UK Oil Refinery Blockades Threatened For Next Week

A UK fuel protest group have threatened to blockade oil refineries in the UK from next Wednesday if fuel duty is not cut by the government. The group, named 'Fuel Lobby', caused severe disruption to UK petroleum distribution in 2000 with the same tactics. Petrol prices in some areas of the UK have reached £1 per litre for the first time as a result of hurricane Katrina. The government say reducing fuel duty will not solve the problem of high oil prices.



They've already threatened to do this before since the 2000 blockade but didn't go ahead with it. Probably because they didn't have enough support. Prices going over a pound a litre may give them the support they need. Then again people may see it as temporary due to Katrina, though how exactly Katrina is affecting oil prices in the UK I don't know.

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[edit on 7-9-2005 by kegs]

[edit on 10-9-2005 by DJDOHBOY]

Good!!! Its about time the protests and blockades started up again. The cost of fuel is outrageous in the UK. I have been living in the States for a couple of years so have not really been affected but it is now getting the same way here as in the UK with the recent jump in fuel prices, it is still not as bad here but it is getting that way. I will be returning to the Uk soon and my wife has told me she is paying a pound a litre which is ridiculous when you think that the majority of that is tax( I dont know the exact percentage would anybody else like to enlighten me?) Tony the swindler Blair and his henchmen have been screwing motorists for years, road tax, fuel prices etc. Its not nice being stuck in a fuel crisis but i would rather do without my car for a week so that we can shut the transport system down and screw them back. No fuel being sold means no tax being paid.
I really hope the protest goes ahead so that they can see how the public feel.

Edit: Drunken Rubbish.

[edit on 10-9-2005 by kegs]

excellent! i hope they see it through.

i cant believe we're slaves to this bull#. i live in the u.s. and we're a lazy bunch of people who keep driving around going nowherre in our overpriced SUV's and all people can do is complain instead of acting.

There's always a reason to jack up oil prices - summer time, holidays, world events. We have no power, no say, so they can do whatever they wish to make themselves richer.

When you buy fuel for your car in the UK, 75% of what you pay is tax, so i heard. Personally they can tax it all they like, i don’t own a car.lol

UK fuel tax: The facts

Originally posted by kode
When you buy fuel for your car in the UK, 75% of what you pay is tax, so i heard. Personally they can tax it all they like, i don’t own a car.lol

UK fuel tax: The facts

Neither do I, but the cost of fuel impacts everything. If the hauliers, farmers, indutries and the like all have to pay increased fuel/gas/electricity prices, they pass the increases on to the consumer.

If this trend continues, we will see prices go up across the board, for simple things like bread, fruit, veg and especially those lovely consumer products like TV's we all like to splurge on.

With the increased prices, consumer confidence would be dented and economic growth would slow, or grind to a halt. Worse still, if the trend continues, we could see a recession if consumers cut their spending considerably due to higher prices.

Im not much of a consumer either. And as for TV, mines been pretty much switched of since 7/7. The media makes me sick.

Its business users and people with disabilities that need a tax break in fuel. Personal car users should start to find alternatives. imho

Its business users and people with disabilities that need a tax break in fuel. Personal car users should start to find alternatives. imho

Thats all very good and well if you live in a city or on a bus route or near any other type of public transport system but what about people who live in rural areas that are nowhere near any type of public transport? I know people who have to put in 180 mile round trip to go to a supermarket once a month, there is one bus a day in and out of the village they live in, not very practical when you have to carry a months worth of shopping for a family of four especially when its 3 and a half hours each way and the food would be ruined by the time it gets home.

Fair enough people that have public transport nearby should use it as often as possible but until it becomes more reliable and safer to use I think people will just carry on driving.

The government are also pushing people to become criminals by using red diesel etc because it is far cheaper. If it keeps going the way it is im afraid it wont be long before people start getting killed by someone who is trying to steal fuel because they can no longer afford it.

Have these blockades worked previously?

Sounds like when we have boycotts in the US, which changes nothing cept more ink in the newspaper.

Maybe it's time to give the royals the boot and save some quid?
--who said that, looks around--


"Taxation is very much like dairy farming. The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum amount of moo. And I'm afraid to say, that these days, all I'm getting is moo."

Originally posted by Regenmacher
Have these blockades worked previously?

Sounds like when we have boycotts in the US, which changes nothing cept more ink in the newspaper.

Maybe it's time to give the royals the boot and save some quid?
--who said that, looks around--


"Taxation is very much like dairy farming. The task is to extract the maximum amount of milk with the minimum amount of moo. And I'm afraid to say, that these days, all I'm getting is moo."

I think they got us a few pence off for a while...not much though, more of a token thing to placate the sheep.

Getting rid of the royals would only save £12 million. Pocket change really when they help generate billions out of tourism.

I like the cow bit though...

Originally posted by stumason

I think they got us a few pence off for a while...not much though, more of a token thing to placate the sheep.

Getting rid of the royals would only save £12 million. Pocket change really when they help generate billions out of tourism.

Yeah, I haven't thought of them as revenue generators, plus all them tabloids might go broke if they can't print up some royal gossip...
_________________________________________

As of 2005 fuel duty in the United Kingdom is:

* 47.1 pence per litre (83 ¢/L, US$3.13/USgal) for ultra-low sulphur unleaded petrol/diesel
* 50.9 pence per litre (89 ¢/L) for conventional unleaded petrol
* 53.27 pence per litre (94 ¢/L) for conventional diesel
* 27.1 pence per litre (48 ¢/L) for biodiesel and bioethanol (to encourage conversion

By August 2005, fuel prices had risen far above those that triggered the 2000 fuel protest without any further disruption, to an average of more than £0.90 GBP per litre (the falling dollar makes this $7.34 USD per Imperial gallon or $6.11 per US gallon). en.wikipedia.org...

I'm not seeing any info that the blockade in 2000 actaully cut fuel taxes???

The UK Gov has not raised fuel duty for 2- 3yrs.

This has not stopped the oil companies raising prices nor the international oil markets from reacting to every absurd rumour like a bunch of over-excited children.
To protest that recent fuel prices are as a result of UK duty is simply wrong, not that we hear a peep about the oil companies or see a protest directed at them, huh?

The sad truth is that even if the UK Gov were to cut fuel duty in response to these threats it will not reduce the cost of fuel with any long term effect.
Why?

Because the way economics works is that the oil companies know the 'market will bear' these prices and to maximise their profits for their share-holders they will pocket in mere nanoseconds any 'benefit' the consumer is offered by the Gov by raising higher prices.

Look at what has happened since the last series of protests and the UK Gov stopped raising the duty on fuel.
Prices rose regardless.

Cor well worth it that last lot of extended hurt and difficulty for all thanks the last lot of 'action', hmmm? Not.

At least with the current duty structure in the UK there is a public benefit thanks to the tax take benefitting the public finances.

In any event UK prices are now nothing like as out of step with continental Europe's as they once were and even in the USA with prices at $4 - 6 a (smaller US sized) gallon (and rising) we are hardly so far off.......and almost all of their price goes to benefit a private company already making multi-billions (it's certainly unlikely to be the forecourts).

Even the arguement that the UK Gov is 'benefitting' from the higher price of oil (as the Uk is a medium sized producer) is flawed as it takes no account of the depression in tax take thanks to the effects of the higher energy costs in the economy.

I can relate to people disliking the cost of fuel but to have another lot of this bringing the country to a standstill for days/weeks/ months(?) is IMO a tad like cutting your own foot off in an effort to 'encourage' yourself to run faster.

IMO it's stupid and grossly counter-productive.
(and as per likely to hurt most of all the most vulnerable in our society).

.......and let's not forget, as we saw last time, so many of those organising these protests are (or at least were) as much about trying to bring down the democratically elected UK Gov as anything.
Well, IMO that is a matter for a general election, which we've just had, and it's not something to use this issue for.


[edit on 11-9-2005 by sminkeypinkey]

Car pollution, kills, possibly, around 19000 people a year, add roughly another 3000 in road accidents and 1000000 from injuries and pollution related health problems, people who don’t need to have a car, shouldn’t have a car.

Traffic pollution 'kills thousands'

Official Statistics Show an Increase in UK Road Deaths

Its not only people that suffer, the wildlife and the planet suffers, for our convenience.

[edit on 12-9-2005 by kode]

I'm hearing some petrol stations in Glasgow are out of diesel and unleaded with big queues at others. Looks like people have started panic buying already and it's only Monday. This happening anywhere else?

Yeah im from the northwest ie Liverpool. I have travelled to manchester tonight and every service station has tailback queues. Hope it doesnt get as bad as last time. Last time i was glued to the radio waiting for an annoucment of any stations receiving fuel deliveries and even then you could guarantee everyone was only allowed £5 each.

I got a company car which means i dont pay for my fuel so i just filled up with £50 of fuel and put a further £30 in Jerry cans. My employer will be most suprised to see i put a £80 dent in their credit card

Dont know why people are panic buying. Even the protesters have said that they are not actually going to blockade the refineries:

Motorists are being urged not to panic-buy ahead of planned fuel tax protests, as queues of up to an hour are reported at some petrol stations.
The Fuel Lobby's Andrew Spence said no oil refinery blockades were planned so there was no need to stock up
Source BBC

Bloody stupid Sheeple at it again.....the roads around Reading were all clogged up due to these idiots.

And then look at this:

Merseyside Police have asked people not to ring 999 to ask where to buy fuel after phone lines became strained.

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THAT?

999 because you have no fuel!! Get a life people, in fact, your risking peoples lives by calling 999....God, sometimes people just amaze me with their stupidity.

Well panick buyung or not,its better to be safe than sorry.I tried to get petrol for two days without joining long que's but as today i was nearly on red.Here in the west country,people have been queing for approx2-3 hundred yards.This was causing traffic jams everywhere.It has taken 2 1/2 hrs to get petrol.And yes after waiting that long i did fill right up.But.......we are going away this weekend....

Mr Stumason my friend they told us last time not too panic buy and looked what happened there was no fuel for weeks.

I can understand why the people dont listen to the goverment.

There is a Oil refinery at Ellsmere port near Liverpool where i live and already its full of Press camping out.

I hate the sheeple mentality however i just gotta join the sheeple crowd just this once and fill up. Its better to be safe than sorry i think.

All respect to your comments though

Originally posted by thesaint
Mr Stumason my friend they told us last time not too panic buy and looked what happened there was no fuel for weeks.

I can understand why the people dont listen to the goverment.

There is a Oil refinery at Ellsmere port near Liverpool where i live and already its full of Press camping out.

I hate the sheeple mentality however i just gotta join the sheeple crowd just this once and fill up. Its better to be safe than sorry i think.

All respect to your comments though

Its not the Government saying it, it's the Protest People chappys. They have said they wont blockade the refineries.

No need to call me Mr either ...Stu will suffice

I don't get it, fuel is actually cheaper in real terms than it was in 2000. Not just by a bit, either, by something like 10%. What do these jerks seriously hope to accomplish other then inconveniencing and annoying a large section of the populus?

When you have a commodity like oil whose price has gone up some 300% and may or may not be in short/dwindling supply then the price of derivatives will rise. It's basic market economics.

You want less duty on fuel, fine, don't complain when your kids school can't get enough cash. (or we could just tax smokers and drinkers more heavily, that always works )