April fuel duty rise to bring fuel tax to 71%

The price of petrol is already more expensive as it should be due to speculation and other factors. when prices increase for producers, they're quick to raise the price, but slow to decrease when costs do. an increase in tax is a tax to the producers. this means that they could increase the actual price of petrol by more than 2p. The government are being ridiculous. 90p is already too much for a litre of fuel, and with no clear substitute, why are the government punishing us for buying petrol?
it's a joke

99
You are quite right. Shooting fish in a barrel has only short term interest and any enjoyment soon wanes. Apologies Felix. I will desist. Hopefully the blogs will now flourish.

However, I do still maintain that it is only courteous to quote any sources rather than give the impression that it is the poster's own thoughts.

I C Wood
Why do you post little information but complain a lot.
Either say something useful or go outside and enjoy life.
So what if Felix Walker is using other information sources to bring his point across. There is nothing wrong with that.
We may or may not agree with him but it is not licence to ridicule.
No wonder the public refuse to post on this site much anymore.
You are killing it.
NB This is my real name and any similarity to yours is thankfully coincedential.

96
BTW I forgot to reprimand you for not crediting JD's original post - Jan 10 2006 - on the Peak Oil Debunked website. Despite your editing to 'personalise' it, it was fairly obvious. I especially like your translation of "Wow!" to "Flippin 'eck". Very English!

96
Don't you think you should be suspicious when one side argues against what THEY say the 'other side' saying? Do people who are concerned about the implications of Peak Oil really say:
"we are doomed, society will fail, jobs will go, people will starve, back to the stone-age."
"The science we were taught is the be all end all. There is nothing left to be discovered."
"We're screwed. The only way out would be to retrofit the whole society, build new power plants, replace the vehicle stock, rebuild cities, deploy electric car charging stations, refurbish train lines, install energy saving equipment everywhere etc... And that's impossible."
Do they? Where and when? That's all they say is it?

"Think about it a little, when the change over came from Video to DVD many were saying "It's just a conspiracy by the TV manufacturers to boost sales."" Really? I and everyone I know must be complete mugs to have missed that! We all just thought it was better, more convenient, technology. We'd better watch out for all these other developments you talk about - obviously more con schemes.

Stop copying and pasting fiction and get real. Alternatively, keep on watching Betamax videos on your analogue B&W TV!

Peak oil debate. Gloom or Boom?
As the pessimists jump aboard the good ship "peak oil" they all shout the same message. "we are doomed, society will fail, jobs will go, people will starve, back to the stone-age."
Living in their cluster, they believe themselves untouchable and will venomously attack any who offer alternative ideas. "The science we were taught is the be all end all. There is nothing left to be discovered." They may cry.
What if there is more to be discovered? What if there is prosperity ahead instead of the usual doomsday predictions.
Think about it a little, when the change over came from Video to DVD many were saying "It's just a conspiracy by the TV manufacturers to boost sales."
Its the same now with the digital switch-over "A way for more TV manufacturers to sell more digital compatible TVs"
Its the same with peak oilists "We're screwed. The only way out would be to retrofit the whole society, build new power plants, replace the vehicle stock, rebuild cities, deploy electric car charging stations, refurbish train lines, install energy saving equipment everywhere etc... And that's impossible."
What if peak oil gives a massive boost to the economy, and starts driving up other stocks.
What if it was not impossible? What if people say "Flippin 'eck, there's money to be made here, designing and building alternative ways to energise cities and power transport."
New companies formed, building new factories. New workforces to build the new factories and others to work in them. Jobs galore. More spending, healthier economy. Healthier living.
A lot of "what ifs" I know, but mankind was built on "What If"

93 Making Global Warming into an acronym - so much better than real science.

94 "As your only critizism with the original post was the actual date when Tony Blair uttered his observations regarding CO2 emmitions, I take it you agree with the rest." You've made a mistake then and since when did Tony Blair's comments on the subject carry any authority? Simply put, you copied and posted an article from the ABD website, an article in itself that was so ridiculous it had to scrape up a quote from a PM trying to gain popularity with the electorate. If you believe that claptrap you'll believe anything. In any case, its always courteous to quote the source - you would't want people to think you were passing off would you?

"I'm allowed felt tips now, so there."
Great. Today's words: 'emissions', 'criticism'.

RE 92
As your only critizism with the original post was the actual date when Tony Blair uttered his observations regarding CO2 emmitions, I take it you agree with the rest.
I can't see why you are agressive.
You call me a dimwit? Oh well, no accounting for taste. Each to their own.
Most peak oil followers will point at Dr Colin Campbells words of wisdom. But They were spoken long before Blair said his. But it is OK to be selective when the shoe needs a foot to be squeezed onto.
Question to I C Wood, are you a thick plank?
PS, I'm allowed felt tips now, so there.

92 Seeing as you asked here's a bit from them.

GLOBAL WARMING — Green Lying Operation Bringing About Luddite Ways, Anti-capitalism, Repression of Movement, and Inhibition of New Growth.

Re 91

Yeah! Want it back dimwit? What are you going to recite next - something else from the Association of British Drivers fairy tale book?

RE 89
Found a stray crayon?

#89
It makes no difference when the article in post 86 originated it was still said by the number 1 man at the time who incidentally wasn't one to stick to his words anyway so we knew that it would have been swept under the carpet in the hope that no one remembered it.
Incidentally why are you against using your real name when posting are you in a competition to see who can think up the most ridiculous idiotic sign off name imaginable or are you just afraid of the establishment?

86 & 87 No, YOU didn't meant to say the "former" Prime Minister. You should however have had the decency to credit the source you copied and pasted: Nicholas Watt in the Guardian January 9th 2007. A two year old article - really useful.

88 "I think": no you don't.

86 Felix.W.
I fully agree with your entire content in this posting.
I was beginning to think that like minded people such as you and I were in the minority. It's a pity that more people cant see the subterfuge that exists in this matter.
It's also a great shame but understandable why you had to post 87 with the small number of nit pickers we have here who cant see the wood for the trees.
With regards to post 85 by AJB I think in each case it is the last statement in the sections that applies i.e A load of b*llocks.

RE '"The prime minister, who recently had a family holiday in Miami'"
Before the perfectionists start bleating on. I meant to say The "'former"' Prime Minister. Put the crayons away.

Through radio commercials and online advertising, the government is encouraging drivers to "Act On CO2" — but don't worry, you don't need to.
Climate change is an entirely natural process that has been going on for 4.5 billion years.
Mankind did not start it (we weren't even around for the first 4.4998 billion years), and mankind cannot change it.
The scaremongering about climate change provides a very convenient way for the government to persuade gullible people to pay more stealth taxes on rubbish collection, domestic electricity and gas, petrol, air flights, and a plethora of other stuff they've yet to tell us about.
Why can't I buy an A-rated car?
The government wouldn't be able to take any VED from you if you bought one. The government is not always as stupid as it looks. When A-rated cars become available, expect the government to change the bands so that they immediately cease to be A-rated cars. It's a bit like the 'dangle a carrot in front of the donkey' principle.
If ALL carbon dioxide in the UK were to stop overnight, so no power stations, no mechanised transport using the internal combustion engine, no gas boilers heating homes and so on, with the consequent regression to a medieval lifestyle and millions of deaths, China's economic growth would make up the difference in 700 days (according to Tony Blair Jan 2007)
"Carry on flying, says Blair - science will save the planet"
The prime minister, who recently had a family holiday in Miami, adds that it would be wrong to impose "unrealistic targets" on travellers. "You know, I'm still waiting for the first politician who's actually running for office who's going to come out and say it - and they're not," Mr Blair says. "It's like telling people you shouldn't drive anywhere."
Mr Blair's message in the interview is that everyone needs to work together, but imposing strict rules would only backfire."Britain is 2% of the world's emissions. We shut down all of Britain's emissions tomorrow - the growth in China will make up the difference within two years.

So if we had stopped using everyything = oil = two years ago, the planet would still be in the same state today.
We are taxed every step of every day and the government are thinking up new ways to tax you more. 2p duty on fuel on 1 April, at least a 2% increase on fuel on 22 April and add the VAT. Further increases in the Autumn and the increase in VAT in December. Plus the usual strange increases at the pumps in-between. Plus OPEC's drive to artificially inflate the price of oil, things look expensive.

Consider the following:-

PEAK OIL. Has it been reached?
Is it about to be reached?
Will it be reached sometime in the future?
Or is it a load of b*llocks?

GLOBAL WARMING. Is it happening?
Is it about to happen?
Will it happen sometime in the future?
Or is it a load of b*ollocks?

SMOKING. Is it bad for all?
Is it bad for some?
Or is it a load of b*ollocks.
I know a number of people who have and still do smoke heavily since they were 14 years of age and quite a few reached a 100 years of age.

DRINKING. Is it good for all?
Is it bad for all?
Or is it a load of b*ollocks?
For every so called expert that tells you it's bad for you there's another expert that says it's good for you in moderation.

Post 78 go's some way to proving that it's not how true something really is,
so much as how true something sounds and if you chose your words carefully then you could make most people believe anything.

With regards to the 4 headings above well:-
The jury is still out on all of them because it's difficult to prove conclusively
one way or the other and many people chose to believe what they see and still others chose to believe what they hear, and neither of them are right or wrong.

I really will be giving posting a rest for a while now as my next 2 weeks will be contained to several quite intensive hospital tests.
Catch you all in a fortnight. Happy posting.

As we are in a Judging mood I have conversed with some panelists IE my wife and her friend and have agreed on 8.7/10
A very high score indeed.
As far as vacuums go can we expect a reply from Victor Vax?

82 Thanks Capri
As I said I simply couldn't resist it, Martins original posting was wide open to a bit of pi$$ taking and it was with Google's help that I found the name Graham Phillips who has a connection with people who bat for the other side as it were.
I will google Isaac Parker and have a read of the entries it throws up.
Anyway I hope Martin Kirby (does he sell vacuum cleaners?) laughs with us as there's plenty of misery around at the moment and we sure need to laugh at ourselves for a bit.
By the way marks out of 10 for post 78?

I knew this site was going to be a super place to see several sides of life and alternative thinking. When a person attempts to play-down other posters there is always someone else playing with an ace or two up the sleeve.
AJB, you were the last person I thought of in post 78. Quite clever in the build up that I was sure you actually knew the other guy. As for your wife running off with another of the same sex. Very original.
Also post 77 is showing a brightness with the name Isaac Parker. If you read the post he refers to a Judge. Try your google AJB with Judge Isaac Parker and the irony of post 77 will come clear.

O.K,O.K enough is enough.

It was me in post 78 winding Martin up with my juvenile sense of humour, I simply couldn't resist it, I had visions of him going into Mellons D.I.Y and asking for Graham and coming out with thick lip.
Oddly enough there is a Kings road playpark near the Esso garage and there's a Mellons D.I.Y store there too (Google is a wonderful tool) and it made it all the more plausible.
Sorry if I got any genuine shirt lifters too excited.

When did this site become a singles bar?
I suppose with depleting oil reserves and future price fluctuations mainly in an ever increasing circle there should be an alternative pastime to take our minds off all this doom and gloom.
So here goes. I am married- old- not too many wrinkles- can still stand for 12 minutes without the aid of a zimmer- seeking a young maiden to bowl me over- my place on Thursday evenings when the wife is at bingo- must be patient.

re, 78.
Graham. I would luv to come with you.
You seem like a nice man. A holiday in Greece together. Beautiful.
We will have a wonderful time sharing a room together. It would be a bit qweer at first but we will get used to it.
I am a n/s but live with my parents and am still in the closet. I have not ,come out, like you yet. You could show me the ropes.
Oh happy days,

Re 75.
Hi Martin, it's a pity you're not looking for a relationship, I am a ns with gsoh
oh & c and live just up the road from the Esso garage near the Kings road playpark. I'm recently divorced (my wife left me for another woman) and I'm quite liberal minded.
I used to work in the Esso garage and it is true that the managers do post the prices they are told to by the company and they are also told to keep the prices high for as long as possible following a cut in the price of both petrol and diesel.
I now work in Mellons D.I.Y shop.
So if you'd like to go out for a couple of drinks one night perhaps we could take it from there. Just pop in and ask for Graham,but if I'm not there just leave your number with any of the staff and I promise I will phone you.
My wife and I were going to Greece in the summer and I still have the tickets if you want to come, let me know, we could then let everybody on this site know how much fuel is over there I've heard it's much cheaper than here
and we'd be contributing well to this site cause. Don't you think.

Writing 75
I think more than 75% make a legitimate contribution to these pages.
24% enjoy a little humour.
It is the 1% like you who regard themselves as judge jury and executioner.
If it concerns you so much why not follow your own advice and look elsewhere. As you have argued, why should you look elsewhere?
It is the same answer you will receive from most others who post here on a regular basis.
If you dont like it, Stop Hanging around here.

RE 75
Hi Boris.

I'm breaking a self-imposed rule not to post on these blogs - but number 68 needs a response. For goodness sake man, take a step back and think what you are doing! You maintain that you are a mature, serious person and complain about the juvenile turn that these blogs take. What on earth do you expect? About 99% of these blogs are utter rubbish - as you'd expect with no need to register or rules to speak of. Hardly surprising that jokers come along to take the mick when you are intent on holding your conversations in public. If you want intelligent debate (or just pass the time of day and share a few jokes) there are plenty forums and chat rooms to choose from. I can't think of a single good reason why you and several others post here and try and keep a dialogue going (although its ironic that one common denominator of the blogs that go juvenile is the presence of a certain Adrian John Bell and Steve M!). Complete madness - unless you actually enjoy the argy-bargy with people who, it seems to me, simply post to wind you up.
That's my posting career over - I use the site to check fuel prices, not build a relationship! One useful snippet if you live in the Halstead, Essex area where I am is that the Esso in Halstead is 86.9 for unleaded and 95.9 for derv. I travel around the country a fair bit during the week and these are about the lowest prices I've seen recently - and we usually have high prices here due to little competition! The folk at the site simply said that the company that runs it tells them what price to sell at and they reduced them last week. Don't know if it will last - probably not - so fill up while you can (no, I'm not on commission!).

What will we do when oil runs out?
There are contingency plans in place that require fine tuning.
The "peak" at which it ceases to become too expensive to use solar energy is fast approaching.
We may be coming to the end of the "Oil Age" but the "Solar Age" is dawning. The answer was there all the time, we just couldn't see it.

Today, 70 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels, a 19th-century technology. But if we could capture just one ten-thousandth of the sunlight that falls on Earth, we could meet 100 percent of the world’s energy needs using this renewable and environmentally friendly source. We can’t do that now because solar panels rely on old technology, making them expensive, inefficient, heavy and hard to install. But a new generation of panels based on nanotechnology (which manipulates matter at the level of molecules) is starting to overcome these obstacles. The tipping point at which energy from solar panels will actually be less expensive than fossil fuels is only a few years away. The power we are generating from solar is doubling every two years; at that rate, it will be able to meet all our energy needs within 20 years.

Re: 72

Peak Oil IS alive and well and coming to a town near you soon.

Have you wondered where all the surplus oil is going?
The rigs are still fetching the stuff up even if at a slower rate.
There is still more being produced than can be consumed.
The less arrogant OPEC countries are selling to any bidder to please their governments and prevent further financial instability.
The depletion of new oil fields is worse than predicted at 9.1% year over year.
The surplus oil is being purchased by cash flush China.
They are filing their strategic reserves with oil.
Why aren't we doing the same?

Paranoia is rife on this site.
Why not post as yourself with a user ID if you prefer. Pretending to be other people and accusations of multiple posts do nothing to the continuity of a blog. Although I am a newcomer to these pages I have found them an inspirational source where like minded individuals can come together and discuss alternatives. Of course not all postings totally agree and it is this which makes it such an entertaining place to visit.
Apart from the juvenile postings it is still a good place to air our views.

Hi,

RE 69.

I have worn 3D glasses, sunglasses, reading glasses, night vision glasses, bi-focal glasses, beer glasses, double glazed glasses and no glasses.

You are correct. The reports of peak oil are still there. Its choosing who to believe that causes a problem.

Was peak oil in the seventies, eighties or is it now?

Is it in 10 years, 50 years or really just hype?

Adrian, you are right. I have been a little quiet lately, and as you spotted I have been observing from a distance. And still get accused of posting as others. I will always admit when I have a bit of fun. I had to distance myself from the Boris,G.brown,Greg Brown,Mark Sausage,Franc Onions bloke.

As you said, get dragged down and beat with experience. Too tired for that $hit these days.

Is G.brown Greg Brown? without a doubt. And many others I think.

Catch you this evening, might 'pop in', have a beer or two, hope to see you later.

Did you know that PO still exists even if you are wearing rose tinted spectacles.

67 Hi Steve
Yes thanks I am well on the road to recovery and I hope that you too are on the mend.
Unfortunately the same can't be said of this blog, it seems to have gone the way of all the others and run out of steam with silly names and even sillier accusations like in 66 thrown at you yourself. I'm going to be an observer rather than a contributor and maybe a new blog with topical rather than
juvenile comments might be forthcoming when the fuel duty rises on April 1st and maybe another blog after the budget.(No problems with Capri though I feel that he is well worth the read. Good on you Capri).
I think you may have been quiet recently for the same reasons, yes or no?
Greg Brown in 66???

Hi,

RE 66. G.brown,

Not guilty. I have not posted since 7 March.

The numbers thing in blog 56 happened to me in the past when I attempted to copy some English to Russian text.

This post (56) is nothing to do with me.

Adrian, I hope you are well.

56 Posting.
Looking back over previous blogs only Steve M ever posted this type of code?
So Red Ken & Mark Sausages could possibly be Steve M.

re 62.
how do you know what 56 is saying unless you posted it????
honestly, some people.

Talking of re-cycling. I see it everyday in the hedges and grass verges, in the road gutters and on the footways.
Crisp packets beer cans cigarette stubs and chip shop paper. Fast food containers and dog poop.
In the suburbs a man in a bright yellow jacket and a large wheelie bin collects some of it in a token gesture on behalf of the local council. In the city centres a mass clean up continuously in progress 24 hours a day to win some award or other. False economics. Teach the population to use a bin or fine them heavily. It works in Scotland.
Remember to thoroughly wash all cans and plastic containers before you recycle or they will also end up at a land fill site.
As for the plastic pretenders posting as foreigners. What next?

I will be as concise as possible.

Don't waste anything, be it Fuel, food, water, even life, as it's all limited.
Look after yourself and YOU may life longer.
Look after the planet and we ALL may live longer.

We need to work together to make a difference and that means all of us and there lies is the problem.
The Human race is fueled by greed and a me first attitude.

As soon as we all realize that we need to change our ways the sooner we can start saving ourselves but until then the outlook is pretty bleak.

In whatever we do, we should look to find the most efficient way of doing it and don't just opt for the quickest or cheapest, recycle where ever possible and if we can do this we will all reap the rewards.

You don't have to believe me but bare in mind what I'm saying when you hear the news or drive to work or even stand in a queue. Simply just watch other people's behavior and you will see exactly what I mean.
Sad but true.

56 of course, why shouldn't you comment about the UK? Plenty of Russians live there - and buy football teams!

@56

1052 41c M
1086 43e o
1075 433 r
1083 43B n
1086 O
1103 44F R (reversed)
1082 43A k
1086 O
1084 43C m
1084 m
1077 435 e
1085 43D H
1090 442 T
1080 438 N (reversed)

e.g. - fileformat info info unicode char 43D index
(why does this blog have to block URLs?)


No - doesn't make any sense to me either.

what a lot of juvenile rubbish is on this site this site was at one time serious now its just for idiots to write a load of rubbish

@2 - "96.5% of all carbon dioxide emissions are from natural sources, mankind is responsible for only 3.5%.........fuel to heat buildings is taxed at 5% even though buildings emit nearly twice as much carbon dioxide!"

You're forgetting that natural sources absorb as much as they emit; what's significant is the "man-made" emissions effectively accumulate. Imagine breathing in and out, but inhaling a little more each time than you exhale, it would soon become uncomfortable.

Buildings could and should be made far more energy efficient - totally with you on that one.

I think we're pi$$ing in the wind now.

Can anyone explain 56? It's got me stumped.

53 still you get it wrong! He said "the" full year not "a" full year! He did not say "we will freeze duty for one year" - in English or any other language (and surely that was English that you translated into - English)!
You are good for amusing 53! I won't say you lied - just didn't understand!

Могло я комментировать что - нибудь о Великобритании.

53
Thank you Capri
This is what I've been trying to tell sausages but he's having none of it.

52 what am I telling you or your friends to do or listen to? You made a mistake regarding something your Prime Minister said! Your friend tried and tried (sorry, same word within four again!) to argue that you were right. Why shouldn't you or I comment on a mistake made by someone in another country? Maybe your stereotypical view of foreigners says much! Are you a secret xenophobic? Of course I would not be so impolite to comment about warm beer, cricket and football hooligans! Or sheep?

On 16 July 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Parliament: "In recognition of the problems that people face with petrol, we are freezing petrol duty for a full year."
He did not say "from Oct 2007 we are freezing fuel duty for one year"
If he did, he lied.
He did say in his July 2008 speech "we will freeze duty for one year" In English this means "for one year, we will freeze fuel duty"
He didn't. He lied.

51 Sausages
Of course it's not exclusive for members only.
If you were from France I wouldn't tell you how to control your fishermen, your farmers or dockworkers or any of your countrymen.
If you were from Italy I wouldn't tell you how to make pizza or spaghetti.
If you were from Holland I wouldn't tell you what wood to use to make your clogs. Each country has it's own culture an none want interference.
So if you are not from U.K why do you try to tell us what we should do or listen to. We are quite capable of seeing through the half truths we are told without any help from outsiders telling us different.
Please keep your comments coming but if you don't play the game, don't make the rules.
What is your main country of residence if that's not asking you too much.