Trucks converge on London in fuel price protest

[kfrost06]

TRUCK OFF!!! Gordon Brown

LONDON (Reuters) - Convoys of trucks converged on London on Tuesday in a protest by road hauliers over rocketing fuel prices that they say have pushed up their fuel bill by almost half in the past year.

Haulage firms launched the protest as members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party, fearful after dismal electoral results, called for a rethink of plans for fuel and road tax increases due later this year.

Hauliers say the sharp rise in fuel costs has put many of their businesses at risk and added to inflationary pressures as the rising costs trickle down into the prices of goods in shops.

They are seeking special government subsidies.Then as now, the demonstrations started in France and spread to Britain.

The hauliers are calling on the government to give them a fuel rebate as essential users to keep the country moving.

"The fuel duty gap was important in 2001 and is even more pressing now, with the UK awash with foreign trucks using low-taxed diesel. We urgently need to look afresh at this issue," the head of the Road Haulage Association wrote in a letter to the Treasury.

"Feelings are running high. We need the government to recognise publicly the industry's plight and engage in a dialogue leading to action."

Organisers said they expected up to 1,000 trucks to take part in the London protest which will culminate in a petition being handed in to Brown's Downing Street office.

Diesel fuel is now around 130 pence a litre. Britain levies the highest fuel duty in Europe with nearly 65 percent of the pump price of petrol due to tax.

"It is really bad. It is affecting all of us," Joe Cook, a spokesman for the UK road hauliers, which organised the London protest, said. "It is going up everyday and we just can't cope."

The protests, which are expected to cause traffic chaos in and around London with road closures and go-slows, stirred memories of fuel demonstrations in 2000 when prices hit one pound a litre.

A similar protest also took place in Wales as heavy trucks headed to Cardiff.

[kfrost06]

Then as now, the demonstrations started in France and spread to Britain.

The hauliers are calling on the government to give them a fuel rebate as essential users to keep the country moving.

"The fuel duty gap was important in 2001 and is even more pressing now, with the UK awash with foreign trucks using low-taxed diesel. We urgently need to look afresh at this issue," the head of the Road Haulage Association wrote in a letter to the Treasury.

"Feelings are running high. We need the government to recognise publicly the industry's plight and engage in a dialogue leading to action."

Organisers said they expected up to 1,000 trucks to take part in the London protest which will culminate in a petition being handed in to Brown's Downing Street office.

[Flagg]

I don't know if America is going through the same thing, but in this country we are going through something called "stagflation"....basically, inflation goes up while everyones wages remain the same or in a lot of cases, drop.

I was reading an article in The Independent over the weekend, which stated that over the next year, a barrel of oil will rise to 200 dollars a barrel. The age of cheap oil it seems is coming to an end. According to Dr Salameh, director of the UK-based Oil Market Consultancy Service, Iraq is the only one of the worlds biggest producing countries with enough reserves substantially to increase its flow. US, Canada, Iran, Indonesisa, Russia, Britain, Norway and Mexico have all peaked, with China and the Saudi's nearing the point of decline.

Under Saddam Hussien, Iraq was pumping out some 3.5 million barrels a day, but it has no fallen to 2 million barrels a day. Apparently Iraq had offered the US a deal, 3 years before the war, that would have offered 10 new giant oil fields in return for lifted sanctions. The US had different ideas and decided to occupy Iraq and anex its oil.

On the subject of transport, the sale of SUV's have dropped in the UK and US because of the increase in fuel prices. There is talk of the "hyper car" which runs on electricity and is made of tough light plastic which apparantly could cross the US on a single tankful.

The good news to this is, we'll be forced to start looking for alternative sources of energy. The environment set aside, we really need to be looking for alternative sources and FAST, oil cannot last forever, less than 40 years we have left?? The bad news is are potential future wars, wars over dwindling oil supplies.

[Psylence]

In Australia the truckies are striking too

[juicy_brucy]

Canadians suck at protesting... Wish it could be done here.

[juicy_brucy]

oh wait... Canada is an oil country. Alberta is making Canada rich off of oil!!!! we should have cheaper oil prices than just about anywhere!!! More reason for us to protest, but we lay down and take it. Gas is SO expensive here.