26.04.08 Panic buying warnings ignored across the UK
Have you filled up as a result of the proposed oil strike?
Motorists across the UK appear to have ignored warnings by industry experts and the government not to panic buy fuel ahead of the proposed oil refinery strikes in Scotland due to start tomorrow.
Motorists from North Yorkshire, East Anglia and as far south as Surrey have reported queues at petrol stations as people start to worry whether they will have enough fuel to last throughout next week.
BP was forced to close it's Fourties pipeline, which pumps oil from the North Sea to the mainland to be refined, after the Ineos refinery continued it's shutdown process in anticipation of up to 1,200 workers walking out. The BP pipeline is responsible for supplying the fuel to around half of the country.The government has reassured motorists that it has around 70 days worth of fuel, more than enough to cover any shortages as a result of the strike, but the difficulty is getting that fuel to the petrol stations as garages will run out faster than fuel can be distributed if panic buying continues.
One pensioner from Surrey told PetrolPrices: 'I rang my daughter to remind her to fill up, and I filled up this morning. The queues stretched well out of the station, but I don't want to be left without fuel.”Panic buying fuel will only make shortages worse, and although some people depend on their cars to get to work or to the shops, drivers are being advised to try to conserve their existing fuel by walking, lift sharing or driving economically, rather than rushing out to fill up.
Have you seen queues at you filling stations? Are you worried that fuel shortages will affect you? Or do you think that this is further proof that peak oil is a reality? Let us know what you think by adding a comment below.**Note** The images contained in this blog are available for editorial use. Contact louise@petrolprices.com for more information.
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<quote>'Motorists across the UK appear to have ignored warnings by industry experts and the government not to panic buy fuel ahead of the proposed oil refinery strikes in Scotland due to start tomorrow'.</quote>
Encouraged by the stupidity of this web site and the national daily newspapers no doubt.
Wise up. All of these incidents are just part of the PEAK OIL jigsaw.
The sooner you all come to terms with the fact that prices will NEVER come down and will continue to ESCALATE, the better.
PEAK OIL is upon us NOW.
Fact: we are consuming more oil globally and the trend will continue
Fact: it is not a renewable resource in relation to our consumption levels
Fact: countries go to war over control of oil reserves
Fact: oil consumption has a negative impact on the environment
Fact: gas at the pump continues to, generally speaking, increase in price
Fact: many plastics and other trappings of the modern world are made from oil
Fact: the world is running out of easily sourced oil; i.e. production using current technology has peaked, and what oil is left will cost more to pull out of the ground using methods most likely to be even more unfriendly to the environment.
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. Exercise regularly. Insulate your home. Help your family, friends and colleagues to understand the implications of PEAK OIL.
Is this how you spend your sad little life? Just cutting and pasting the same passage of text into every single comment page on here? Dear god. You'll never get people to take you seriously with an attitude like that and constantly trying to anger people.
I happen to agree with Peak Oil. We are in trouble. Perhaps he keeps pushing the same message in the hope that ppl will start to consider their future plans. Well done.
I live in South Yorkshire and my tank was down to less than 1/4 today, so I went to fill-up as I normally do. There were no queues and no sign of panic buying but the price at the pump for a litre of diesel has risen to 119.9 pence per litre. The cost of fuel effects everything we as consumers buy because it directly effects the cost of the supply chain; the recent fuel price increases have to be passed on to the consumer causing inflation-busting price increases on virtually every product we buy. If fuel prices are not reduced the economy of this country is heading for disaster. Fuel is not a luxury, it is a necessity that drives the economy. We, the consumers, can no longer afford to pay these prices and unless something is done now I seriously fear for the quality of life of UK citizens.
The way I perceive the situation is that peak oil (which by the way should not be capitalised) is not fully responsible for the recent ridiculous rises in oil prices. It is the fear of peak oil itself.
So much media and government attention is paid to the "dwindling reserves" and we are constantly told to cut back on buying petrol and to take more walks etc. To back all this up, of course prices have to shoot up to the moon. After all, if fuel was still reasonable, the problem wouldn't be there!
Here's a news flash - we don't need rising fuel prices (particularly with the scandal of charging VAT on top of fuel duty) to dictate how we lead our lives and to make us feel guilty about destroying our planet. We were doing that when petrol was 60p a litre.
So, by all means, do as these spam comments tell you and type "PEAK OIL WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE" into Google. But do so, knowing that you're simply fuelling the fire.
I think it's time to go on stirke again due to the high petrol prices. The govenrnment is making so much profit on each litre it's disgraceful that we pay amonst the most tax on petrol in the world. We should have cheaper petrol just like the Americans. Maybe we should get some americans into power in the UK to sort out this hogh petrol price issue.
Road tax are so high and the roads are not even getting better. The roads are still with many cracks on the roads with many pot holes. I find it a disgrace that the government in power can justify the high road tax prices when they are being driven around in large engine cars also.
The amount of speed bumps are also not justified. I say this becuase one of the main reasons for the speed bumps is to save the environment but do they not realise that stopping and starting the car over these speed bumps only causes more damage to the environment becuase of the amount of acceleration in low gears all the time. They also cause damage to springs on cars, not to mention the bushes on the cars.
They need to get rid of the speed bumps on all roads.
Location: Norfolk Yesterday.
I pulled into Tesco for a spot of shopping, noting that the diesel was 116p/L.
After spending about a 1 hour in the shop, I thought I'd top up the car.. only to find the fuel station bleed completely dry.
Further down the road fuel stations were offering fuel at 120p/L for unleaded, with diesel costing a bit more, oddly the forecoruts were packed.
Total freaking madness.
Some "Gareth Hunt" has syphened my fuel over night, looks like the spilt a lot of it too.
:-(
I agree with Peak Oil - we have to STOP now using a none renewable source of power, It's about time we ALL wake up to that fact - roll on £5 a litre.... I'm off to a less crowded country and grow our own food Hmmmm no cars/lorries, madness of the UK.....
I reiterate my previous points (on the other forum) in a hope that people will realise the real situation.
We are so set in our lifestyles of consumption that we ignorantly and sunconsciously choose to ignore the fundamental but simple basics of consuming a finite resource.
Few people on this forum seem to be able to grasp the real issue...Peak Oil IS the greatest crisis the planet has ever faced. This is FACT not theory.
Hidden behind the current Climate Change mantra is not just a theory but a fact rooted in common sense ,based on the limited resources of our planet. The media haven't yet grasped the concept, probably because we are so used to having an endless supply of oil.
FACTS:
- There will come a point where demand exceeds production as existing and potential resources are depleted.
- EVERYTHING we consume and all our lives are based upon oil consumption.
- There is no viable alternative to Oil. The Government have NOT addressed the issue. Indeed, the Stern Report on Climate Change made false assumptions about the availability and price of oil.
We have/or are about to reach PEAK OIL. It's really not a difficult concept to understand.
Whilst I don't agree that boycotting fuel would help the situation, the Government can certainly be accused of not providing a strategy or an assessment of the implications of Peak Oil.
The only debate surrounding Peak Oil is WHEN it will take place and the exact consequences.
Enjoy your freedom while you can...
Yes, WAR, GLOBAL RIOTS, BLACKOUTS, FOOD shortage - the government ARE already planning, And you think climate change is a problem !
A bit of background information. There is plenty of fuel around right now but there is only a limited amount that each petrol station can store - they cannot make their tanks bigger overnight, this ought to be obvious. Neither is it commercially sensible for petrol stations to build bigger tanks for events that happen once every few years. Neither is it commercially sensible to store more fuel than is needed, remember they have to pay in advance before it is sold.
If every car tank was filled this is equivalent to over three times the amount of petrol in the garages tanks so in any panic of course many garages will run out. It takes time to get these tanks refilled garages can't just demand a tanker full within the next 20 minutes especially when other garages are asking for the same thing.
I am sure you are just being prudent but the guy in from is panic buying.:-)
By the way please read the peak oil stuff, it's really important and might just stop you starving in a few years time.
Ive read that tirade from "Peakoil" which he cuts and pastes into every single blog on here. Its very sad, you'd think human beings would have better things to do. The second i see the start of that cut and pasted tirade i just skip to the next comment. As do most people probably, nutters who constantly badger you, you're not going to sit there and listen to them are you?
As for panic buying. There hasnt been a problem where i am (South East of England), not a problem at all. I usually fill the tank when its close to running out. Do it all in one go, i filled it up on Thursday as i was past the red, and i wont put more in until i hit the red again. Others like to put £10 or £20 in at a time, i like to do it this way. Fewer trips to the petrol station the better as far as im concerned.
I would really like to find closer employment, but all the vacancies are filled with cheap migrant workers, as for driving an economical car, I can't afford to buy a recent car, And will not have one on HP due to the impending Recession, Funny how all the migrants are driving new cars and disbled people are driving big 4x4's. I have a family of 4 and a wife, I have never received benfits and I am being priced out of living, any idea's how to overcome this will be gratefully recieved, I have no debt and wish not to have none. So back to the topic, we cannot strike over petrol prices because of the terrorism laws, so we are under duress by the government, which beleive it or not is a criminal offence, But who will stand up to them with this law?
I can not afford to live where I work
I can not find work where I live
There is no public transport between the two that works
So tell me Peak Oil, are you going to subsidise my unemployment if I give up my car, and dont go to work?
Bleating about things we all know already is just an irritating emotional cop-out. To make any real difference we need to get in and move away from our society's complete dependence on oil to survive. We need to be pushing for urgent research into alternative energy and transport resources.
Politicians are really only interested in climate change /pollution issue because a) it creates lots of extra taxes to collect, and b) its a vote winner.
i think its seriously time to roll out cheap alternative power source. the electric cars are avialable but not to the masses. i would buy one for the green side of things. but on the flipside of things i think its extorsion at its highest to expect people to part with nearly £5.00 a gallon.
but when your under a labour government this is nothing and expect it to get worse. i had a thought the other day.
if everyone fills there tank and does not fill again for a week the pertol companies will have a big profit loss. but this is what the government wants so why should we play into there hands.
i think the best action is another fuel strike. it seem to work the first time. but there too many people who can actually afford petrol the it is so they wont strike.
Having read this blog after having waited nearly an hour to get my USUAL amount of Diesel to last me the week, in an area completely unaffected by this strike just confirms how fickle, self absorbed, paranoid and crassly selfish people can be.
If this is the reaction to expect from a 2 day strike at an oil refinery that doesn't supply your area then god help us when something serious happens.
Since the fuel protests of 2000, I've been putting away what I can to cover this inevitable backlash against fuel costs so that if I have to miss out on work, I can keep myself going for a while. I'm certainly not well paid in my vocation, but I'm not going to mindlessly panic as the general populace seems to have done.
What disgusts me more than anything is that costs and taxes have risen time after time for apparent green reasons and yet absolutely no work has been subsidised in working out a solution. LPG is closer to the answer but is still a by-product of a fossil fuel and Biodiesel tends to be car wrecking garbage at 90% of the cost of standard Diesel. As yet there is NO sensible answer to the looming energy crisis that people are too selfish or naive to admit/accept it's existance.
As a last note, I'd like to thank the mindless petrol panickers in the UK for stuffing a huge revenue boost into the Labour purse, well done!
I agree with some parts of the above post - what is the good on me having a £20 restriction on petrol when my V8 takes around £119 to fill with high octane fuel? :(
Everyone that agrees with peak oil should take a look over the waters and see the up coming developing countries and their fuel expenditure. Even if Peak Oil gets his way and we in Britain use less fuel the prices will still go up.
Why?
Well these taxes that are supposed to help are going to be implemented else where until one day when we all have our gardens and eat our own food we get taxed on eating our own grown food.
Do not fall for this Peak Oil theorem as it is not a justification on high stealth taxes on one nation.
We saw the top gear crew driving to the north pole which shows that the global warming is not happening as fast as these people want us to believe.
Do some research and mix common sense with book smarts and you will see the light.
I for one am not going to stand silent and take it from the rear end by these environmentalists I will fight for the motorist even if I am alone.
Putting food on the table is more important than rising living expenses. As Peak Oil and others will agree putting up fuel prices unnecessarily will not keep the motorist of the road.
Down with unnecessary taxes.
Filled up yesterday afternoon in Cheltenham. No other cars in the petrol station. Absolutely no sign of any panic buying. I'm presuming this is all restricted to the north and Scotland?
Live in Leeds West Yorkshire, Have not seen much signs of panic buying, the only real differance i have seen is the price of fuel, yes its up again & when the school holidays arrive it goes up then, every group of motorists have a reason for using their cars, mine is im disabled and its the safest form of transport for me. its about time the petrol companys and the tax man found a way to reduce the cost to the general public, all goods are transported by road at some point causing the cost of living to rise, due to the greed of a few,
Here's some information for anyone who wants to think about the problem rather then just moan the price has gone up.
I am glad to see even Boo To Peak Oil realises that oil prices will still go up, Please think about it and realise that oil prices will keep going up year after year they will NEVER go back to the low prices of last year. You need to think how you are going to cut back and use less oil unless you are happy to pay way, way more for the rest of your life until the point you just don't have any money to pay more.
Right now the biggest users per head are the USA with about 27 barrels per head per year for 300 million and they use around a quarter of the entire world's oil. Is that surprising when they have almost the lowest price for fuel? If we reduced our taxes then there would be more gas guzzlers on the road and people would drive further either to get to work or to go to that shopping centre 30 miles away or... No government here will reduce the taxes, they need the money. The 2p extra tax has been postponed but the price has risen by far more than the 2p anyway. The politicians know we need to break our oil addiction but just don't have the balls to tell people as there is no easy solution. Here the government has wasted nearly a trillion pounds over the last ten years so vote to get them out and to cut back on the useless spending otherwise just keep on paying more and more taxes.
China and India use less that 3 barrels/head, so where the US was in 1915. Together they have 2,300 million people and those people have all seen the dream of owning a car so they want to buy a car and drive it from time to time. So there will be increasing demand, same for many other countries.
So can't we just get more?
Oil is not manufactured it is found (discovered) and then pumped out from under the ground. Oil was formed from the remains of tiny plants and animals (plankton) that died in ancient seas between 10 million and 600 million years ago. So it has to first be found before it can be used - seems fairly simple to me.
The biggest finds were made in the mid 1960s and since then the amount found has been going down more and more with just a couple of exceptions e.g. North Sea. Now, the oil cannot just be pumped out at any rate required and the amount of oil that can be pumped out first rises as more wells are drilled then falls. This happens for every single oil well ever drilled since the first one around 1850. When the flow is at its greatest this is the peak (think of a classic shaped mountain) and after this the flow declines until the well is finally abandoned.
Many people believe that the world is at peak production now (Peak Oil) and the production has been bubbling along at the same rate for about 4 years. The ruler of Saudi Arabia said last week that they would not increase production but leave some oil in the ground "for their kids"; Russia has just said they have peaked. So even if it Peak Oil hasn't happened yet it will very soon. In any case the actual date is not important, a year here or there doesn't matter. The point is that supply cannot meet demand by an INCREASING gap and this will cause the price to be bid up and up.
So the days when oil (energy) is cheap are coming to an end, the end of the Oil Age and those countries and people who do not start to make some plans will be worst affected.
You will hear some people saying that we only have to drill more to find more but it is not as simple as that. Millions of wells have already been drilled so by the laws of chance the big fields on land have been found. That leaves off shore and most of the likely places have already been looked at. Even if Alaska is drilled the amount of oil present would only support the world for a couple of months at most. Drilling off-shore costs tens of millions for a single well and there is no guarantee oil will be found.
How about the tar sands? Oil is "runny" and found at high pressure (think oil gusher) but tar sands are lumpy and have to be dug up with huge machines (each tyre costs £6,000) then treated with huge amounts of water and natural gas to produce poor quality oil. Production is a couple of million barrels/day so a small percentage of the total.
You will hear some people saying we have oil for 30 or 40 years. The oil left from what has been found and pumped is thought to be about 30 years of current rates of pumping. This does not mean we can continue to pump it at that rate for the next 30 years, remember all oil wells ever found peak then decline. In any case the figures given by many OPEC countries for their reserves are questionable, in the 1980s they all increased their states reserves by large amounts without actually finding any new oil wells AND despite the millions of barrels produced the numbers have not decreased.
About 80 million barrels a day are pumped and if they stand upright they would more than circle the earth EVERY day. How long do you think we can go on puling out that much? It must be obvious that it can't go on for long.
Tonyw is sort of in the right direction but is missing the big three letter word. Tax.
Its because of this three letter word that no matter what alternative energy source we come up with, especially in Britain, it will not be affordable.
Why?
The government, with the aid of the greeny goodie two shoes, have made profit not once not twice but many times on the motorist. If you take this income away its like taking a cigarette away from a smoker.
The oil is going to run out one day, yes we all know that. But it is not going to happen any time soon so why make one country namely Britain pay for it?
Peoples eyes must be opened and see that by insisting on taxes you are actually asking a hit man to kill your enemy in front of you and then kill all the witnesses, meaning yourself.
In conclusion, prices can stay down by this government not spending so much money on unnecessary things i.e wars, MPs etc. In this way there will be money left over and it wont be necessary to milk the motorist.
I remind my fellow blogists, man can find a way around the energy resource replacement problem with in the time given meaning before oil runs out. So instead of taxing the problem fund the solution.
Do all these people posturing about how we're killing the planet seriously not perceive in the slightest, that the government may, *just may*, be conning you so they can tax you to death?
I can't believe that they are that naiive.
War and Tax - the two greatest socio-political control methods in any govenments arsenal.
Rule number one of selling something to the masses...make them believe the problem is critical and the problem is now. Play on guilt. Ever noticed the tactics life insurance companies use to sell you life insurance ?
Thanks to the tree huggers the government and industry are laughing their socks off. Noticed how many companies have jumped on a band wagon with brand new products that save the planet ranging from washing powder at 30'C (which you usually have to use twice because it doesnt get all dirt out the first time!) to battery powered cars (whats gonna happen to all them acid batteries when the cars are scrapped by the way?).
Yes consumption is a problem. Rather than bleating on about how evil the internal combustion engine is, consider that science when driven and supplied by the humble engine might just one day give us a solution. Using a bicycle / horse and cart, growing your own veg, moaning about peak oil most certainly wont.
One thing you can be sure of is, that if one day a miracle happens and some genious invents a viable, workable alternative, including practical implementation (...and this is the main problem with things like hydrogen cells / bio fuels) then that person or persons would vanish overnight. The goverment and industry would loose billions and they most certainly will not let that happen until they are ready. And they will not be ready until they have milked the oil situation for all the tax and revenue they can....and thats some way off yet.
NS.
It seems people continue to miss the point. Probably because they are wrapped up in the media tirade directed against anything remotely related to the Government.
Whilst I in no way endorse Labour, I do feel that taxation (which has continued to feed our ever thirstier public service), is, for once, not the real issue.
The Goverment are not responsible for crude oil prices almost doubling in the last year. I even feel it may reach a situation where the Government are forced to cut taxes (no such luxury in the US). This is delaying the inevitable... It's not about running out of oil, it's about not being able to produce enough for the world's endless growth.
Its really simple to understand but seemingly hard to accept.
It's only a matter of time...Expect rationing within 10 years...
has the goverment done a deal with haulage companies
Well done!! To the idiots of Grangemouth Oil Refinery - by causing the closure of the Forties pipeline and restricting a third of the UK's oil supply at a cost to the economy estimated at over £100 Million, you have now given the green light to further petrol price increases by profiteering retailers and oil companies alike, making a bad situation much worse!! The price of a barrel of crude passed the $120 mark earlier today ensuring yet more misery for the long suffering British motorist and the haulage companies.
Incidentally, the changes to the company pension scheme (the reason given for the strike) do not affect any of the current employees - namely those who have walked out. The changes will only affect future employees.
SELFISH, POLITICALLY MOTIVATED IDIOTS !!
Enough said.
If we could cease the parochial b1tching for a moment...
The peak oil proponents are not environmentalists - this is a vital distinction that most of their detractors fail to understand. They're not preaching an Inconvenient Truth. Their message is far more urgent, and far more disturbing. Whilst the PO community attracts a lot of 'doomers' (the apocalyptic worst-case scenarios are, in a perverse way, psychologically seductive) this doesn't mean they're wrong. Any idiot, half-way acquainted with the facts, can conclude that PO is no mere theory, but a inexorable reality. It's the consequences which are up for debate.
I'm no doomer, but the "long suffering British motorist" (27, above) is in for one hell of a system shock.
When will the fuel prices stop rising! It is MADNESS.....SHEAR MADNESS. I have seen local garages in my area bump up prices within days (and this before the Grangemouth strike in Scotland was in the news and made public). Some garages are just taking liberties, just increasing prices e.g from 105.9p per litre of unleaded petrol to 108.9p per litre.
The biggest opportunist is the government with nearly 51% of the pump price you pay for fuel is in fuel duty (tax), then to add on top of that you get 15% in V.A.T giving the taxman nearly 66% off the price you pay at the pump. It gives the highwayman - robber (D Turpin) a totally new meaning to his name, which makes him a saint, given the current taxing of today's average motorist. I say the government should with immediate effect, cut the fuel duty by half i.e 25%.
Re: 28
Right on the spot. The consequences.
It is a shame that people are not joining up all the dots. They are there, clearly visible, and all predicted as consequences of Peak Oil.
And the sad thing? The realisation that Government, or the present type of politics, are not going to save us, isn't even on their radar.
Bit by bit, horns are going to have to be drawn in as energy becomes more expensive, it's already happening, and as for renewables? Give me a break, research it thoroughly before spouting about the 'technofix' just around the corner. There isn't one. There are renewable energy sources, but they will not even come close to providing enough energy to carry on as if nothing has or is happening.
Our way of living is going to have to change and that is that, final.
It's about physical limits being reached, it's not about anything else.
It's not about being a tree hugger, or a petrolhead, or anything else. It's about limits being reached.
Putting it all down to Gordon Brown, or oil companies or garages or whatever is to live in La La land.
Our present civilisation has arisen in a mere hundred years or so, it has reached the nadir, it is running out of energy, literally, through a total reliance on a one time bonanza, how quick the descent will be is the question, and how will it play out?
Figure a way too ride this by relying on your own selves and the community you live in, because HMG doesn't have a clue how to deal with it.
Start a Transition Town. It's nothing to do with being a greenie so don't start foaming at the mouth, it's simply about how to transition from a cheap, plentiful energy source base to one that isn't. That is all it is.
Get on with it or you really will be the blind being led by the blind.
NS is spot on. What Peak Oil and friends fail to see is the bigger picture.
Once the oil has dried up, which is no where near our life time or our great great grand kids, there will be a void in the governments predicted income and we are going to have to continue funding miss management and un-necessities.
Petrol stations have conveniently added 5 pence to each litre they charge. They don't have to. Oil prices can be controlled by government absorbing the blows (reducing tax on it).
Peak Oil and other scare tactics will only achieve profit for large companies and other opportunists.
I and my fellow motorists refuse to fall for it.
RE 31
"Once the oil has dried up, which is no where near our life time or our great great grand kids,"
The above is a definition of La La land. Are you being paid by someone to spout this nonsense? It is a recognised oil industry misinformation tactic.
If it isn't, and you genuinely believe it, then you really don't do much in the way of research before forming an opinion, it is akin to the worst kind of tabloid journalism.
Greg, Greg, Greg. A few questions for you.
By introducing a congestion charge in London did that keep the motorists off the road?
By increasing "fuel duty" did that keep the motorists off the road?
If the answer is no then the obvious question follows is what was the point of increasing the cost of motoring?
All of this is linked to the rate of oil consumption. I now ask you, is the rate of oil consumption increasing or decreasing? Now think globally.
Right. So we both agree that looking at the world as a whole we use more oil today than we did yesterday.
Next question, is mankind using up the oil at a rate where we know for sure that within the next 25 years the oil will run out?
Since Greg enjoys research so much have you looked at the un tapped oil sources in sub Saharan Africa? Don't stop there the world is a very big place.
Mr Greg, Mr Peak Oil and other greeny goodie two shoes a word of caution, stealth taxes have a way of coming back to haunt you. Instead of concentrating on preserving a finite energy source look beyond the depletion of oil and you will see that the very same tax you supported is going to be there to greet your bank account.
When will you guys understand that you are playing yourself into the hands of the money making scrooges of the world. Think about it. You pay fuel duty because it is to discourage motorists from using their cars and to preserve the environment but that very same money that is raised is used to fund wars which is also a major leach on the oil reserves. If this money was used for research into finding other energy sources or something constructive then we would all be happy singing and dancing naked on green grass fields.
Mr Greg I am sure your intentions are good but you have to be careful. I do feel sorry for you, you are trying to do the right thing but unintentionally you end up panicking and over stressing about a problem that shouldn't really be a problem.
The world has become a cash cow that only the elite can milk. Please open your eyes.
There is always room for you to do the right thing and join our brethren in the fight for reduced duty charges.
Do the green loonies think that we motorists drive around for pleasure? Do they think that we have some mystical figure in our heads and that once the fuel price reaches that we'll all give up our cars?
I HAVE to drive to get to work. I work 20 miles from where I live and even if I took the 4 changes of bus and 2 hour journey it would take to get me to the town centre, I couldn't make it to my office. What options do I have?
Well, thanks to the lunacy of the green brigade, the greed of the government in taxing me to the point of poverty and the profiteering of the oil companies I can no longer afford the luxary of working in my current job. I have been forced to look for work closer to home so that I can actually afford to put some food on the table after I pay out my obscene commuting costs.
As for the strikers - well done. You have by your foolish act earned millions for the fuel companies and the government and cost all of us that little bit more. Terrific achievement.
It's about time we should call time on the greed of many Gulf Arab nations. Many men in these nations are already fat and bloated and want more oil revenues so they can buy yet another wife, while in other parts of the world, people are starving.
If we had a proper government that cared for the public it would act as follows:
1. Significantly reduce fuel duty to help the economy.
2. Super tax oil companies to make up the shortfall.
What is annoying me is that our local Tesco's seems to have put it's prices up by nearly 8p in the last 3 weeks. Today it stands at 108.9 having gone up by 2p since last Thursday. This is rediculas. I am disabled and relay on my car and am constently worrying that I have enough money to put petrol in it.
When is this madness going to stop.
Peak oil sux has a good point. I second that
I am an Independent Forecourt. Today my fuel I purchased cost me £118.923 pence per litre. This gives me at a selling price of £1.229ppl a profit of less than 4% !! So, please dont tell me we (the Independents) are all taking advantage. 10 years ago I was easily making 10-15ppl and no one was upset. Where else in Retail will you find a company making so little a margin? Fortunately i have a small shop that helps to cover my over heads. Its very hurtful and worrying when I hear people say they are being taken advantage of by Petrol Stations, intimating ALL Petrol Stations! The Govt aren't going to lower the Taxes. Hauliers are going OUT of Business! Individuals are struggling to make ends meet! Why would they care? Prices increase! they get more in Taxes! Tony
High prices won't make any difference to fuel consumption because it is not how much we each use that is causing the problem, it is the high number of fuel users. Put simply, Over-population.
10-15 years ago we all drive futher in less efficient cars yet our overal fuel consumption was less.
If we still had 50 million people in GB instead of the current 65-70million then there wouldn't be such high demand for fuel.
The same applies globally.
RE : 39
You're absolutely right there!! Over population of the UK, particularly in the last decade, has dramatically increased demand for oil in this country, and not just for motoring.
But even if we all stopped driving our cars tomorrow in the UK, it wouldn't make the slightest difference to global demand for oil as we are hugely outnumbered by the developing nations such as China and India. Their insatiable demand for oil is a prime factor in the current high price of oil on world markets and boy don't the Oil Companies know it !!!
I see no hope of any lowering of the price of oil anytime soon, maybe never.
I say why bother striking why bother to not fill up for 1 day all the petrol companys know you will have to fill up some time what I suggest is this :-
Dont use the 2 well known companys (who are in fact 1 company) for a year the 2 companys have released there Quarterly joint Figure of £7.2 billion pounds I say use the likes of tesco's sainsbury's and so on, after a while the 2 well known companys will bring there prices down and then the likes of tesco's will have to bring there price's down.
Its time to be realistic instead of idealistic.
1. We cannot stop using petrol because the government will not allow it, If the government hits "Those Two" with a windfall tax, who gets the cash??
2. If "Those Two" didn't earn so much money then the government could not tax them.
3. The current alternative to petrol and diesel (gas) still comes from the earth ergo will run out.
4. Who can afford to not fill up for one day, all any one if going to do is put extra in the day before so "those two" still make money!
5. Working in technology I know there are alternatives out there such as self charging batteries, such as solar power but no one can mae regular revenue from this so no one will take it up.
6. We deserve what we get, no one is standing up and saying NO, so until you are prepared to say NO and stand together and fit back then there is no point complaining.
People are starvin because things are so expensive yet we "The People" are sitting on our butts doing nothing, why should the government bother???
I agree with Richie! I think that fuel prices will continue to rise, which makes sense in a way as the supply of oil is decreasing (and will eventually run out!).
I do not believe that people will stop buying fuel-guzzling cars/4x4's, as typically those that spend £50,000 on such a vehicle, for example, can afford its upkeep. Such people are willing to pay for that privelege, and i don't think they should be penalised/criticised for putting their hand in their pockets, or for being able to afford such luxuries.
However, for those of us that are stuggling to run our cars as fuel prices escalate, I think its a case of how much you need a car really. I have a 1.3 Diesel that is good on fuel and is fairly cheap to run i suppose. I sometimes use public transport (trains, mostly) but i find sometimes that its cheaper to run my car! Public transport is not always convenient, nor is there much incentive for us to use it. It will be interesting to see how this changes in the next few years: maybe an improvement in the system may occur, to encourage the use of public transport and help save the environment.
Like Ken says, "the people" are not taking any active steps in order to bring about a change. This poses the question: what can we do? Strike?
Tara made an interesting point "for those of us that are struggling to run our cars as fuel prices escalate, I think its a case of how much you need a car really".
I suppose roughly 5% of motorists could afford to either switch cars or use public transport etc. But the majority can not or not using a car is not an option.
What ken said is what I have been trying to make Peak oil and the boys realise for a couple of blogs now. "5. Working in technology I know there are alternatives out there such as self charging batteries, such as solar power but no one can make regular revenue from this so no one will take it up."
We shouldn't go on as if we are completely incapable of finding alternative energy source, but this so called green tax "fuel duty" is part of the problem.
There are things we as the nation can do about this but we are too busy supporting the poor celebrities escalate from millionaires to multi millionaires.
"6. We deserve what we get, no one is standing up and saying NO, so until you are prepared to say NO and stand together and fit back then there is no point complaining." Unfortunately ken you are right again.
Yesterday the truckers delivered a coffin to the government as a sign of concern about the rising diesel costs but I am sure its being used as fire wood by now. As a nation we have to do something about it or else we emigrate.
Sorry Boo to peak oil but you really just don't get the peak oil thing, I'm not surprised since most people just don't get it or want to get it when faced with unpleasant news - denial is normal.
The oil PRODUCTION will not suddenly stop but the amount produced will very soon start to decline and the decline will keep going for ever. We have been more or less producing the same amount since 2004 so are probably at the peak. There are a number of large projects on the go that may prevent the decline for another couple of years. However, after 2012 there is very little out there and oil fields take many years to bring to production so we know there is nothing coming. Many of the large private oil companies are buying back their own shares, i.e. they are not choosing to invest their money in oil discovery - in other words the oil companies do not think it is worth spending their money on trying to find new oil because it's not there.
Huge amounts of money and brains are going into battery development but they are fighting physics, it is pretty much impossible to store the same amount of energy as a litre of oil in a battery of similar size. If you increase the size you increase the weight and if you increase the weight you need more energy to move the car. Also batteries take longer to recharge (fill) than putting petrol in a tank and generally have a limit on the number of times they can be charged and discharged. Improvements are being made but they will probably never be as convenient as using oil. Oil has great advantages and that is why it has been so widely used over the last 100 years. We have blown our one-off "inheritance" of oil to greatly increase the population and consume more stuff and now the inheritance is running out before we have invested enough for the future.
I agree we are "too busy supporting celebrities", our whole life style is based on increasing consumption and looking at celebrities. This WILL all change over the next few years whether or not we or they like it.
"We deserve what we get" agree and at the moment humanity is acting like a bunch of lemmings. I pretend by day that I am an average lemming and try to go along with the herd in order to get along. Like the rest of them, I keep burrowing like mad in hopes of obtaining a hollow form of prosperity. Of course it drives me mad to know I am just an average lemming and that soon the crazed dash for the cliffs will begin. But one can't speak of that in polite society. You'll be ostracized and lose your job. So I keep my mouth shut and my nose to the grindstone. I know I'm not the only one with these crazy thoughts that our society is not on "the right track" and that our train is chugging towards the edge. What can we do? You can make noises, talk to your friends, drop some hints about the situation, but not too overtly. Your fellow lemmings don't like to be lectured to.
The Oil Age is ending and there are no easy answers so very few want to face the problem. We have squandered the past and will continue to squander the future until many options are unattainable. without plentiful cheap oil the world cannot sustain 6.5+ billion people. The pain will be excruciating it is likely that billions will die before we can again have a sustainable world. Moaning about the cost of petrol will not change that.
Best hopes for a sustainable future because there is no other future.
As per the rant from Peak Oil, i'd love to find a job locally and cut down on the amount of petrol i use. It'd certainly save me a bob or two. Unfortunately there is no job available to me locally and even more unfortunately there is no local bus service that i can use to get to my place of work 26 miles away. So unless Peak Oil wish to contribute to my upkeep i shall keep on buying and burning fuel !!!!
I saw an interesting debate last night on TV about why oil prices are high. They said the current demand is 85.4 million barrels a day. But the current production is 85.4 million barrels a day (according to OPEC report).
The producers' cartel OPEC, who's purpose is to try and keep oil prices high as it favours profits, is telling us that OPEC alone can not keep up with the current demand. Which is fair enough.
But look again, the combination of poor performance from Russia and other non OPEC members and wars have disrupted the supplies and therefore forced the prices to go up.
Now bringing it back to home. The green tax (fuel duty) is partially subsidising wars meaning we as the motorist are helping to put up the oil prices indirectly.
Tonyw lets start from the beginning, do you not agree that the fuel duty is not necessary as it simply funds miss-managements and un-necessities.
The European Union, which we are a member of, agreed on a 17.5% tax rate throughout EU but none of the others are hitting motorists as hard as Britain. Surely, logically thinking, this is bad.
Whether the people actually do something about it is another very sad matter but looking at what they are doing to the motorist in the name of "good intentions" is simply misguiding the general public.
I would disagree that demand AND production are both 85.4 million barrels/day, strange coincidence! Demand is much higher and would be even higher at prices lower than $120/barrel but you cannot supply more than is being produced. OK if you want to be pedantic, for a short time one could supply from stores but then you don't have any stores left and the purpose of the stores is to cover short term interruptions such as Buncefield fire, hurricane Katrina etc. Only those who can afford to pay $120/barrel can buy it.
Within the last few days the Saudi king has said they will not increase production and Russia has admitted its production has peaked - that's the number one and two producers. Consumption in both those places is increasing which means the amount available for export is decreasing - this is known as the Export Land Model (ELM). Countries will generally choose to cut back exports before they cut back for their own people. FYI, the North Sea peaked in 1999 with 2.9 million barrels/day it is now at around 1.5 and steadily declining.
Wars, these are going to increase if anything so supplies will not increase. China is building a blue water navy, they don't need this for water-skiing do they? As resources become scarce then countries will fight for what they consider a fair share. Armies use huge amounts of oil; going from memory the US now uses 28 gallons per soldier per day in Iraq.
Gas (natural gas not petrol as in the US) is also starting to "run out" the North Sea peaked in 2000 at 108 billion cubic metres, now it is less than 80 and continuously declining. The same situation has happened in the US. Within the last week Norway has said we are not a high priority for gas sales.
The UK's deficit on trade in goods and services was £4.4 billion in February so when we haven't any more oil & gas to export we will be another £4 billion a month in the red. Who is going to keep lending us the money to buy more "stuff"?
Now i can agree with you that there is a lot of mismanagement and unnecessary spending. Since 1997 by some respectable accounts this government has wasted a trillion pounds, that's a thousand billion! IMHO this government is the worst since Lord North, George III's puppet who lost America in 1782. Knowing that oil & gas are running out, think how that could have been spent usefully. Like the French are doing we could have built:
Nuclear power stations the French have the cheapest electricity in Europe.
TGV, high speed rail lines linking all major cities.
Electric light rail (trams) in all cities over 100,000 people.
And insulated every pensioner's home so they can keep warm in the winter without having to use huge amounts of energy......
"none of the others are hitting motorists as hard as Britain" wrong! Petrol prices in some Western European countries converted to Euros as per the AA:
France 1.32, Sweden 1.35, Germany 1.37, Portugal 1.37, Italy 1.38, Britain 1.39, Finland 1.40, Denmark 1.41, Belgium 1.44, Netherlands 1.54, Norway 1.55. So you can see we are more or less in the middle.
I'm with you for action but not protesting about the price of petrol, that's a battle that can't be won because of geology - when it's gone it's gone they aren't making it any more!! Let's get a better government that doesn't waste OUR money and spends it on things that will benefit us in the long term and keep the lights, trains, water and sewage running when the oil and gas have run out or got so expensive we can't afford them.
The current Labour Government needs to go, hopefully we can do that at the next Election. We also need at huge reduction on the price of tax we pay per litre of fuel. We get shafted from all angles, road tax.. the roads are pathetic.
I work for the emergency services, i work 4 12hr shifts. leaving at times when there is no viable public transport available, i'd love to leave my car at home, but it simply isnt possible. Right now im doing my bit to save diesel costs, walking the kids to school etc. I check here and ring round local garages before i leave to fill my tank up. Another point that may help some folks is Tesco quite often gives you 5p a litre off fuel when you spend £50 or more on groceries, if you time filling up to coincide with your weekly shop, you can save some cash.
I've found the smaller independent filling stations tend to be more expensive. I can get Diesel from my local Jet Garage for £116.9 a litre, a private station, no more than 500 yards up the road charges £126.9 per litre..
Peak oil etc...may to an extent be valid, as Oil as a source of fuel is not infinitely sustainable.
However I'm sure BP or such have just found a massive Oil reserve underground somewhere in the world, so not really a problem for now is it?
However Oil producers such as BP have no interest in flooding the market with oil, as that would drive prices down, equalling less profit for them and less lovely TAX for Labour.
All this "it's going run out" panic they are just loving, as it gives them perfect excuse to charge even more without concerns of a civil War over it!
On a slightly different topic, but still relevant, lets talk about electricity production in this country.
Tidal Power is the most sustainable and reliable sources of power, once the initial cost of the Plant has been covered, it's lovely free electricity till the world ends. (Plus personal and small matainance costs to run it)...To put one across the Severn Estuary, would cost an estimated £1Bn pounds...but no private company nor the government will Pay for it.
Instead both the government would rather allow the private sector build cheep nasty GAS burning power stations, that only last for around 20 years, and burn up precious GAS, which like Oil, will run out some day.
In doing so, that makes electricity expensive, and GAS also expensive, so why don't they go for the Tidal power option, swallow the initial £1Bn cost and then supply us all with affordable energy (like in Brazil etc).
BECAUSE...THEY LOVE MAKING LOTS OF MONEY OUT OF US...THE MUPPETS WHO KEEP ACCEPTING HIGH PRICES IN THE BELIEF THAT IT WILL RUN OUT ONE DAY AND THERE IS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE!
Is the point now clear enough for all these Peak Oil and green loving idiots to realise what it's all about...Money my dear boy!...It's all about how much they can squeeze from us without causing outright War and Chaos...End of!
PS: I have to say on a Global scale, the population growing at an ever increasing rate, will eventually lead to shortages of more important things like FOOD, then WORLD WAR will finally kick off, resulting in death, which will restore the balance (And you wonder why it’s in our interest to keep 3rd world countries poor!)
Hi Jon Paul post #50,
"However I'm sure BP or such have just found a massive Oil reserve underground somewhere in the world,
so not really a problem for now is it?" ROTFLOL BP or such somewhere - yeah sure and it will be run
by fairies and pixies.
You might be thinking about the recent bit of share pumping by the Brazilian oil guy talking about the
Carioca field that was quickly slapped down, so here are some facts to entertain you:
Tapping this oil will require equipment that can withstand 18,000 pounds per square inch of pressure
and pump oil at 260C - this equipment has not yet been invented. Until then it is the oil will remain
locked under the sea. Pumping oil from the field, parts of which are 32,000 feet (10,000 meters) below
the ocean's surface, will require drilling almost twice as far down as the world's deepest producing
offshore well. Engineers will have to overcome temperatures that range from 260C to near freezing
above the ocean floor. Exxon Mobil abandoned a Gulf of Mexico project that would have been the deepest
well after pressure and heat shut down the venture in August 2006.
Layers of salt rock will also increase the challenge because the crystals absorb seismic waves used to
pinpoint oil deposits. If you can't identify the location of the oil properly, you're going to waste a
LOT of money when you drill the hole in the wrong spot. Similar drilling by Exxon and Chevron in the
Gulf of Mexico cost $180 million to $200 million for EACH well.
Electricity production, now I completely agree with you that we need to quickly switch our production
from gas since it is running out and causing Climate Catastrophe which together with Peak Oil are the
two greatest problems we have. Either of them has the potential to destroy civilization and both seem
to be happening around the same time so we have to try and get it sorted now even if our so called
"leaders" are asleep on the job.
Electricity is needed for civilization to function, e.g. pump water and sewage just to name two. We
could survive with reduced oil but not with greatly reduced electricity. The research and
implementation of tidal and all other renewables needs to be ramped up, we don't need more media
studies graduates but more scientists and engineers working on this.
A billion for the Bristol barrage - peanuts let's do it now. Gordon Clown has very kindly
quadrupled Britain's aid budget from £2.1 billion in 1997 to nearly £9.1 by 2011 he's very generous
with OUR money.
We can't afford to let nimbys prevent on-shore wind farms just so their views can be preserved. We
need the lights to stay on. Off-shore costs much more and takes much longer to build and repair.
This will really upset you all so sorry, but just spoken to my daughter whose living in the USA. She 19, and when living in Britain she was paying out £1500 a year insurance on a very old fiesta plus the huge expense of driving lessons/test. She "up sticks" went to the states and now drive a 4L pick up truck, and the insurance is $300 per year!!!!! (can't blame her) although I did have a pop on behalf of us all when she was complaining that the "Gas" had gone upto $4 per gallon lol. Also to make there eccomany right, it seems that in their state all residents will be recieving a $600 tax relief, to stablize things!!! make you wonder about rip of Britain eh, Im waiting for Mr Darling to personnally pop round with a £300 rebate after either siting in the traffic jam I sit in every morning for 30mins (on an A road) or by the over expensive train travel. Either way I'm not fussed but I won't hold my breath!!!!!!!!!
RE:51
You forgot to mention that drilling under those extreme conditions also b ggers up the diamond drill bits.
Never mind, there will be a technofix invented shortly....
RE:52
The USA is not quite the motoring paradise you make out, they face exactly the same depletion problems we all do, sadly their answer is not to invest in renewables, but to insist that it is 'their' oil under other peoples sand very forcibly. Add to this a financial meltdown on a scale not yet fully realised, a bolshy 'Don't mess with the American Way Of Life' attitude from the majority of the population, the mass growing of biofuels on food producing land to feed their unhealthy obsession with cars and you don't get a pretty picture, oh, and let's not leave out the 'terrorist' threat nonsense.
Actually, not that different here is it?
Reply to "Peak Oil.
What a silly little a@sehole you are....we live in the real world not you
Yes i understand that oil is slowly running out.
Yes i understand the arguments regarding global warming.
What i can't understand is why a government, that we employ ourselves, will not listen to its employers. Why is their answer to this problem to take more money off us and give us nothing in return.
I am a shift worker, working to keep the railways running. With my shift start and finish times i can not use public transport to get to work, however it is getting to the point that i will not be able to afford to go to work, what then?
The old saying 'born free, taxed to death' must be this governments moto.
We need the media on our side, we cannot keep saying that these fuel prices are due to global market fuel costs, it's not, we are being abused by the people in power and must make a stand soon
Re: 54
"What a silly little a@sehole you are....we live in the real world not you"
Yes, it's clear that you have a grasp of the complexities involved in Peak Oil, your cogent analysis shows a deep understanding of it's implications:
Increasingly chaotic financial markets
Aggressive pursuit of remaining deposits of fossil fuels, fuelled by sovereign states taking control of national reserves, or simply decioding to trade in euros not dollars
Increasing control of populations by central Governments (Heavy taxation is the tip of the iceberg)
Food shortages with rising costs
Water shortages with rising costs
Increasing civil disturbance, such as some of the suggestions on this forum actually being carried out, or think of what happened after the last fuel uprising, leading to agressive legislation - see increasing control of populations above(Those anti-terrorism laws aren't really if you care to study them, they are about locking ANYONE up)
Rising costs of energy supplies
and so on, clever of you to have spotted that ALL of the above is happening now to some degree or another, not in some projected future, and all are symptoms of Peak Oil.
Frankly, I am surprised you didn't suggest, as Peak Oil (The poster) has, that it is a good time to take sensible precautions to protect yourself and your family, including:
"Find local employment. Reduce your debts. Reduce your fuel consumption. Grow your own vegetables or buy from local suppliers. Exercise regularly. Insulate your home."
After all, this is perfectly sound advice whether you subscribe to Peak Oil or not, nothing to lose, everything to gain. Rely on yourself and your neighbours, not Government. Government does not have your best interests at heart.
Labour took quite a beating in the poles. I just wonder what would conservative do different to labour in terms of fuel duty.
Well as long as the Libdems don't win, because they really hate motorists.
BTPO yes, despite just before the local Elections forcing the so called independent Bank of England to publish the spin that the losses in the financial sector will prove to overstated and that from here we should expect some improvement they still got a kicking.
Don't worry the Liberals only picked up a tiny percentage.
Now how about banning Brown and his Darling from every pub in the land to show them how we feel? OK, I know they probably don't go their local but the knowledge that they couldn't stage any more photo shoots would be good.
Tonyw, I think that would make Brown and Darling retire in another country lol.
Yes that would make them listen to us.
No one posts here unless they have concerns about fuel, whether that is purely about price and taxation, or more serious future concerns.
That being so, here is an MP sticking his head up above the wall and doing something about it.
Not all politicians are lying, sanctimonious, self serving backstabbing barstewards.
Write or e-mail your MP asking them to support this motion, reproduced below.
Early Day Motion
EDM 1453 ENERGY AND FOOD PRICES AND PEAK OIL29.04.2008
Hemming, John
That this House notes that current movements in energy and food prices are in conformance with the predictions as to what would happen as oil production peaks; and calls for the Government urgently to review its predictions as to when peak oil occurs with a view to determining whether or not urgent policy adjustments are called for.
Damn right policy adjustments are called for!
I live in Stockton and work in Gateshead, so all in all I travel almost 400 miles per week. I have an idea and imagine a lot of other people have thought the same. There are 3 oil companies (I think) and they supply their own chain of garages etc etc, my proposal is to boycott say all supermarket petrol stations for a week. Obviously the other garages will be laughing, but at the same time the supermarket profits will fall and also the oil compny involved. Apparently there are 9,684 petrol stations in the UK, if 1/3 of these didn't get any sales for a whole week, I honestly believe this will have a major impact and in order to get back sales, the only sensible way will be to reduce prices at the pumps. A lot of companies operate on small profit margins or even break even to stay in business, these oil companies have gone to the point of greed and taking advantage of the motorist who have no options. I think this is an option and will work and all of us as individuals have the power to control what we want in numbers. If anyone is interested in my idea or has any other ideas that we can all be inspired by, email me, andymn87@hotmail.com
I don't belong to any organisation, I am a normal working family man who doesn't want to be paying 6 and 7 pound a gallon.
By doing this there will be no need to panic buy, the only panic going on will be the directors of the oil compny we boycott first!!
Noticed that the blockade at stanlow only got 10 seconds of coverage on local news this morning.
The thing is, we don't need to blockade. Everyone knows as soon as the police turn up it's game over.
Surely there must be people in this country who can change the way they do things for a week????
Re: 63
Changing things for a week will have no effect.
Fundamental changes to the way we organise our own lives are the only things that will.
OK then ,we can all just sit and watch prices go up
That's better isn't it!!!!
Re 65
Try visiting powerswitch, put three w's in front of that, plus a full stop of course, and the d ot co m to follow, the discussion there is more informed.
People seem to like going on about GREEN at the miniute!
1) How is a electric car greener? You still have to charge it and the power comes from a big burning powerstation!
2) Increasing fuel prices does not help the plannet, it lines the Governments pockets!
3) If I hear "Peak Oil" again I'm going to scream! Do people just believe anything they hear?
4) Any excuse leads to a hike in prices, and no so called shortages, NO CHANGES
WE ARE BEEN RIPPED OFF AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT!!!
RE: Post 67:
"3) If I hear "Peak Oil" again I'm going to scream! Do people just believe anything they hear?"
People are doing exactly that, choosing not to believe the simple fundamentals underpinning the use of finite resources ie. The more we use, the less there is left. Why is it so difficult to accept?
It doesn't even warrant debate, 'peak oil' will happen. I do agree that there is some confusion as to WHEN we will reach this point. Unless anyone on here has any convincing evidence to suggest that peak oil will not happen within the next 10 years then feel free to post. Until then I shall continue to accept the facts as they stand, and the common sense prognosis that suggests we are close to peak oil production and this is contributing to increasing oil prices worldwide.
ITS THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR NOTHING TO DO WITH PEAK OIL. That posting about guy must be a oil exec, it's a fairy story that allows them not to reduce the price, even when the increases are simultaneous with dollar sliding. Talk among shell staff, 2 weeks ago was of 10p increase, hmm, but the "talks" only fell through 48 before strike, anyone else smell the whiff of coruption yet?
Re 69:
The weak dollar is a major contributory factor to high oil prices.
There is debate as to whether peak oil is anything to do with the current trend. It doesn't change the simple facts that oil is reaching peak production levels and Peak Oil is inevitable...You have to ask whether OPEC have the production capacity to carry on increasing to our demands...I somehow doubt it...
In my opinion its in OPEC own interests to keep fuel prices higher. Think about it logically. If I am the only one making bread in a village why should I put the price down just because people cant afford it? They have to come to me anyway. This is the mentality that's not helping the oil prices.
As it was mentioned earlier, there is an alternative solutions out there e.g cars running on air pressure, water etc. The real problem comes in because the way the fuel duty has been designed they need to make money out of the next energy source. This is the FACT that we must all remember instead of trying to constantly increase the prices of fuel.
Anyone that has read a few of these posts can clearly see that people do not take their cars for joy rides anymore. You should not encourage the increase of fuel costs as majority of motorists need to stay on the road in order to get the food to the table.
Whether you fall for peak oil or not the solution for the fuel prices is not to increase it as the economy is more important than an idealistic approach to punish one country in order to save the world.
Peak Oil (and clones) , you were rumbled for being one person using different names, talking to and agreeing with yourself months ago.
Noobs, ignore him (her, or it) same message every blog (check for yourselves), no significant or valid contribution other than to copy and paste the same ole edited article he read in the Sunday Express in 1995.
The day you come up with something sensible to say peak oil, is the day people stop ignoring you.
Anyone who beLIEves that we are running out of oil needs to wake up, we are being fed a drip, drip of lies and disinformation about oil reserves and I would go as far to say that a website like this only serves as a place to continue to spread disinformation and confusion. People, start your own research and you will realise that a cartel/corporations are running the show. Oil prices don't just go up on their own, they are pushed up by greedy cartels/corporations, it induces a fear response and then are biggest fears and insecurities are played on. We live in an abundant universe where there is plenty for everyone but while we continue to believe in lack we will be controlled and dictated to. Wake up, wake up, wake up!
I think that we should be doing something about these high prices now all these oil companies are making far to much money.we should stop buying fuel from certain forecourts each week for example don't buy fuel from bp next week,then shell the following week and so on,they would start to lose thousands.
Re: 72
I don't actually have a multiple personality problem Smithy, I am who I say I am and not Peak Oil. I happen to agree with him, but I am am not he, and frankly I don't blame him for repeating the same post, it's quite hard to get through to some people what a pickle we are in, not helped by numpties like post 73.
Yes Warren, it is an abundant Universe, problem is, we are limited to what is here on Earth, and at present rates of consumption we need another five Earth's. Do the sums, or next time you speak to the mothership ask for more supplies, we are running low on quite alot of stuff these days, you know, rice, wheat, that sort of thing.
It is undoubtedly a shame that we are unable to post links in this blog. it would undoubtedly help to lift the level of discourse from the state of ignorance/denial it wallows in so unashamedly.