Reply to: Fuel Duty

[dang65]

OTOH if the UK joined the Euro, priced Brent in Euros, and developed big wind power while getting allied with France on nuclear, things would change. Expect that not to happen.

Wind power:

Wind Turbines only have a working life of 20 years, so are not sustainable. They require huge amounts of energy to produce their metal casings and the cement used in their construction. One 320-feet high turbine requires 150 tons of cement and 300 cubic metres of steel lining and shuttering for a massive hole some 100-feet deep in order to provide enough support to resist and stabilise the massive torque generated by the spinning blades. Access roads to the site and for each turbine must be able to bear heavy traffic.

The turbines only work a maximum of 29% of the available time and are currently subsidised by £1.5 billion annually from taxpayers' money. When the subsidies cease, much more expensive electricity bills for every householder and business can be anticipated. Danish electricity, after their loss of subsidies, is now 12% more expensive thanks to their turbine policy which has also shown itself to be woefully inefficient. British industry is not even benefiting from their construction! The turbines are manufactured in Denmark or Germany!

Conventional power stations will still have to be relied on and kept working, ready to take up the shortfall, because turbines can only operate between wind speeds of 10 - 50 miles per hour.

The Government has also ignored the huge costs of upgrading and supplying extra national grid power lines which will be needed for all the extra turbines.

[expat]

OPEC need to be careful though because if they increase the price of oil too much other sources of power may become economically feasible and the good old US of A may find it cheaper to invade somewhere else with lots of oil....

Don't be silly, OPEC is run by Saudi, and the Saudis have a deal with the US to price oil in dollars. For that, they get American protection. The Americans get the ability to print cheques that never get cashed (and boy have they been printing them of late). The Saudi Royal Family depends on the US, and the US depends on their oil mechanism. Neither will upset it.

OTOH if the UK joined the Euro, priced Brent in Euros, and developed big wind power while getting allied with France on nuclear, things would change. Expect that not to happen.

[Ardesco]

This time it's the sheer demand for oil, and particularly diesel, worldwide. There isn't enough supply, so prices are shooting up.

From Wiki:



I'm sure I heard them say 140 dollars a barrel on the radio this morning!!

There isn't really much leverage for a strike here. Any reduction in tax will be instantly swallowed up in price increases for the raw material.

Ah but the only reason that there is not enough supply is because OPEC decide how much oil they are going to give us. Reducing the amount they give us means that they can increase prices and we will happily play.

OPEC need to be careful though because if they increase the price of oil too much other sources of power may become economically feasible and the good old US of A may find it cheaper to invade somewhere else with lots of oil....

Of course they may be ramping up prices as much as they can because it is looking like we may be able to create our own oil commercially in the next 5-10 years. If this happens their monopoly is shot and they will have a big cut in the amount of money coming in.

[expat]

This time it's the sheer demand for oil, and particularly diesel, worldwide. There isn't enough supply, so prices are shooting up.

Especially in greenbacks or New Labour Pesos, which are sinking. In Euros or gold it is not so bad.

[shelby68]

To be fiar we do.

The only saving grace for this country is that truckers never organised themselves into unions and they generally don't feel like striking.

If we did strike however this country would be ****ed inside 2 days.

Isn't being in a union punishable by death or something these days, my my new liebour are even more anti-union than the soft southern tories!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I've heard that they're arming the former miners in preparation for the upcoming police strike. It's only fair.

[dang65]

(When the Miners tried that, Maggie coshed them).

I've heard that they're arming the former miners in preparation for the upcoming police strike. It's only fair.

[Sockpuppet]

truckers decided they run the country

To be fiar we do.

The only saving grace for this country is that truckers never organised themselves into unions and they generally don't feel like striking.

If we did strike however this country would be ****ed inside 2 days.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

how long are we going to continue to keep paying the rising prices of fuel at the pumps

My local garage has Diesel at 1.22 litre but on the way to work today passed a BP garage with 1.29 litre. I'm sure we were all on strike when it hit 80p a littre so how has it managed to get up so high.

What i don't understand is it the fuel price that is rising of the tax ?

STRIKE STRIKE

??

We didn't strike. Some Farmers and truckers decided they run the country, not the government and held the rest of us to ransom (When the Miners tried that, Maggie coshed them). This was in response to the current government continuing with a fuel duty policy put in place by the last Conservative government.

I can't find reliable data, but I think you'll find that there has been little or no overall increase in motoring costs in real terms over the last 30 years - the problem is that fuel price rises tend to be sharp and come after periods or real terms falls. The real scandal is that public transport isn't cheaper and more reliable.

I am no fan of the current government and I didn't vote for them, but having some sort of daft strike ain't going to help anyone.

[Ruprect]

Blame the Chinese. They are buying up everything these days.

Only a justifiable argument if you promise not to buy any products from China.

[Alf W]

Blame the Chinese. They are buying up everything these days.

[dang65]

I'm sure we were all on strike when it hit 80p a litre so how has it managed to get up so high.

This time it's the sheer demand for oil, and particularly diesel, worldwide. There isn't enough supply, so prices are shooting up.

From Wiki:

Since the mid 1980s the inflation adjusted price of a barrel of crude oil on NYMEX had been generally under $25/barrel and was still at this level in September 2003. A series of events led the price to reach over $60 by August 11, 2005, surpass $75 in the summer of 2006, fall below $60/barrel by the early part of 2007, then rise steeply, reaching $92/barrel by October 2007 and $99.29/barrel for December futures in New York on November 21, 2007. Throughout the beginning of 2008, oil hit several new record highs. On February 29, 2008, oil prices hit an inflation-adjusted all-time peak at $103.05 per barrel, and reached $110.20 on March 12, 2008, the sixth record high in seven trading days. Oil prices reached to $126.20 a barrel on May 9, 2008 due to "heavy speculative buying by hedge funds." The most recent price per barrel maximum of $133.13 was reached on May 21st, 2008."

I'm sure I heard them say 140 dollars a barrel on the radio this morning!!

There isn't really much leverage for a strike here. Any reduction in tax will be instantly swallowed up in price increases for the raw material.

[MrRobin]

What i don't understand is it the fuel price that is rising of the tax ?

The duty on fuel isn't rising, it's the price of oil that is rising and the costs are being pushed onto the forecourts. Ofcourse, the amount of VAT that Hector pulls in with his mucky paws is increasing too!

[Cooperinliverp00l]

not sure just venting my feelings.....

[Churchill]

how long are we going to continue to keep paying the rising prices of fuel at the pumps

My local garage has Diesel at 1.22 litre but on the way to work today passed a BP garage with 1.29 litre. I'm sure we were all on strike when it hit 80p a littre so how has it managed to get up so high.

What i don't understand is it the fuel price that is rising of the tax ?

STRIKE STRIKE

Nowt wrong with a bit of profit.

BTW, wtf do you expect to happen?