Are new fuel protests on the way

[Del Lardo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7021021.stm

Petrol prices in Cambridge are already ~98p and Birmingham is at ~94p. Another 2p on fuel brings us very close to the prices which resulted in the protests not to long ago.

With a purely selfish hat on it doesn't really bother me as I have a fuel card but I have noticed that it's just started getting cold which could drive oil prices up. Could this be a winter of discontent that does the government a lot of harm?

[Feek]

I'd have no problem with another round of fuel protests, it really didn't affect me before because at the time I was driving a car which would run on either unleaded or four star and there was plenty of four star available but I can't see it happening again.

If I remember, new legislation was dragged in quickly after the last time which gave the law more powers to deal with such a thing. Fuel prices frustrate me, not least because I use over a tankfull a week even with my heavy oil burner

[Garp]

At the time of the last fuel protests they had an economist on News 24 who showed the figures and math to demonstrate that at that time, taking inflation into account, we were getting 'cheaper' fuel than we had done 20 years ago, and in fact the amount we were paying was actually cheaper than most times before; plus average wages had increased quicker than fuel prices.
It's been what.. 4 years since the last ones? Do people forget the impact of inflation on prices? Some rough maths tells me that 94p 4 years ago is roughly equivilant to £1.10 these days. Will either of these points enter into the heads of those that protest? Probably not, they'll just see that mystical £ symbol and go up in arms.

[Jonny69]

I am partly with Jarp. The only time I've had 'cheap' petrol in my driving lifetime was 10 years ago when I started driving, 55p per litre, and if you only took inflation into account on that figure would be about 75p per litre today. Sure if you go back 5 years we haven't had a realistic increase with inflation and in relative terms the price has gone down but there had already been the steep increase by that point.

Wages haven't gone up that much at all in the last 10 years, but plenty of things have increased considerably, fuel, housing, heating, electricity, rail fares etc. These are the things that cost us the most in life so we are most definitely worse off now than we were back then.

[mejinks]

I think the issue isn't inflation etc, but peoples perception of the cost in their mind. As an oil producing nation it is extremely unfair to be levied with such high tax on petrol, whereas most of our European neighbours (including the non oil producing ones) don't pay half as much.

The fact that we pay VED, high tax on petrol and road tolls does make us one of the most expensive places to drive in Europe.

Having said that, major routes have very well kept roads (why else do we complain about roadworks) so we can't really argue that the money isn't being spent on the upkeep of those roads, just the minor roads, some of which are over 40 years past refurbishment date.

The last fuel strike caused the government to pass legislation forcing drivers to take no notice of fuel blockades and effectively adding yet another job for the army should drivers refuse.

I can remember as a kid when you could buy 2 star at the pumps and it was 12p a litre.

[Zirax]

If it tips £1 then yep I can see them coming. When you consider that most of the money paid is pure tax, its not going to look good. Certainly if a general election is called and suddenly the magical £1 is reached everywhere (not just central london) then it will have a massive effect.

If I was still commuting long distance then I would be transferring over to LPG. Either that or get an oil burner and run on part veggie oil. Which of course I would tell the gov't about bwahahahaha, no really I would.

[Will]

I still can't understand why we pay more than any other european nation. **** inflation and "salary increases" - it's bollocks, we pay more because we're taxed more on it - end of. It's ridiculous. They've started increasing the cost of LPG too so that's becoming a false economy too.

[Zirax]

Originally Posted by Will

I still can't understand why we pay more than any other european nation. **** inflation and "salary increases" - it's bollocks, we pay more because we're taxed more on it - end of. It's ridiculous. They've started increasing the cost of LPG too so that's becoming a false economy too.

Agreed totally. I had noticed LPG prices going up. Thats because people are switching over i.e. taxi's. They will now introduce a "green tax" to make the numbers back up. Its less of a deal when considering that you get less mpg.

[Belmit]

First I heard of the rises was on the way to work this morning, literally as I drove past a petrol station. Prices were already 99 for unleaded and 101 for diesel. They definitely hadn't changed them at Sainsburys though; checked my tyre pressure there and I would have noticed if they had. Was only a matter of time before this happened. We do pay too much tax on it though.

[Feek]

Originally Posted by Garp

blah blah demonstrate that at that time, taking inflation into account blah blah

Originally Posted by Belmit

We do pay too much tax on it though.

I don't give a crap about inflation, Garp. This is the important bit.