Government’s approach to high fuel prices ‘completely wrong’

RE 219

A quick visit to The Oildrum Europe will put you or anyone else straight on precisely where we stand on peak oil. Peak oil isn't the end of it either, we are coming up against physical stops in any number of areas. Why do you think so many things are becoming so expensive? Why do you think cheap flights are disappearing? Why do you think cod is a rarity in fish n' chips these days?

Dots all over. Grab pencil. Join dots. Think oh s hit.

re: 217

If we have passed Peak Oil, then Prove it. not by using the same unofficial facts, but official facts to state that we have used x amount of oil, and we have x amount of oil left.

Face it, you are using the same info time and time again and have nothing to back up your facts.

I, for one will continue about my day and lifestyle, until I am proved wrong.


http : // onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3480.shtml

Re: 215

Nice idea Lisa but our economy is in a serious state of decline because of decreasing oil supplies, greater demand and increasing fuel costs.

Historically, EVERY civilisation has fallen as their energy resources (food or fuel) start to dwindle and fade away.

Where do you suggest that the capital required for all of the research and development will come from?

We have passed Peak Oil and from now on EVERY Western economy will continue to decline.

Don't rely on governments or corporations to solve our problems. They can't.

They'll continue to make encouraging noises about future growth but at the end of the day they are all hamstrung.

Oil prices will continue to climb. Agrochemical and food prices will continue to rise. Thousands will join the ranks of the unemployed and services we once took for granted will soon disappear forever.

Don't expect a miraculous return to 'business as usual'. It isn't going to happen.

My advice?

Start preparing for a life of austerity. NOW!

Find local employment. Reduce your debts. Reduce your fuel consumption. Grow your own vegetables or buy from local suppliers. Keep fit and exercise regularly. Insulate your home and consider the installation of alternative power sources (wood burning stove, solar or wind turbine). Help your family, friends and colleagues to understand the implications of Peak Oil.

Re: 215

Very good point, however they said that in the 60's about 1999 if I remember correctly. And last time I checked, we havent really moved that far even in 2008.

Plasma fusion reactors will power the earth in years to come, might see it if i reach 90, eg 60 years from now.

Oil will be worth less by then newer technologies will be brought forward, man will not be driving on road but flying in there cars, this is no science fiction, all this info can be found by searching the net.

why dont the government just loose the duty or the vat on a litre as surely paying duty and vat is double taxing something isnt just using a different word, why should the british government get more than the people who produce this product??

I was recently victamised by HMRC and won my case at a crown court of appeal in maidstone where after going through several appeals including a kangaroo magistraits court i was told to leave it at that after being fined £2,500 i continued to the crown court and was succesfull at crown court i brought £1,000 worth of tobbacco into the uk and was classed as a smuggler it has now cost the state nearly £10,000 to take me to court for what they said was £1,800 in duty i evaded so this means that on £1,000 worth of tobbacco the british Government get twice as much as the person who actually produces it how is this a fairly run state???? If they stopped wasting TAX Payers money taking people to court and followed EU Guide lines which is what we say we are part of we wouldnt have this problem no more

All i can say is at least D1ck Turpin (sorry about the one in the name but the site thought i was swearing) wore a mask before he robbed people what is gorden brown doing??? in broad daylight!!! AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT

What I want to know is why is diesel more expensive. If you look back to say the 80's, diesel was at least 25% cheaper than petrol. To my understanding diesel should cost less to produce as it comes out of the refinery at an earlier stage of processing. I can only conclude that because diesel is more popular now, the government has raised duty on it and the refineries have increased the price too !?!?!?

what they should do is sell the uferaties the water at the same price as oil teach them a lesson of there own so the water and $145 a barrel. they will soon drop the price of fuel then

They used to stand on your doorstep, look you in the eye and tell you all the lies they thought you could stomach. Lately, with the advent of better media, they can go on television and lie to a much greater number of people, all at the same time, thereby saving time and effort, allowing them more time to reflect on their expense accounts. The Thatcher claimed at one time that our returning soldiers, that is those that had not given their lives, would be returning to a land fit for heroes, ( her words, not mine) But the dole queues and soup kitchens are a testimonial to anything but, while I cannot help noticing the Armani suits covering our representatives well rounded stomachs. So, complain all you like, it will not do a thing for anyone.

Who believes all this hipe! Oil isn't that expensive USA are paying (and moaning) about $4.00 a gallon diesel we in the UK are ripped off by the tune of $10.00 a gallon diesel.

Just imagine for one moment ........if we were paying .........$4.00 a gallon in the UK...................£0.53 pence a litre.......................oh the good old days in a country you were proud of.............!!!!

Who is having a laugh at our expense - Gordon Brown? But he has hinted today that he will not raise duty by another 0.02p a litre in October - well thanks very much, he really is "listening" !!

Why dont you lot shut up about boycotting fuel stations. It doesnt work. Bringing the economy to a standstill will. The government is taxing is more than ever to beat the smoking revenue deficit that is occuring. The best thing to do is do major blockages on all the 6 major M roads 1~6. That way the government would lose a high amount of VAT revenue and any duty in the follow up from all the losses incurred. Problem is, many management at workplaces are against this, as they too lose on profitability.

Better thing is you ALL are whinging, yet do nothing in protest. So either STFU or do something about it physically rather than moaning. Alternatively buy a new SEAT leon 57+ reg and it does 80mpg provided you make use of cruise control and high gears in 30~40 zones.

Other than that. Well. The 2p cut in autumn will make f all difference considering the amount it rose since i got back from portgual in a week. 3~4p.

Its clear that this govenment is totally incompetent. It cannot reduce tax on anything! because it wastes vast amounts of our money on undeserving causes and bureaucratic waste. Its on record that Gordon Brown was the highest taxing chanceller in British History and his legacy lives on!
BOBBO.

Its clear that this govenment is totally incompetent. It cannot reduce tax on anything! because it wastes vast amounts of our money on undeserving causes and bureaucratic waste. Its on record that Gordon Brown was the highest taxing chanceller in British History and his legacy lives on!
BOBBO.

New Labour = "TOUGH ON THE MOTORISTS TOUGH ON THE CAUSES OF THE MOTORISTS".
The current (laughable yet cryable) inflation rate is near 4% (14% in real terms)
Petrol/diesel have gone up 20-30% since January and our gas/electricity bills are set to rise by 40% from August yet it's a fair bet that come September/October
when our pension increases are set on inflation for that time period the said "rate of inflation" will have miraculously dropped to 2% only to shoot up from November again the books being well and truly cooked. Why can't people see beyond tomorrow?

I've been reading these comments till my eyes hurt, and like many others do not really know what the answer is. Speculators will carry on using any means they can to drive the price of oil up, and so I don't think there's going to be any way to get the price of a barrel of oil to come down by any significant amount. The only realistic way we're going to see a reasonable price at the petrol pump is to get the government to massively cut fuel duty, which is the main problem as far as I'm concerned.

Year upon year, the government extorts more and more tax from us, which wouldn't be too bad in itself if there was a corresponding increase in the standard of living. However, quality of life seems to be dropping if anything, and it really does make you wonder how inefficiently the country is being run to waste this amount of money. Take the recently introduced NHS database for an example - it's riddled with bugs, and cost 13 billion pounds to implement. 13 thousand million pounds on a computer system that doesn't work properly. It's truly sickening, and god only knows how many other absolute wastes of money are going on that we don't know about.

However, to all those insisting that global oil supplies are running out, and carping on about 'peak oil', I'd just like to point out the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_sands

For those who can't be bothered to read it, I'll summarise a few of the key points:
- "Tar sands is a colloquialism for what are technically described as bituminous sands, and commonly known as oil sands or (in Venezuela) extra heavy oil. The sands are naturally occurring mixtures of sand or clay, water and an extremely dense and viscous form of petroleum called bitumen. They are found in large amounts in many countries throughout the world, but are found in extremely large quantities in Canada and Venezuela"
- They have only recently been considered to be part of the world's oil reserves, as higher oil prices and new technology enable them to be profitably extracted and upgraded to usable products
- The world's largest deposits occur in two countries: Canada and Venezuela, both of which have tar sands reserves approximately equal to the world's total reserves of conventional crude oil
- As a result of the development of these reserves, most Canadian oil production in the 21st century is from tar sands or heavy oil deposits, and Canada has become the largest supplier of oil and refined products to the United States
- Oil sands may represent as much as two-thirds of the world's total petroleum resource, with at least 1.7 trillion barrels (270×109 m3) in the Canadian Athabasca Oil Sands and perhaps 235 billion barrels (37×109 m3) of extra heavy crude in the Venezuelan Orinoco tar sands [6]. Between them, the Canadian and Venezuelan deposits contain about 3.6 trillion barrels (570×109 m3) of oil in place, compared to 1.75 trillion barrels (280×109 m3) of conventional oil worldwide, most of it in Saudi Arabia and other Middle-Eastern countries

So let's face it, oil isn't running out as much as some harbingers of doom seem to want it to be, and i can only imagine any such tales that it is are merely propaganda fostered by oil speculators, which many people seem to be buying hook, line and sinker and then regurgitating it as their own opinion (*cough* peak oil *cough*).

And yes, i am aware that currently it is quite a bit more expensive to extract oil from these reserves, but as demand for them increases the technology will be developed to get at them more efficiently and cheaply, to the point where it will most likely not be a factor.

Keep saying waste of time doing a blockade,,,,,,,,, insted dont buy any fuel or fill up this will cause the garages to have full tanks but no buyers they will still have to pay the staff for sitting on their buts,,,,,,,,, the tankers will have no work so they can have a well earned rest without pay as they will not be needed,,,,,,,, LETS all for once stick together it might force the price down,,,, the large stores are doing a price war due to the credit crunch,,,,,,, so the petrol companys can do the same,,,,,,, lets start with a 4 days of action fron MONDAY 14th of JULY ,,,,,,,,, no not just a few everybody stand together for once

When are proper blockades of all UK refineries going to be arranged,lets go the full way with this thieving goverment and shut the whole UK down it will only take three or four days before the bite sets in,this is the only action that Brown and his bandits will respond to.Lets do it now !

The simple reason why this government cannot lower any taxes on fuel, or anything else, is because Britain is the worlds police force, benefits office and social worker. We have now become the world banker as well, seeing what our Gordon has given away.

Until we stop this nonsense, our taxes, and yet more ways to fine motorists, will increase.

Another thing which is driving up the cost of fuel, and everythiing else, is the greed of hedge funds and speculators, who are gambling on the prices increasing so that they can trouser the profits. The Saudi Princes are correct, the price of oil is reasonably priced, it is the speculators who are driving the costs even before they reach the refineries. (Watch Ch4 Dispatches: The truth about food prices). It will frighten you!

Why the hell can't the petrol companies charge the same for a litre of unleaded or diesel no matter where one is in the country ?

I live on the coast in West Sussex and BP here are currently charging 121.9 for unleaded in yet when I go up to Sittingbourne in Kent,the same BP unleaded is 116.9 !

Also,motorway services have you by the balls.They no longer advertise their prices on motorway service signs and frequently charge 10 to 12p a litre more than normal service stations.

Absolutely smacks of profiteering.Yet another case of Rip Off Britain !!!

REF 167 get off your high horse join the real world until you (which i hope never happens) ends up disabled dont critisise. i for one worked 86 hours every week on a phyisical job till i had a heart attack, resulting in unstable angina & breathing problems, i dont drive a new car i bought my own secondhand 4 years ago, if i wanted a new one yes i could loose my mobilty money and have one but i chose not to, as for living on a council estate most people are friendly and hard working, YOU strike me as nothing but a snob its no pleasure not having full conrol of your body people with your mentalaty should think before they post comments as i thought this was about fuel nothing else

Reducing the tax will not sort the price at the pump, all it will do is reduce the amount of tax the government receives and they will seek to recover it elsewhere.

Why won't it sort the price at the pump? - The fuel retailers know how much we are prepared to pay. All a tax cut will do is reduce the amount of tax revenue and increase the amount of profit/turnover the fuel retailer and oil company make.

The price of a litre needs to be controlled by the government as it is in other parts of the world. This could be done with a tax cut and imposing a limit the fuel companies can charge. Though what you need to remember is in the EU competition law prevents anyone controlling prices or rigging the market.

I do not agree with the amount of tax on fuel, but the issue is not simply to cut the tax, the market is much more complicated. The oil companies and fuel retailers know at the moment how much we will pay for fuel, what I am starting to ask myself is how much am I prepared to pay?

From my experience of our close European neighbours the cost of fuel is very similar and the tax is lower, so this illustrates my case. The fuel companies are making more out of our European neighbours than us.

How we reduce our dependency on oil has no golden bullet, but we have all got to look locally, nationally and internationally. I feel at the moment that this can only get worse, but how much worse?

boycotting will not work, they make pennies from the forcourt, its tax that is the problem

The way to lower fuel prices is to start a price war between oil companies by boycotting 1 company.Colin Pomeroy.

{172 I was just wondering if it is actually legal to levy VAT on a tax. We pay VAT on the price of the fuel plus the fuel duty. Surely we should only be paying VAT on the fuel cost. That alone would knock about 9p off a litre.

Any tax lawyers on here?? }

One of the most blatant rip-offs that appears to be the one arguement seldom raised. Each time an Xpence rise in fuel duty arises, you have to add 17.5% to that figure at all times.

Greed is NOT the only reason behind the rises in fuel prices, but it is a major factor that greatly influences the pain we feel with these increases.

For the greater majority of products/services the end price is made up by:

- Cost of materials/labor/machinery/R+D (Don't forget costs caused by Legislation of Industry, which is usually high, but usually results in a better Industry)
- Fair (or Unfair) Profit
- Delivery
- In the UK, Value Added Tax.

For Fuel in the UK its:

- Cost of materials/labor/machinery/R+D (Don't forget costs caused by Legislation of Industry, which is usually high, but (usually/sometimes/whatever your arguement) results in a better Industry)
- Fair (or Unfair) Profit
- Delivery
- Fuel Duty
- Value Added Tax.

This is a blog so I make no point, just pointing out the thorn in my wallet :/

Important point about supply and demand. Supply can exceed demand (stockpiles and reserves can build up) but ACTUAL demand can never exceed supply. It is common sense, you can ask all you like, but if there is no oil to buy you won't be able to buy it. This is what leads to oil price volatility.

In the short term oil supply is "inelastic". In other words although it is possible in some cases to increase the speed of extraction, this has little effect and a real increase in supply will have to come from discovering and extracting new sources. The latter takes a lot of time, maybe decades if the oil is hard to reach.

When there is a fixed supply of oil, and there are more requirements for oil than there is oil available, then an auction process takes place which bids up the price of oil until some buyers drop out.

This means that the price of oil tends to rise very quickly in the face of increasing requirements and fixed or reducing supply. That is what we are seeing at the moment. And because supply is inelastic prices will stay high for a long time.

The outcome of this is that requirements will start to reduce. There will be no alternative.
- People will drive their cars less
- People will drive more economically
- People will buy smaller and/or more economical cars
- Car makers will design much more fuel efficient vehicles
- Travelling by train and bus becomes more attractive
- Power generators will switch to alternative fuels
- The cost of wind, solar and wave power drops below the cost of burning fossil fuels encouraging more developments
- Nuclear power becomes more economic
- It actually becomes economically viable to insulate your house, double glaze your windows and buy low energy light bulbs.

Unfortunately there is no direct price mechanism linking the supply of public transport to demand, but hopefully the government will step in and increase investment in that area.

While all this is going on the oil companies will be furiously scouring the earth for new sources of supply in order to benefit from the high prices.

If any of this sounds familiar, most of this happened after the last oil price shock in the early 1970s.

At some point (probably about 10 years time) energy saving will become so effective that the requirements for oil will drop below the level of even a declining supply. At the same time the new sources of oil will start to come on stream.

This will lead to a sudden drop in the price of oil. Stockpiles will start to build up as oil producers hope that the drop in price is a "blip" and that it will rise again in the near future. This does not happen and eventually they are forced to sell oil at progressively lower and lower prices and we have an oil glut.

As the price of oil reduces people become more slack again. SUVs and 4x4s will become popular. People will smother their houses in halogen spot lights, long-haul holidays will become popular etc etc.

My only hope is that by then, the technology that helps us to save energy will have developed and remain entrenched enough to stop a COMPLETE return to our profligate ways.

All this will come to pass....

Comment 173.

Finally someone has hit the nail on the head. I don't think anyone has the "small round things" to stand up and be counted.

The only way to sort this thing out is to make the government relise we are not going to sit back and take it. My worry is we sit back too long and when it all explodes there will be civil war and no one wants that. In my humble opinion I believe this is just another bail of hay on the donkeys back, and now the donkey is about to fall over!

Its time we the people said no, it worked for the truckers why shouldn't it work for everyone.

How does the Government respond to Saudi Arabia' promise to help reduce oil prices by increased output if the Government will reduce the exorbitant tax rate of 53p/Litre if it really wants to help motorists??

Hi There all, when are we Brits going to stand up to these bent and over paid politicians and let them know what the real people have to go through just to make a living in this country, when are we going to STOP !! letting them pull are trousers down, and shafting us up the rear, LETS DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS , we need a Party for the people so they can be heard

I was just wondering if it is actually legal to levy VAT on a tax. We pay VAT on the price of the fuel plus the fuel duty. Surely we should only be paying VAT on the fuel cost. That alone would knock about 9p off a litre.

Any tax lawyers on here??

The government has become reliant on the revenue it gets from fuel duty. It has to pay for immigrants to have housing, food and translators, for 'job-seekers' to sit on their arses all day and for wars, not to mention a second home for every MP, or how about spending £422m of our money on a cocked up order for chinook helipcopters, which still wont fly until 2010 by which time they will have cost us millions more.

I'm sick to the back teeth of working ever harder, being taxed ever more and getting ever less in return. Council tax has gone up, but my rubbish is collected every two weeks now and they wont take it if the lid on my bin won't close fully. The cost of living needs to go up for those of us who work so that the government can foot the bill for those who live off the state.

High fuel prices are here to stay, but not becuase of a supply/demand problem but becuase we have a government who likes wasting money left right and center.

Short memories?
VAT - when introduced was VALUE ADDED TAX - a tax on luxury goods - now its a tax on life as everything except food and childrens clothes have VAT added. If Gordon Brown wants votes, giving the over 60's free swimming will not do it - TAKE VAT OFF ALL FUELS, gas electricity and road fuel that will benefits EVERYONE, fuels are not a luxury they are a necessity of life - our lives.
This country fought for over so many wars and other rights of our freedom and it is going to the dogs and Gordon Brown knows it, this governement has the country bankrupt - giving millions to China is a farce too charity begins at home!
Taxed up to the hilt, I worked all my life, paid tax, saved for a good pension, and now I am taxed again on my own money in my pension.

1. venezuela is an oil producing nation yet there fuel is 15 pence a litre now.
2. we currently get nearly 2 dollars to the pound so the fuel is basically half price before tax and fuel company profits
3. we need to protest two areas firstly boycott the most expensive brands eg bp then demonstate not by doing rolling blockades like the hauliers are doing if i were gordon brown iwould besl that the muppets are filling there lorries up with diesel to drive and protest giving the government more money for nothing. take to the streets let labour know there number is up we wont take anymore !!!!!!

If our so called goverment were so determined to 'protect the environment' etc. etc, why don't they give us better incentives to buy / use more fuel efficient vehicles - it is a known fact diesel powered cars are far more efficient than their petrol counterparts so how come our diesel is more expensive, the cars like for like are more expensive for the diesel version? Why don't they reduce the tax on diesel and reduce the vat on diesel variants of cars (car manufacturers could help here as well), to give people REAL incentive to buy and use these more efficient vehicles and in the long term consume less fuel and preserve what stocks our world may have?
Oh, I forgot, the Government would lose money woudn't they - silly me...

Thing is, when the 4x4 owners are priced off the road (no punn intended) whats next ?, where do people think all the lost revenue is going to be made up from, they lost billions when they priced people out of smoking, now it's 4x4's, I swear that In my life time Salt and Caffine will be subject to tax !

I blame all the benifit claimers legit or not !, we should do as the US does and give them Vouchers to be spent on 'food only' not beer or cigs !, and since when do disabled people have the RIGHT to a new car ?, whats wrong with a taxi ?,
I am lucky enough not to live near a council estate, but should I ever need to drive close to or god forbid through then just to see the new cars on the road makes me sick when they can't even look after the houses they are pretty much GIVEN !

These countries of ours are all full of talkers and not walkers.

We need action not talk - the pen is mightier than the sword - not if the pen is cut in little pieces by the sharp sword!

We need EVERYONE to get involved - not just a majority.

We need a no work - no vehicle day.

This could also be an unofficial bank-holiday too! LOL!

Serious tho' - we need to bite the bullet and tell the bosses to p***-off for a day, we ain't working!!!

A day without work would hit this government more than petty road blocks etc...

hi

I could beleive what i heard on the news yesterday shell tanker drivers earning £32000 a year going on strike because they say they dont earn enough to live any more get a reality check you are JUST truck drivers i spent 6 years training to do my job and i dont earn any where near £32000 a year they should all be sacked there a discrace

Wow, I have never seen so much wasted time in one place, I can't believe our country has become filled with such moaning, limp wristed push overs, Crying about the price of fuel on a website and claiming to be part of whatever proffesion they feel would support their comments or give them some credibility !.
When was the last time any one of you stood up to anyone for anything ?
(no, not on a web site either)

Can't believe some one is also saying that we, the mighty Great Britain who saved france should take a leaf out of the their book when it comes to getting what we want from government.
I'm glad I left the army a long time ago, as I'm ashamed at what this country has become and certainly wouldn't want to fight for it or anyone of you !

What can we do?
The government have wars (illegal) to fight and expenses to claim so they are
not really going to reduce fuel duty, and no matter how much we moan on this blog site we're never going to make any difference because quite
honestly we are all wind and urine. It's all very well talking a good fight but when push comes to shove the majority of the British public just don't want to get involved.
If you read between the lines of the recent go slows (lorries, bikers etc) you'll see a lot of patronising support but under their breaths they are little more than inconvenienced by it all and Gordon Brown knows this.
Sadly there is no quick fix to this and because revenue has been lost with the smoking in public places ban ( they should have had designated smoking areas within licensed premisis) they can't afford to cut fuel duty and in fact they are struggling now. When labour came to power one of they slogans was "Things can only get better" well just watch them now for it's about to get a great deal worse and we can't do a blind thing about it.
Still labour hath robbed us of our times of pleasure we voted them in so now we must repent at leisure. God help us all.

I'm in the very low income bracket so rising fuel and energy prices in general are hitting me hardest. Its not just the diesel and petrol prices but the knock on effect into food and other essentials.

Its about time the political parties in this country started listening to the electorate. A general strike say two days every two weeks would be a good start. This would have massive implications across all business while at the same time giving most people sufficient income to maintain the strike action for a prolonged period.

Eventually the political parties would have to respond. If they don't then action would have to be increased. 'People power' could bring the fuel tax down and give us all a chance to live again!

This BLOG stuff makes me laugh...

We are all miffed about the price of fuel here in the UK, but all this "BLOGGING" is doing sweet fanny adams... except for a bunch of us going yea this government is messed up and should do this or do that...

Unless we get the blockades going again and FORCE the government to do something about it nothing will happen except the rising cost going up rather than down...

I've heard that some country on the continent have blockades in place and it is affecting not only petrol stations but also shops and department stores, this is what we need to happen here but somehow I dont see it going ahead as all we seem to want to do is talk and rant and rave about things...

I wonder what will happen when the cost of petrol hits the £2 mark... I am sure the day is sneaking up on us quicker than we think....

@159 -> Supply and Demand, Brian.

how come it costs more to deliver diesel than petrol and why is diesel more expensive than unleaded when its cheaper to produce.

just think

Where is all this tax being spent? while billions a year are going out on the wars the govenrment can't believe it's luck in having all this extra tax and vat come in.
Wars need paid for some how.

It is understandable that fuel prices are rising as with any product, it is affected by the demand. The government needs to make some changes in the taxation as it is that that is the real expense. They exploit us by taking tax from our wages, road tax, then tax on fuel and to add to matters, VAT as well.
What more do they want to do to rip us off?
I have no choice to purchase fuel and the price only makes me struggle financially.
they really need to make an effort to come up with alternatives to the use of oil and they should have done this a very long time ago.
Our government is useless as with all world governements.
We need to target the government and put real pressure on them to act.

A couple of points to think about;

1. 10 years ago the average MPG was 25, today with the advent of diesel cars it is 50. Thus in real terms todays costs are about the same as 10 years ago. So, who is being lied to??? The Oil companies need to make the same profits to invest and the Government needs more tax, thus lets lie and put the price up and blame it on oil production, reserves or tax dependent on you personal stance.

2. How much do we pay for a pint of beer, a litre of apple juice. In that context fuel is still good value for money. Beer is such great value £3 a pint!!!

Yes we have had it good for too long, but now we are into a reality situation.

I am not a 'Green', just realistic and I drive 40k to 50k per year on business and fly around the globe at least twice...

Just a thought.......

Next Thursday, all people who drive to work should abandon their cars and take Public Transport, sit back and let's see what happens.

With the loss of earnings, reduced tax intake and the Public Transport Network Grinding to a halt due to overcrowding, this should certainly give Mr Brown something to think about!

I'm sure vehicle manufacturers would love to make Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars, if only the oil companies would release the patents for such technologies!!!

And as for the government - this isn't a country to them - its a business, so why would they be interested in forcing such a thing to happen....

Having read a number of the comments on this blog, instead of using the energy against each other, solutions need to found to get the elected MP's who use our money to pay for kitchen upgrades, 2nd homes etc.etc. to come up with ideas on how to reduce the carbon footprint. I would quite happily drive a car which can run on H20. This is the 21st century we are supposed to be an inteligent race, force the vehicle manufacturers to produce more efficeint vehicles or face penalties for not doing so, they are the people selling a product not fit for todays purpose. This government has managed to screw itself as well as us because they don't want people to smoke " less tax duty" don't want us to drink " less tax duty" what's left "the motorist" who needs to commute to work as mentioned previously, because public transport is a joke. One solution to remove a large number of cars of our roads would be to introduce school buses again and employ security people to ensure the safety of the kids during their travel, it works in America & Canada where the big yellow bus has priority. Remove the road tax completely and put the tax on fuel, so for those who wish to drive gas gusslers would have to pay for it as they would be the one's filling up more, wait a minute did I not see Mr Brown getting out of a Jag XJS when he went to meet the oil companies, after flying up to Aberdeen, NOT LEADING BY EXAMPLE IS HE. The simple fact is we need fuel for everything and if the price goes up, it has a knock on effect and it will always be the working man who pays for it in " RIP OFF BRITON" I think the Politcians need to wake up an smell the coffee as we the mass will be voting soon and the may not have a job after that.

"latest figures show that 99.9% of stations across the UK are now selling at or above this price (109.9p per litre)" That was a week or so ago in my area the cheapest petrol is now 117.2 per litre.
This has to stop we need a national strike to show the Goverment that the voters need to be listened too.
Mr Brown have no idea how much prices are rising not just with petrol, but with other essential foods and power. While house prices slump and mortgage rates rise. Taxation needs to be reduced or we will go into an ecomic melt down.
I have never know a goverment so out of touch with its voters.

A National Strike or Protest day will show the goverment the true feelings of the people.

It's about time we stood up to this government. Reduce the Vat rate on fuel. Every time (vertually on a daily basis) the price goes up this government make even more money so they are laughing. If the vat on fuel was reduced down to the same level as the income received in duty say six months ago we, the humble drivers would be better off an the government would still have the same income as they did six months ago. What this government do not realise is that if fuel continues to rise all that will happen is there will be mass inflation thus causing mass unemployment which in turn will cost the government huge amounts in unemployment benefits. Gordon Brown needs to look further than next week!
I have never been a millitant type of person but do think more fuel protests are needed. Fuel depots need to be blocked. Yes it will cause major disruption to the general public in the short time but at least the government will see the mood of the people. Enough is enough.