump the Pump is a stupid idea. You dont buy today, fine...just buy the next day, ermm..what difference has that made?

3)Flyers to stick in our cars are a great idea, who wants to design one? Just print it out and stick it in out rears.

cem

I wasnt going to get political, but screw labour...he just so wants to become americanised with his clinton bum chum!!

dewi

I can't believe I'm the only voice of dissent on this bulletin board.

I usually dislike lorry drivers, but now I *really* hate the whole bunch of w******s. They're the most selfish and inconsiderate bunch of p****s on the road and now they expect us all to support their protest. Personally, I'd be happy to pay twice what I pay now for petrol if it kept all those noisy, smelly things off the road (and the lorries that they drive).

I've just come home and found that my wife and I have a quarter tank of petrol each and there's no unleaded petrol anywhere in town. We live in a village miles from the nearest shops or public transport. We're going to run out of petrol in a couple of days, which means neither of us will be able to get to work and we won't even be able to get to the shops.

As you can tell, I'm well p****d off.

kurtw

Without trucks, there would be no food on the table, no fuel, no water for those that live in Yorkshire etc. etc.

Also, explain why SUL costs so much more. In France, it's about 1p a litre more. This Gov chooses to tax it more, that's all.

I do however feel that the blockades should be at the homes of the politicians - affect them directly.

It seems to me that the oil companies themselves are fuelling the fire. I know for a fact that the oil companies are getting starved for profit these days and it would seem that by stopping their tankers from leaving the depots, they too are making their point.

As we've seen on this evening's news, the gates to the depots are clear, as are the highways. The oil companies are choosing not to make the deliveries.

Driving my P1, with a full tank of juice makes me feel a bit like Mad Max. Just need to strap an oil drum to the back for maximum effect.

I think it's gonna be a couple of weeks before we're back to normal now.

Fairwell Tony Blair - up the protesters.

Take

DrD

It would be intersting to see what the government would do if greener alternatives to petrol cars took off....i wonder how much the 'recharge tax' on an electric car wouldbe after a few years!!

TR3

Erm.....seeing as so much of our fuel bill is tax and so little of the cash goes back into transport, what happens when we all start using public transport? where's Mr Brown going to get his money from then?

PS If you think the tories will do a better job, who do you think started the fuel tax escalator? and who do you think underfunded the transport infrastructure for the last 20 years or so?

Chris L

Fair point Darren - but what really gets people's goat is that Labour have been in power for three years - they could have changed things - they didn't need to keep the fuel escalator and they could have made a decent stab at trying to improve public transport - but they haven't.

They've chosen to keep things the way they are (and make them worse) and then turn round and blame previous governments.

If I was Tony and Co tonight, I would be very worried - similar events in the 70s led to a three day week and brought the government down.

Chris

simes

Part of me says:

a) it won't work
b) How long till reports of someone being seriously ill/dying cos a doctor/ambulance can't get to them
c) The tax burden remains the same
d) Once upon a time, in the days when you could buy recycled toilet paper and the Green party were quite popular we all got quite excited by taxing fuel
e) It disproportionately (bloody hell that's along word for me ) affects people such as the elderly living in rural areas
f) If people really cared about fuel costs they wouldn't insist on buying Subaru Impeza's, big 4 wheel drives that do 8 mpg etc, we'd all be drivig fiesta diesels

and finally

g) DON'T YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THERE WERE FUEL SHORTAGES, THEY LOWERED THE SPEED LIMITS, DO YOU THINK THEY'D EVER GO UP AGAIN THIS TIME????

The other part of me says good on 'em, we've been pi55ed about enough!

Yours confusedly

Simon

Mick

iTrader: (1)

It is already seriously affecting peoples lives!

Non-urgent operations are being cancelled and ambulances are not making non-urgent runs.

I can't believe the govenment have not done anything about this! They should either make a conciliatory gesture to defuse the situation - I'm sure the truckers and farmers would like to get back to earning some money! or they should take charge with whatever means necessary and oranise fuel deliveries and have an end of it.

I think lots of people who think this will make a change are vocal about it. Most are a bit bewildered and take it as a bit 'exciting' -as long as it doesn't affect them directly. I'm sure the public will start to get cheesed off pretty soon! Imagine driving on the motorways at 20 mph behind those 2 idiot tractor drivers shown tonight on the news. I would have been livid!

Mick

CC

What a decent bunch of chaps you lot are . The amount of support shown has been fantastic, even if these protests fails, i think that people are beginning to see that 'New Labour' is not all it purports to be.

I've been browsing the web for the past hour or so and the amount of people that support the protests absolutely dwarfs those that are against it. Many of those in favour realise that they are going to be inconvenienced in some way eventually, but they are still voicing their support.
My fun car has now ran out of SUL and i have about a 1/3 tank left in my run-a-bout, but hey what the hell!

The acid test (if it comes) will be when we have actually ran out. I hope people stay strong.
To those that are/will suffer because of the strikes - please remember that the farmers/truckers are not doing this for a laugh, some of theses guys were on the verge of losing everything, surely running out of petrol pales into comparison?

Fullonloon

Sorry, but we aren't French and this is totally the wrong way to go about it. It's counter-productive as we are screwing ourselves and paying out more to the Government as people are scared in to buying fuel. We are a civilised country and we have a Government who try to do the best for the country - I'm sure of it.
The money is pooled and then spent on different things - it's all part of the plan to weed out the car user - their green policy. If the tax is cut then where would the money come from? Beer/Wine/Spirits? ****? Income tax?
It's needed to fund things like Defense / Health / Education (others.) If they lose all this vital revenue then we will all be poorer for it. I think we need to be charitable and as a nation we are much better off in this world than many many others. I think we have it lucky. Of course, bleeding the motorist driver is an easy target. I now have no Super in my car and I would say next to no chance of getting any in the morning. I tried today but nowhere had any left. I have a meeting first thing - a very imprtant one so I'm screwed. I think the blockades are wrong - I hope I'm not the only one.

Q

CC

Fullon loon - 80%+ fuel tax is just not on.

GavinP

The UK has woken-up after almost complete apathy towards the "dump the pump" and the small protests which have been going on for the last couple of months.

As CC said, farmers and truckers are literally fighting for survival - this is not a game!

People say they agree with the principle but don't like the method - I think you will find that farmers and truckers have been lobbying on this issue for a long time and they were comprehensively ignored when using the "correct" method!

One final point, the people in the UK are excellent about muttering about something which annoys them. Then when other people take action at the first sign of any inconvenience to them personally - complain bitterly. This NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude has a lot to answer for.....

I am not a farmer or haulage operator and this action could cause me a lot of potential aggrevation and/or cost but I along with the majority of motorists are fed-up with being persecuted...

Thanks

Gavin

blubs

Geezer,

You cannot possibly marry Scott as our divorce is not final!

HALF! That is what I want!

Scott,

Don't marry him, he's crap in bed

blubs


ps HALF! Do you hear me................?

Scott J Davies

Geezer

You ****, its off

Geezer

blubs,
Will I never be rid of you? You must get over me!

Scott,
It's my sluttyness that makes me so attractive to you!

Geezer

P.S. blubs, quarter, that's my final offer........

TONY BLAIR

You can all kiss my **** - who do you think you are? Voters?? My Jag has plenty of fuel, my mate John's 2 Jags are both full, what your problem?

See my thread "THERE IS NO FUEL SHORTAGE"

Regards

Comrade Tony


PS when greeting me now, can you raise your right arm, elbow straight, palm in line, up to about 45 degrees. The 'Heil Tony' is optional, but I might let you smell my fuel fumes for a minute if you do.

Craig H

That's the easy way out - tax people who earn more - and the wrong way. They already pay 40% in the top bracket, 15% more than the lower bracket - isn't that enough?

If the Governements, whoever is in at the time, stopped wasting money on all their b0ll0x projects, that'd be a start.

Get some tolls on the motorways. Increase car tax - why does someone with a 7 series Beemer, Big Merc, Range Rover etc, pay the same tax as anyone with a 1.3 or above. They do more damage to the roads so they should pay subjectively higher.

Wish this would work and I hope it does - but I can't see it

If it does SUL @ 20p a litre please.

Diablo

Been thinking about this one....

In theory, great idea.

But - as said above, if they cut tax on fuel, will either have to increase tax on something else, or cut spending.

I'm NOT defending any political party here, cos in my opinion they are all complete tossers and none have got it right.

What we need is a complete re-adressing of the whole spending issue. There is a completely different political atmosphere in France. What works there may not work here. The UK has a very clear policy of not being held hostage.

That bloody millenium dome has cost over £600 million. So what, I here you say, its mostly lottery money.

Yeah right - well thats just another form of taxation and has its own government minister to oversee the spending!!!!

Didn't see people staying away from that in protest, did we???

Just think what £600 million could have been spent on, saving public spending somewhere else.

And while I'm on the subject, don't get me started on the bloody national opera and all its hand outs!

I totally agree fuel is over taxed and would like to see prices fall, but if duty its cut, we'll end up paying somewhere else unless the whole public spending -v- revenue issue is addressed , so its not, unfortunately, as simple as it may seem.

I for one hope that I, or anyone else for that matter is lying by a roadside somewhere waiting for an ambulance......or any of the emergency services for that matter.

D

Maxwell Straker

Couple of points to make here.......

Firstly, tax on fuel is not based around your ability to pay, i.e. If I fill up my car I pay as much tax as the bloke next to me earning twice as much. I do not mind if tax is diverted elsewhere like income tax a that is based around an ability to pay. The higher earners pay more tax. Therefore I support the protest if not completely the execution of it.

Secondly, I have heard this morning of a petrol station in Liverpool that has put a £10 purchase limit on petrol. Very honourable I hear you cry, however, what I failed to mention was that he has increased the price to £1.99/litre. Thieving bar steward. People that do this should be remembered and boycotted so that they go out of business when its all over.

Mulder

To all the people who don't think this is the right way to go about it.

I ask this, what would you propose as a viable alternative to protesting/blockades? How do you intend to make it as effective? The dump the pump crap didn't work because the temptation to buy fuel was there. The truckers have removed this temptation. The government WILL HAVE to sort something out. If they try to forcibly remove people, they will have a riot on their hands. At the end of the day Labour is finished, and they will most likely never be voted in again. This is the second time they have ***** up in government, they will not be trusted again.

Remember we are NOT the only ones using this kind of protest. The are protesting in Brussells, very soon in Italy, and soon in Ireland.

Geezer

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure you will ), but there is no duty on red diesel, so why are farmers involved in this protest? Is it just a bandwagon for them to get on to get back at the government for BSE?

You all support it now, but wait until a week or so time when you cannot go anywhere, or the supermarkets are empty, or the hospitals are understaffed becasue none of the doctors or nurses can get to work. It will be quite a different story then.

IMO, they should end the blockade now, or in the next day or two. They have made a point, and the government should listen. But to extend it will just **** people off and will not aid their cause.

Some people have stated that the stubborness of the gov. will be their downfall, but I don't think so. Thatchers government treated the miners appallingly, and broke their strike ruthlessly. There was a lot of sympathy for them, similar things were said, but the Tories won the next three elections!!!! Peoples memories are short when it comes to matter like this, it will soon be forgotten, and the tax on fuel will inexorably start to rise again..........

Geezer.

DavidRB

Airlines pay ZERO tax on aviation fuel...

Gary Foster

I'd just like to say I totally support the action that the truckers and farmers have taken. If you think you could be doing something to help, read this email I received

People
So Tony Blair thinks that those against the high taxation of fuel are in a minority? I've not met a single person who's been against the truckers, and Mr Blair needs to be told this.

So what can *we* do? Very simply, we can take 30 seconds to send a mail to the Department of Transport. Below are the addresses of various contacts within the DETR - please pick one and either cut-and-paste into your mail the statement below, or send your own, personal views. Now I don't think for a minute they'll try to read all of the mails they receive, but they'll certainly have a guide to exactly how many people are supporting the truckers.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW IN THE UK.
It's only by showing our support for the truckers that Tony Blair will take notice - after all, it *our* government, no matter how much he likes to think it's his.

The addresses are:
john_prescott@detr.gov.uk Private Office Deputy Prime Minister
hilary_armstrong@detr.gov.uk Private Office Armstrong
michael_meacher@detr.gov.uk Private Office Meacher
nick_raynsford@detr.gov.uk Private Office Raynsford
angus_macdonald@detr.gov.uk Private Office Macdonald
larry_whitty@detr.gov.uk Private Office Whitty
beverley_hughes@detr.gov.uk Private Office Hughes
keith_hill@detr.gov.uk Private Office Hill
chris_mullin@detr.gov.uk Private Office Mullin
sir_richard_mottram@detr.gov.uk Private Office Mottram

If everyone could do this, the government would certainly have to think again!
Thanks for your support,
Silent Bob


The statement:

Dear Sir,
I wish to express my support for the truckers who are currently protesting against high levels of fuel taxation. I believe we, in this country, have been levied with excessive fuel taxes for far too long - and would like Prime Minister Blair to know that the protesters are not a "minority group", but rather representative of the majority of vehicle owners in the United Kingdom.

Scott J Davies

Bob

My father hasn't made a profit for over a year now he is struggling to keep his 30 year old business alive. This has nothing to do with profit margins its about survival you tw47.

Honestly I can't f ing believe it, the only argument I have heard not to support this campaign is because its an inconvenience.

Typical whinging brits.

Dewi

Come to this forum with some logical discussion not that drivel and abuse you typed earlier.

Where is this BB attracting its newbies from Rampton??

Sorry if you think this is over the top, but I see no good coming of this Government, as I have typed earlier, the NHS is the worst it has ever been, the road network is bobbins, the police and military are seriously under funded, crime is rising, Nurses, Doctors, Pensioners and Teachers are worse off.

Fuel tax is a **** take, its even more of a **** take if you see the taxed money going to no good.

Aero

Maxwell,

just a thought and purely hypothetical, but if i sell 7 bananas a week, and make 10 pound profit with which to feed my kids, then the following week i am limited to one banana, I have to sell it at 7 times the price to make the same amount of money.

Are the independent garage owners so wrong to put the price up?

Kanko

Does anyone know how much money the protestors are trying to knock off the price of a litre?

Is all this worth it for a 2p or 3p reduction?

Richard F

Ok, here's an argument against it, not based on inconvenience.

Emergency services are restricting their services because of lack of fuel. The protest goes on and some start to run out altogether. You have a heart attack because instead of driving to work you have to enjoy the public transport "service". You phone 999. "Sorry sir, we can't get to you for 30 mins because we've run out of petrol".

Bit far fetched? Not really - after one day fire services are only responding to emergencies. What would happen if this drags on for 2 or 3 weeks?

Next:

Everyody supports this protest and eventually everywhere runs out of fuel. 97 year old Doris can just about get to Sainsbury's down the road for her shopping. When she gets there, there's no food on the shelves because the lorries can't go anywhere. If there is anything, she has to pay 3 quid for a tin of beans because the supermarkets pass on the price increases. Result? She goes hungry.

Bit far fetched? Not really - after one day of snow (ie no deliveries) there's never any bread in my local supermarket.

Next:

Little Timmy is off school because the oil for the boilers couldn't be delivered. He goes out to play and ends up falling onto a tin can an cutting his face on the rusty metal. As a result he contracts a nice little disease and is admitted to hospital (when he can get there).

Bit far fetched? Not really - I believe in Anglesey there are no rubbish collections already.

I completely agree that fuel is extortionately priced but I am not convinced that this total blockade is the right way to go. Surely the point has been made, why carry it on. They could do it again next month if they wanted to.

I think we can all introduce an over-dramatised scare story about what might go wrong, either if the protest goes ahead or not. At the end of the day, all politicians will stitch this country up because THEY CAN. If you don't like it, move abroad.

Geezer

Have a look at this.

Scott J Davies

Geez

This is a tragic story, but the finger of blame can't be pointed anyones way for this.

Anyway when are you going to propose properly

Mulder

That man had a weak heart and it was going to happen at some point anyway. It just happened that he was queuing for petrol. That story is a load of rubbish, and was created just to dissuade people from supporting the truckers.

Absoulute crap.