Hundreds of hauliers will try to put more pressure on MPs over record-high fuel prices on Wednesday when they bring lorries to London in a mass protest. Police-controlled convoys will travel into the heart of the capital while some drivers lobby Parliament on foot. For the first time in protests in London this year, the freight company drivers will be joined by members of the Road Haulage Association (RHA). Trucks from all over the country are expected at the demonstration, with lorries lining a closed-off section of the A40 Westway in west London. Police motorcyclists will then lead groups of lorries into central London on a route which will include Westminster Bridge. RHA national chairman Andy Boyle said: "I am absolutely delighted that so many sections of the UK transport industry have united in such a positive way. If ever there was positive proof that ours is an industry in crisis then this surely must be it. "The harsh reality is that the price of fuel is now forcing many hauliers out of business. For many, today will represent a last-ditch attempt at making their voice heard. It is therefore absolutely vital that Government not only listens to us but takes urgent action. For those present today, whether they be hauliers or members of Parliament, doing nothing is no longer an option". A spokesman for the Transaction pressure group, Peter Carroll, said: "Our industry is being driven out of business. Continental hauliers are able to run in the UK using cheaper fuel from abroad. The Government needs to realise that the surge in oil prices has changed the world. "It is madness to insist on charging the highest level of fuel duty in the EU on top of a world price that has rocketed. If nothing is done, thousands of UK hauliers will go bust. "We have sound and effective proposals to solve this problem. The Government needs to talk to us and to listen to us."
I am sorry but this is so annoying. Can people just not accept that prices go up and down, we are in the middle or a big crash in the economy at the moment, with inflation going up and prices of food and pertol and yes, it might not be ideal, but what can the government do?? If they lower the price of petrol, wages get cut, then even more people strike, so their wages get risen, and the value of the pound goes down and it just keeps on going and going. It really annoys me this when everyone just thinks of their selves and not the biggre picture. Do they no think that if there was something to be done, we'd do it?? Heather On another note ... can you tell I was talking to my dad about this last night and got some of the technical words.
The question is, what are their so called "sound and effective proposals" to solve the problem? People always want to be heard, but often have nothing worth hearing.
*repeating what Heather said* Why? This so far comes across as meaningless. What in the world can the government do to help them?
Because of many factors but the price of fuel is just too high and its time something was done to lower the price. Think about those people who have to travel across the motorways to get to work. Its costing them a bundle. This mess needs addressing and unless it's properly address the government are going to have some series people issues to deal with. And I for one fully supprt the protests. I'm hoping history repeats and the public organise a blockade again.
It'd be lovely if the prices dropped. I'd love nothing more then cheap gas, but the question is how? What is a way to bring prices down? I've read that if history repeats itself, the prices will eventually drop down lower, but still not above the original price.
I see where you are coming from Raven, but to lower the price of fuel, you need to raise the prices of something else. More inflation, higher taxes, food costs going up. More first time buyers not being able to afford mortgages, the poorer getting poorer. Like I said up there, it just goes around in circles. We are just going through a bad patch with money at the moment is all .... give it a few months and it'll sort itself out .... money tends to do that. Im the mean time, people just need to cut down on te amount of petrol hey use as much as possible. Yes, it is not convineint the price being so high, but I do not think that pushing and arguing and more pushing for what you want is going to help anyone in the long run.
The government don't need to raise anything. Perhaps lower their big fat salaries they increase every three months. But They need to aconamise better is all. and while Labour habour power the budgets are going to be over done with fuel costs amongst other things.
Yes, the polititions should lower their saleries as I think that is kinda shocking, but do you honestly think that them knocking a few thoasand of their saleries it is going to cover the price of lowering fuel. Being realistic, other things are going to have to be raised price wise, there is just no other way, apart from the country sinking into dept which obviously would not be smart. I would love to sit and argue with you loviie about this ... haven't had a serious convrsation in ages, but I have to go. Take care. xx
To be honest, as most of the price of fuel is tax (something like 70%, if memory serves) then there is a lot the government can do to help the people whose livelihoods depend on fuel. Surely they could have lower tax rates for the people who are dependent on fuel.
I heard that it isn't the feul shortige that is making the prices climb so fast, its the fact, people are buying large amounts of it, and selling it off for a profit. On another note, I think the current prices are OK considering the oil needs to be pumped up from the ground, then refined and sold onto the motorist, all along the way, a profit needs to be made too, and it's being transported all over the world... so how they could do that for under one pound before, was in my opinion, amazing. However, I do think the protest should go ahead. As Banzai said, a lot of money from fuel is 'cos the goverment taxes it, so they could help out the motorist a great deal by cutting it.
If the US would start actually using the liquid oil under its feet, and the oil shale that is also available, albeit harder to make usable. Make a few more oil refineries since most of its refineries are about 30 or mores years old. And allow for nuclear power plants, which would reduce how much oil they have to use, oil prices world wide would start decreasing. Not right away but it would help a lot. As the largest buyer of oil in the world, but having to buy most of its oil from other nations they keep the price of oil artificially high. There's lots of oil but they just aren't allowed to get it, due to misguided environmental laws.
I completely agree with you Dom. I live in NM and we have hundreds of dead wells all over the state. They aren't dead in the terms of no more oil, just aren't being pumped anymore. I don't understand the EPA and all the CRAP they have put into laws and such. Alaska is prime for oil and it would lower costs dramatically if we used what's under our feet.
Reality is, it's the United States fault for all the high prices, using corn for ethanol oil, driving the prices of beef,milk, cheese and other dairy products up, but then, less corn, means less food to go around the world, so now, people in Africa, are literally, starving to death. Foxy, that really disturbs me, about the dead wells, people are having to alter their very lives, and retired men and women have to take up jobs again, their senior citizen income can't keep up with the rising prices.
