New fuel protests ´are being planned´
2000 fuel protests brought UK to a halt
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 06 December 2007
Despite a statement by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) indicating that there is little desire to stage fuel protests similar to those in 2000, a breakaway group of hauliers is planning a repeat of the fuel protests seen in 2000.
Transaction 2007 is a pressure group made up of disaffected hauliers who have suggested that a repeat of the barricades of refineries seen in the UK at the turn of the millennium is the only way to bring influence to bear on the rising cost of fuel.
Reports in the press suggest that some form of direct-action protest may be imminent, with refinery and motorway blockades designed to trip a run on fuel forecourts.
The RHA has moved quickly to distance itself from the group and has condemned plans for direct action.
"The RHA is not “in Association with” the pressure group, although this assertion is made on its website," said the RHA in a statement.
"The RHA has never been involved in negotiations with “Transaction 2007” but has, as a matter of courtesy, held discussions with RHA members who are also part of the pressure group."
The RHA has backed away from staging fuel-price protests after a ballot of members, claiming there is no stomach for direct action, despite rising anger over the cost of fuel, which has risen ever week for twelve weeks.
The RHA is angry at the level of fuel duty in the UK and the restarting of the fuel price escalator, which automatically raises fuel duty above the line of inflation.
The escalator was introduced in 1993 and was designed to cut fuel use for environmental and congestion purposes. After the 2000 protests it was dropped but has recommenced in 2004.
But the organisation has not ruled out taking action in the future if the government goes ahead with plans to rise fuel duty by a further 2p/litre in April 2008.
The Freight Transport Association has similarly decried any direct action, claiming that it would have a negative impact on business.
A leaked report by the World Bank has indicated that biofuels are the main reason behind rocketing global food prices.
Wednesday 2 July 2008 will see hauliers from all corners of the UK meet in London with members of the Road Haulage Association, the lobby group TransAction 2007 and the Transport Association
Members of the Road Haulage Association, the lobby group TransAction 2007 and the Transport Association to lobby parliament on high cost of fuel.
With fuel bills and the cost of motoring ever more pertinent, Ford launches its Focus ECOnetic model - a 'green' model of the perennially popular hatchback.
High diesel prices force rethink on new Honda Accord Tourer at UK press launch.
I suggest you lobby OPEC to produce more oil Mr Paying Too Much
diesel prices have gone up by 14p a litre in the last 7 months enough is enough no other country would stand for this so why should we ?
Petrol prices have gone up around the world - the government has not raised petrol duty by 14p.
we call are self british.we need to stand up and tell the government what we want.not to be dictated to. we all need to pull together to get the taxes down.
aaron you clearly have no idea how politics works
we sit on our backsides and do nothing but moan about the ever increasing cost of fuel it is about time all roads and motorways are blockaded until the price op fuel commes down.
Ron - will you be blockading the streets of Iran in protest at the cost of fuel?
Why do oil companys continue to make millions but the average pump payers has to fork out millions. At the end of the day if we are unable to travel the economy will slowly come to a halt. It is crazy what we are asked to pay for fuel.....
I cant believe we act like stupid sheep and just keep paying these ridiculous fuel taxes when the government then hands out money willy nilly to immigrants who in turn are costing us even more tax by increasing the crime rate. Then they give birth and the children are entitled to benefits and citizenship!! We all need to take some action, NOW!!!
we dont live in a democracy anymore its more like a dictatorship. Lets get together and stand up for our rights.
there is not a day goes by when i don´t see the price of fuel going up.It is now £1.20 per litre diesel.In the old days diesel was always a lot cheaper than petrol. lot´s of people bought diesel cars and the government have copped on to this. People will all swap to petrol and then the government will put this dearer than diesel. I am pulling my hair out and seething. This ripping off has got to stop. Can we please do something about this.
im with mark. the govt have capitalised on the rising use of diesel. it is cheaper to produce than petrol, yet now costs 35p more a gallon!! it needs a group who will stand up and be counted, and show this greedy govt we will not stand for it. but nobody has the balls..i would willingly lead the charge, and block every motorway in the uk to bring this country to its knees, moving only when the demands of the ever-increasing taxpayers are met. lets show em we mean business or they will bleed us all dry.
I agree it is time for action as the government are not listening to anyone. It is time we stoodup like the French and hammer these prices back down.
we only import 5% of englads fuel from abroad the rest we produce ourselfs but the so called labour party keep on fleecing us its time we fought back instead of doing nothing
judging by a few of the comments above, there is some confusion about how the price of fuel is at the current level. Of course oil is at an all time high BUT the largest proportion of cost to the consumer in the UK is TAX. Plain and simple the government are making millions from high oil prices. Ease the burden? with this lot you can forget that
we should all get together and boycot one paticular petro company for a short while and then choose another this is wat they do in the usa
if we were French,we would have cheap affordable petrol because of public action,but being British we all sit back and moan,time for a different attitude and action.We have surely had enough.
My fuel is at £1.30 a ltr, get wise it´s time to act. The pump price needs to come down, everything you buy goes by road. If the cost of fuel stays down the goods you buy stay down. Lets have some money back from the oil companies and the government they both can afford it. Big profits high tax (rip off britan). Three words BLOCKADE BLACKADE BLOCKADE.
YES it´s time to act ACTION speeks louder than words lets do it. no more easy money for MR greedy Brown the TAX bug
Fuel costs in real terms are lower than they were ten years ago.
no point protesting there´s always another idiot willing to pay 'trouble in britain there´s no backbone' 5000 protesters just ain´t enough !!!!!
Yes it´s about time that we,in this country, did take action against this outrageous price hike on fuel.
Surely we gotta act on this goverment ripping off the motorist yet again
Some people HAVE to drive as part of there work, some people just don,t like public transport, sometimes public transport is so friking useless and overpriced there is just no point. I,m all for saving the enviroment but raising fuel prices and not offering an alternative will not get people out of there cars. Until they sort out a fgair priced, clean, efficiant public transport then i will protest for cheaper fuel. Whens it happening?
THe price of petrol where I live has just gone up to 115.9 per litre (what a bloody joke) this has nothing to do with the environment and is all about making money - if it was about the environment why not penalise car manufacturers why? because they would simply leave the UK as we cannot do anything about it everybody needs fuel. Bring on the protests I´ll certainly be there to support.
i think enough is enough and we need to protest at fuel prices as we are being ripped of as the government is just being greedy and and and robbing us we need a large protest as soon as possible
Something hes to be done and prices are getting out of control, time to fight back and show Gordon Brown we have had enough of the rip off tax on fuel.
When are you lot whinging about Gordon Brown going to listen? Fuel is actually CHEAPER in real terms than it was when Labour came to power!
TOM!!!!!!!!!!IF THIS IS THE CASE WHY HAVE I HAD TO SELL UP AND LAY OF 3 DRIVERS???????I WILL TELL YOU WHY, HIGH DIESEL COSTS, MY CUSTOMERS WILL NOT PAY THE HIGHER DELIVERY COSTS, 2 OF MY CUSTOMERS HAVE GONE OUT OF BUISINESS ALSO, FORGOT TO MENTION, WE DELIVERED FRUIT AND VEG TO MARKET FOR DISTABUTION SO NOT ONLY IS IT MY BUISINES BUT OTHERS ALSO, THIS TREND CANNOT CONTINUE AND MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO, WE MUST ACT NOW TO SAFE GUARD OTHERS.
tom your a prat
Shaun hgv driver - not sure I can compare with a mighty wit like your, so here´s some stats. 1. Fuel costs less in real terms than it did in 1997. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/F/D/bud07_chapter7_273.pdf
Tax on fuel is lower now as a percentage than it was in 1996. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/tsgb/edition19961.pdf
The cost of driving a car has fallen 10 % in real terms since 1997. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070717/text/70717w0014.htm#column_246W
Fuel is generally pegged at above the rate of inflation, due to the introduction of the fuel duty escalator. Labour has stopped the fuel duty escalator since the original fuel protets in 2000, and only recently restarted it.
The government is not controlling the cost of fuel - global demand and production is driving the price of fuel.
I look forward to your replies.
tom that is crap, if you like paying so much for fuel fine, but not every1 likes being robbed.....
ok tom, what planet are you on, THE REAL TERM PLANET, 60% of fuel price is TAX,in 1997 fuel tax was 22% i think myself that everyone including the government are jumping on the so called fuel bandwagon every garage i have seen is putting up the price of fuel on nearly a daily basis,when crude oil hasent even gone up, this is all being led by the government because they know the higher the price the more they get in V.A.T.my local garage told me that if the oil companies told us to put the price up THE GOVREMNMENT HAD TO OK IT!!!!!!!!!! so they do have control TOM.
´tom talks crap´ - are you stupid? I´ve explained why we´re all paying less in real terms. Or are you too thick to understand the concept?
Michael Saunders - utter twaddle. Oil companies have nothing to do with it. And your figures on fuel tax are, well, they´re completely wrong. Why not take a look at the Tresury figures in the links I provided?
tom!!! not according to all my invoices from 1997!!!! my garage has just put up diesel again (£1.29.9 litre) WHY.....because they were told to increase the price by the oil company TOTAL....also that means another increase to the REAL TERM GOVERNMENT in vat!!! has it never accured to you that treasury figures are just to mislead everyone?? i mean it is all part of the government is it not...
I explained that it costs less in real terms - that means taking inflation into account. Of course if you´re going to compare straight figures, the figures now will be higher. A loaf of bread cost about 30p ten years ago. And I don´t believe that treasury figures are made up - they´re compiled by civil servants, not government ministers.
TOM!!!! CIVIL SERVANTS!!!!!ENOUGH SAID!!
Michael - I see you can´t refute my points. Good luck with the protests - I expect to see you on the frontline!
having read the above comments by 'Tom' i can only assume he doesn´t have his own company, earns an extremly good wage and doesn´t have to pay fuel costs.... he seems to be the only person in the country that isn´t complaining about the cost of fuel. this is how bad things have got in this country, I´m a 29 year old spending his friday night moaning about fuel costs to the world!!! help me Mr Brown!!!!
As a matter of fact I don´t. I drive a car, earn an average wage and used to own my own company. I don´t like high fuel prices any more than the next one, but I´d rather pay attention to the facts of the matter.
tom obviously has something to do with labour, i reckon we should have 'national down tools day' no one go to work or do anything.
The government should tax beer and fags instead, i drink beer but it wouldnt bother me.
Tom you will be out on your ear soon when the next wasters get voted in
Things are really bad now we need to sort something urgently, 4p on a litre in a week is mad!!!!
I am self-Employed roofer. I think this government wants everybody on the dole. Motoring costs can´t go on like this.I pay tax. I am thinking of selling van ,tools and plant.Cut my losses car share with my missus and live off the state and bleed the country dry like other hangers on. This is what the government wants and this is what my father-in-law has 2nd world war medals for. If the government stopped wasting money elsewhere then maybe he could lower the tax on fuel and keep people in work.
Ok seen all the coments above now lets stop moaning and start some action, as action speaks louder than words. I suggest we start a go slow around the M60 Manchester Ring Road say Monday 9Th June 2008! Whos with me? Please lets go for it!!!!
Not to bore you but just to let you know my situation & wats going on in RIPOFF BRITAIN today. I own my own plumbing/building company, My customers are & have cancelled jobs as they now can´t afford to have work done, only repairs are being carried out at the moment. as thing are so bad I am now having to liquidate my company as since December 2007 my overhaeds have gone up so much but the customer also can´t afford the to have work done let alone the extra cost.
When is someone going to organize something? as a haulage company we are rally struggling, the road haulage ass are in the goverments pocket they seem to be able to get to everyone.When the goverment has finished collecting all this extra tax its going to need it and more to pay all the people forced out of work, What is this goverment trying to do!Would,nt it make sense to cut the tax burden on the fuel and windfall tax the oil companies who are making obscene amounts of money out of all of this.
Almost everyone seems to be oppossed to high fuel prices,So why don´t we all do something about it instead of just moaning as usual
All hauliers need to do is to park up for one week the country would come to a halt no food no fuel etc BUT ALL MUST DO IT OR IT WON´T WORK.
Why don´t we protest by all drivings at an ´economical´ slow speed. Say 25mph on the nearside lane rising to 35mph on the outside lane of all motorways/dual carriageways. Everywhere else maximum speed 20mph. This wouldn´t be illegal and would cause traffic chaos. Eventually the country would be at a virtual halt. and everyone still gets to there destination eventually. The government would have to act to restore order.
Everyone you speak to is saying the same thing 'something needs to be done!!'
Right lets choose four locations throughout England for a peoples strike to hold up the traffic for one day. We then email this information to everyone we now who has a voice and tell them to go there.
People are angry and this is only way we will get our voice heard.
Tom you need not apply due to your greenpeace labour loving ways.
Look everyone fuel has just gone up again but still we do nothing about it it will not stop going up untill we do something about it. i say do what Jessica has said but are we all just to soft to act in the uk
Michael - you´re obviously a complete moron. Protest all you like - the government isn´t raising the cost of fuel, the cost of fuel is rising because of international demand and production. Feel free to sit in a traffic jam in your futile little protest - you might as well protest at the cost of food by blockading a warburtons factory.
we pay the same price for fuel as everyone but our govenment chooses to tax it by 60 or so percent so they can give the money away to people who don,t deserve it i.e by being in the E U something has to be done.
Tom the biggest moron appears to be you !!! or you got plenty of money,you dont have to work,ande the rising cost of fuel dont affect you,Wake up and smell the coffeee you idiot,unless we do something now we are going to get crippled,amazing how they can find money for the asylum seekers but nothing to help the haulage industries,what will you do when the shops got no food supply because the haulier cant afford to run the trucks BLOCK THE UK RDS NOW
Is this MIGHTY MOUTH TOM (aka) GORDON BROWN?????? PART OF THE SPITTING IMAGE GROUP what world are you living in? all these people that have left comments are all wrong ??? lol sorry Gordon (oops) sorry Tom get a life you moron
i would support a total blockade, are we just so stupid to believe that its just a problem for hauliers, this affects us all,we all need to act against this otherwise you will find that this goverment will make consessions for lorries, and us car drivers will have to foot the bill, its about time we all got off our backsides and told the goverment that we will not tolerate being walked over by them, not just with fuel costs, buts with higher costs in general, lets remind our MPs who put them there and that we can easily take them out again, ACT TOGETHER ' UNITED WE STAND'
The government has always and will always tax fuel at a similar level. All you have to do is look at the links - it´s there in black and white. I suppose that´s just too hard for you.
Fair play to all you guys,seems that Tom reads the Govt figures and believes them,more fool you mate!
Wayne - nice try. What you mean is you don´t understand basic maths.
why don;t we just buy our fuel from BP and Coop stations and let the rest suffer with no sale´s. that should make the other providers think.
I want a total blockade now have just paid £1.30 for litre of diesel what a ripoff lets show brown we will not put up with tax after tax this time keep blockade on till goverment give in to our demands or fall. we have to show them like the french do . I SAY BLOCKADE TODAY i,m ready to join.Lets show brown we cannot be pushed around reduce taxes now at least .30p
An interesting group of points made! I´ve rested on my laurels for several weeks, but Im at the stage where prices are getting silly now. I dont give too hoots whats happening in the middle east simply because we have a plentiful stockpile of oil right next to us in the North Sea. Enough to keep a plentiful supply to the UK anyway, but nobody seems to be pressuring BP/Shell to up production to ease the inflation of prices. Having said that why should they? They control the supply, so can benefit from record profits once again, and at the same time, Labour get to claim a windfall from the increased profits from the duty. It really is criminal! How labour also get away from charging VAT twice on fuel is beyond me.
It also I believe is fuel to the fire of the every repeated notion of the global credit crunch. Fuel prices dictate so much in our lives, and if average families are spending almost 1/3 of monthly salaries on fuel, another 1/32 on energy, the remaining 1/3 must go on everything else including the mortgage. No wonder house prices are falling!
Things need to be done, and I would be first to park my car right on the M1 / A1 or whatever, as labour are simply doing too little to help it´s citizens!
OK!!! THATS ENOUGH MY GARAGE IS NOW £1.37 A LITRE....SO I AM NOW GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! AS YOU KNOW I WAS FORCED TO SELL UP, BUT I CANNOT SIT BACK AND SEE OTHERS GO UNDER AS WELL, SO A FRIEND OF MINE OWNS A SS AND HE HAS SHIRE HORSES AND OLD HORSE DRAWN BAKERS CARTS AND BOX CARTS AND WE INTEND TO TAKE THEM TO THE ROAD ON TUESDAY MORNING( RUSH HOUR) WITH BANNERS ON THE BACK SAYING !!!!!DONT BLAME ME HAY IS CHEAPER THAN DIESEL!!!!!!BY THE WAY I LIVE 2 MINS FROM M25!!!!!!!AND I CANNOT BE MOVED ON FOR CAUSING AN OBSTRCTION BECAUSE A HORSE HAS TO TAKE WATER AT INTERVALS AND I WILL BE TRAVELLING AT 5 TO 10 MILES PER HOUR AND NO ONE CAN DO A THING ABOUT IT!!!!!FANCY A LIFT TOM?????????
May i say that we all live in different parts of the uk,if we gonna do it lets do it right i´m living in west wales but am prepared to travel anywhere in the uk to get behind the protest!! but it is some thing that us has a nation not as a yes sir no sir group of people whom are just being steam rolled over by this poxy goverment and we need the british public behind us everyone dont just depend on the hauliers no doubt they will support us,it is getting out of control now when TESCO fuel is £1.30 ltr for diesel and £1.20 for u/l then it is a problem I AM WILLING TO GIVE MY SUPPORT !00% LETS DO IT contact me lowesyg@hotmail.co.uk
I WILL BE TAKING 2 OF MY HORSE AND CARTS IN SUPPORT OF MICHAEL ON TUESDAY,ITS THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW THAT IF WE CANT AFORD THE HIGH DIESEL PRICES THEN WE HAVE TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE ALBEIT FOR LOCAL VEG DELIVERIES BUT IT IS GOING TO CAUSE MAYHEM, ALL IN ALL THERE WILL BE 15 HORSES WITH CARTS AND ABOUT 5 MILK FLOATS AND HAVE JUST RECIEVED NEWS THAT 2 STEAM ENGINES ARE COMING ALONG TOO, ALL SLOW NON DIESEL MODES OF TRANSPORT!!!!COULD BE INTERESTING THIS!!!
So when is the next fuel protest/blockage going to happen? I heard of some feeble attempts sometime last yesr but that was it. We now pay 130.9 for diesel & 116.9 for petrol & 61.9 for autogas. This is an inceas in one week of 2p for petrol 5p for diesel & 2p for autogas.
I know the acutal cost of crude oil is at an alltime high but the governmane again cash in by the VAT! Why not lower the duty somewhat, the governmant could still make the same moines from fuel if they relieved the duty by 10p
or more! Duty + VAT on top of
DUTY... double taxations!
last night I paid 130.9 for diesel on thursday I paid 127.9 I dont know if I can continue going to work how far must it go we need to stop the country and make some body listed it is now driving up food to the point of danger of the lower paid starving so they can pay bills
JUST HEARD THAT THIS WEEK A TOTAL BLOCKADE OF THE CAPITOL IS PLANED WITH ALL HGVS DECENDING ON ALL MMAIN ROUTES INTO LONDON, WHAT WITH THAT AND ME AND MY FRIENDS ON TUESDAY RUSH HOUR SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE NOTICE!!! AND GARY!! MY TESCO IS NOW£1.29.9 FOR DIESEL, LOCAL GARAGE £1.37.5 WHAT A DIFFERENCE, LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE ALL CASHING IN ON THIS CRISIS, THE COUNTRY IS NOW IN A DESPERATE STATE, LETS HOPE SOME THING CAN BE DONE OTHERWISE THE GOVERNMENT ARE GOING TO BE PAYING OUT MORE IN DOLE MONEY THAN THEY ARE GETTING BACK IN TAXES!!
A MASSIVE NATIONAL PROTEST IS NEEDED NOW. FUELPROTEST.COM SITE HAS SLOWED DOWN, FLOOD YOUTUBE WITH REQUESTS AND DATES TO PROTEST FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY. PEOPLE POWER IS NEEDED AND WORKS! MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO STOP THE COUNTRY TO DEFEND THEIR JOBS, FAMILIES, AND FUTURE.
C´mon....businessmen are fed up, hauliers are fed up, the average working person is fed up...NATIONAL PROTEST - ALL M AJOR ROADS GRIDLOCKED - CAMP THERE UNTIL PRICES ARE REDUCED - RESIST ARREST - BRING THE COUNTRY TO A HALT - THIS IS WORTH IT FOR OUR FUTURE.
YOU WANT A FUTURE DON´T YOU?
We need to take action now!!! Why should we put up with this as a country! The other european countries are taking action why do we sit and wait for the useless goverment to sort out our problems?
We all used to have the right to freedom of speech, what happened?
I am happy to take part in a national protest, I will even put expensive fuel in my car to get there!!!!
the amount of tax on fuel in this country is immoral.as motorists we should bring this country to a standstill.gordon brown the mans a bloody joke.
i´m a freelance hgv driver.just been seen off £2000 by a haulier
folding.not all her fault.£1500 of diesel for a week of distance work!!!
its disgusting that the uks out of touch fat cat government is allegedly about to spend £100 million on a new retreat for themselves opposite houses of parliament as well as claiming for second homes etc. at our expense whilst many hard working people are now living in !tax poverty'. mps should have their wages cut to same levels as police officers and other civil servants. they have basically robbed us of our wages for far too long.
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I think enough is enough now tax on petrol and the price at the pump has got silly the people of this country should stop taking this laying down and take action i could buy petrol for 77.9p at the start of 2007 and now at the star of 2008 it cost 107.9p how stupid are we in this country to allow this to happen and do nothing