April 2005 Archives

The BBC reports:

"Last Updated: Friday, 29 April, 2005, 11:17 GMT 12:17 UK
Refinery protest over fuel costs

Hauliers have staged a protest at BP's Grangemouth refinery in their campaign against fuel costs and new controls on working hours.
About 200 truckers gathered for the protest at the Scottish facility, which was organised by the Road Haulage Association.

They called on political parties to back their concerns over fuel duty as global prices continue to rise.

The hauliers also raised concerns about new European rules on working.

At a meeting on Wednesday evening, the RHA urged its 1,000 members in Scotland to join the protest. Hauliers elsewhere in the UK have already staged protests.

However, chief executive Roger King stressed that the RHA had not sought a repeat of the blockades which affected refineries and petrol stations in 2000.

He said: "We do not condone the blockading of any oil refinery.

'Transport policy'

"It is our lawful right to highlight in as many ways as we can the particular situation facing road hauliers in the UK."

Mr King said political parties were being urged to support the hauliers.

He said: "We would like to hear from any of the political parties about their transport policy. It hasn't featured at all in this general election campaign."

Fuel protests are reported at the oil refineries at Stanlow in Cheshire, at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, Wales and on the roads and motorway near Fawley, Southhampton.

More fuel protests being planned

So far, the professional media are not putting any Fuel Tax questions to the main party politicians at their daily election press conferences.

The BBC reports


Last Updated: Monday, 25 April, 2005, 09:51 GMT 10:51 UK
Fuel protesters picket refinery

Fuel duty campaigners are demonstrating outside a Cheshire oil refinery in protest at high fuel costs.

They are the same protesters who organised nationwide action at fuel depots in 2000.

By setting up outside Stanlow oil refinery near Ellesmere Port, they want to make fuel prices an issue in the election, said organiser David Handley.

A spokeswoman for Shell said that Monday's protest had not caused any disruption to the fuel supply.

The protest was made up of 14 tractors and about 20 people on foot and began at about 0500 BST.

Mr Handley, one of the founders of the Farmers for Action group, said he wanted politicians to address the issue of fuel prices.

Fuel protests at the G8 summit ?

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Local Media contact for any Fuel Tax protests planned for the G8 Summit due to be held at the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland, between 6th and the 8th July 2005:

"Hi There,

My name is Andy Newport and I'm a reporter with the Perthshire Advertiser.

I've just been having a read through some of the reports of the demonstrations in Stirling today. I was wondering if you had any plans to demonstrate during the G8 Summit?

Would it be possible for your press officer to give me a call on 01738 493 258.

Cheers, Andy"

Fuel tax protests before Polling Day

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The BBC reports, with a rather negative and alarming headline

Hauliers threaten poll disruption
Last Updated: Friday, 22 April, 2005, 10:37 GMT 11:37 UK

Fuel tax protesters are threatening to disrupt the general election with a campaign of oil refinery blockades and go-slows starting on 3 May"

"Stay at home Sunday" Fuel Protest ?

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What do people think of this email suggestion ?

"The Government seem to have a very smug attitude to the futility of protests by the public. Surely it would have more effect on government policy on rip - off taxes if we organised a number of "Stay at home Sundays" and leave the roads completely empty

There is nothing they could do about it, even they can't force people to go out yet. The enormous loss of revenue may well make them sit up and take notice."


It is legal, but how effective could be ?

Surely there should be some protests, or at least questioning of candidates during this General Election, now that we have record petrol prices at the pumps ?

The BBC reports:

"Petrol prices at UK pumps have reached their highest-ever levels, according to petrol consultancy Catalyst.

A litre of unleaded petrol now costs 85.6p and some analysts are warning of further increases to come.

The previous record was 85.3p in 2000, when drivers blockaded roads to protest at the soaring costs and government plans to raise taxes on fuel.

Petrol retailers say the volatile nature of the world's oil markets is to blame for fluctuating petrol prices.

The AA Trust said the price of a litre could rise or fall by as much as 5p from current levels in response to the global oil situation.

Bert Morris, the trust's director, said the next "psychologically important" level would be 90p a litre.

"It will take more than the oil market fluctuations that we've been seeing to drive prices to that level," he said.

But the Petrol Retailers Association said it expected prices to continue rising - possibly hitting new highs in the summer."

Anybody thinking of organising or joining a demonstration or protest near Parliament Square in London, and in a zone around 1 kilometre from there i.e. including Victoria Street,Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square needs to be aware of the new powers included in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

Thease measures apply to a protest or demonstration consisting of even just one single person !

There are requirements to apply for permission to the the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, "6 clear days" or "at least 24 hours" beforehand. The Commissioner can then impose all kinds of restrictions on the numbers of people and times of the protest. There are particular restrictions on the use of loudspeakers or the honking of vehicle horns etc.

Record oil prices, again

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The BBC reports record crude oil prices, again, despite vaue OPEC production target promises.

"US crude oil prices hit a new record overnight, up 35 cents to $57.62 a barrel, despite signs the Opec oil producing nations could raise supply."

"In London, Brent Crude was trading at $56.51 early on Monday."

About this blog

This United Kingdom based blog attempts to draw public attention to, and to comment on, the Fuel Crisis caused by UK Government policy on energy i.e. petrol, diesel, LPG for use in vehicles, and for electricity generation, and the knock on effects on transport, food, domestic heating costs etc.

For a country with North Sea Oil and Gas,why are fuel prices so expensive in the United Kingdom ?

Most of the price for fuel that we pay is Tax to Her Majesty's Treasury, not directly anything to do with the world price of petroleum.

Is it really going to take blockades and protests in the streets again, like in 2000 under the Labour government, before the Conservative / Liberal Democrat Coalition Government listens to the people and abolishes the tax increases on fuel, which has reached over £1 £1.40 per litre of petrol in many areas ?

Or are they going to mismanage the Fuel Crisis, yet again, but this time invoke their Emergency Powers under the Civil Contingencies Act, or using the vast sureveillance powers of the state to snoop on peaceful protestors ?

Email Contact

Please feel free to email us your views about this blog, or news about the issues it tries to comment on:

info @ fuel-crisis.org.uk

If you want to send us something confidential, then you can use our PGP public encryption key

UK Fuel Price and Tax statistics

Various statistics on Fuel Prices and rates of Fuel Duty and VAT, are published by the misnamed Department of Energy and Climate Change:

Energy statistics: prices, where you "can download annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly statistics in Microsoft Excel 2000 format"

The Weekly Fuel Prices Table (.xls) is updated each Tuesday at 9.30 am.

Government Website Links

WriteToThem Identify and Contact your Member of Parliament, Members of the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament, European Parliament etc,

No. 10 Downing Street Prime Minister Tony Blair Gordon Brown gets David Cameron gets hundreds of thousands of letters and emails a year. It is possible to write to or email the Prime Minister, but do not expect him to actuually read your message, let alone respond to it personally.


Her Majesty's Treasury
Complain to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown Alistair Darling George Osborne:
"Emails and letters for the Chancellor and his ministerial team come in the first instance into HM Treasury's Correspondence and Enquiry Unit and then are sent into the Chancellor's Private Office. All correspondence received is replied to, within 15 working days and so you will receive a response."

To email the Chancellor or the ministerial team, the address is:

ministers@ hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk

and to send a letter the address is:

Rt Hon George Osborne MP,
Chancellor of the Exchequer,
HM Treasury,
1 Horse Guards Road,
LONDON SW1A 2HQ

You can also fax correspondence on:
020 7270 4580


Consumer Focus - the former Energy Watch independent watchdog for gas and electricity consumers has been amalgamted into Consumer Focus

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets - the regulator for Britain's gas and electricity industries.

Department of Energy and Climate Change

The Government Department which is supposed to be coming up with and implementing some sort of strategic Energy Policy for the United Kingdom, was shunted off in October 2008 into the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change, to make way for the return of the twice disgraced Peter Mandleson's return to the Cabinet.

The useless Minister put in charge was Ed Miliband, the younger brother of the equally useless, yet ambitious, Foreign Secretary David Miliband (another example of NuLabour nepotism). - It turns out that both brothers were ambitious for power and Ed Miliband is now the Leader of the Labour party, which is proving to be as incompetent in regard to Energy Policy and Fuel Prices in Opposition, as it was when in power.

The lack of continuity of Ministers in charge of this department has continued under the Coalition, with the Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne resigning to clear his name of driving offence allegations.

The Ministerial team who might make announcements about Energy Policy, or who will be flying off at public expense, to international conferences etc. representing the UK, and who you might wish to write to or lobby in person, are:

So far, these Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition government politicians have not been much of an improvement over their incompetent and authoritarian Labour predecessors.

DECC Contact Us web page.

Department of Energy and Climate Change
3 Whitehall Place
London
SW1A 2HD

General enquiries:
0300 060 4000
[standard national rate)

Email: correspondence@decc.gsi.gov.uk

"Enquiries from journalists should always be directed to the DECC Press Office, either as per the IPO Directory (White Book) or via the Enquiry Unit on 0300 060 4000. The out-of-hours number for urgent press enquiries is 020 7215 3505."

The top civil servant is the Permanent Secretary Moira Wallace
email: perm.sec@decc.gsi.gov.uk

The DECC Corporate Governance page list some more of the top civil servants and publishes reports about some of their foreign trips and expenses paid by th etax payer.

N.B. these do not reveal all the extremely rich Energy Company vested interest lobbying activity which obviously influences them more than the plight of the log suffering general public.

Protest Website Links

Fuel Tax Protest - low turnout protests in 2005

Farmers for Action some of the organisers of the fuel protests in 2000

Road Haulage Association

Fuelprotest.com online petition

Fuel Website Links

Automobile Association summary of UK and Oversease fuel prices

Rip-Off Britain

Fuel Industry Links

UK Petroleum Industry Association - made up of the 9 companies the main oil refineries in the UK.

UK Petroleum Industry Association Ltd,
Quality House
Quality Court Tel: 020 7269 7600
E-mail: info@ukpia.com
www.ukpia.com

BP Oil UK Ltd, Witan Gate House, 500/ 600 Witan Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 1ES
Tel: 01908 853000,
www.bp.com

ConocoPhillips, ConocoPhillips Centre, 2 Kingmaker Court, Warwick Technology Park, Warwick CV34 6DB
Tel: 01926 404000
www.conocophillips.co.uk

Esso UK Ltd, ExxonMobil House, Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8UX
Tel: 01372 222000
www.exxonmobil.co.uk

Ineos Refining, INEOS Group Ltd., Hawkslease, Chapel Lane, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7FG
Tel: 0238 0287067
www.ineosrefining.com

Murco Petroleum Ltd, 4 Beaconsfield Road, St.Albans, AL1 3RH
Tel: 01727 892400
www.murco.co.uk

Petroplus UK, St. Mark`s Court, Teesdale, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 6QW
Tel: 01642 736101
www.petroplusholdings.co.uk

Shell UK Ltd, Shell Centre, York Road, London SE1 7NA
Tel: 020 7257 3000
www.shell.co.uk

ChevronTexaco Ltd, 1 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London E14 4HA
Tel: 020 7719 3000
www.texaco.com

Total UK Ltd, 40 Clarendon Road, Watford WD1 2TQ
Tel: 01923 694000
www.total.com

Energy Networks Association represents the licensed gas and electricity transmission and distribution companies in the UK.

ENA member companies

Blog Links

Spy Blog - civil liberties, security, privacy, technology, legislation

Global Guerrillas - John Robb

NuLabour blog

ParliamentProtest.org.uk blog - opposition to the curtailment of peacefule demonstrations and protests around Parliament and Whitehall and beyond.

Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers and Political Dissidents

The hints and tips below are just as important to anybody organising a peaceful Fuel Protest, as they are to other people who might come under UK Government or Multinational Corporation surveillance for their political activties.

Please take the appropriate precautions if you are planning to blow the whistle on shadowy and powerful people in Government or commerce, and their dubious policies. The mainstream media and bloggers also need to take simple precautions to help preserve the anonymity of their sources e.g. see Spy Blog's Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers - or use this easier to remember link: http://ht4w.co.uk

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