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Fuel Strikes?

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Failed Unit

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...any opinions?

How much disruption is it likely to cause?

I have not looked what the Army are going to be used for - I would suspect deliveries to transport companies rather than high street petrol stations.

It depends on how long it goes on for to be honest, you will get the panic buying in the first instance which will probably be more disruptive than the strike itself. But I recall in 2000 public transport struggled with the extra people wanting to make use of it!
 

Nym

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Good on em i say, go on strike, let the country see how much it relies on its road haulage industry!

Yes indeedy, but the goverment still won't realise that it is choking the transport of the UK with fuel prices, bus fares outside of London and subsidised areas etc.
 

Oswyntail

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Good on em i say, go on strike, let the country see how much it relies on its road haulage industry!
Sadly, it does - which is why it is effectively subsidised so much. And, before anyone flames me for that remark, just look at the massive numbers of small, independent hauliers around. What other industry can afford to be so fragmented these days?
 

ainsworth74

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If they're going to go on strike they need to do it soon. The longer they wait the more prepared the government and their employers will be to withstand the disruptions (army drivers for example) and therefore the less likely they will be able to actually 'win'.
 

Nym

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Sadly, it does - which is why it is effectively subsidised so much. And, before anyone flames me for that remark, just look at the massive numbers of small, independent hauliers around. What other industry can afford to be so fragmented these days?

They can only afford their fuel costs because they have reduced the amount they pay their drivers substantially over the years in line with fuel cost rises, in turn reducing the quality of drivers and making the roads more dangerous.

My routes' main costs where:

Fuel: £60 - £80/day
Me: £100 - £130/day (What it costs to employ me, not what I get paid!)
Vehicle Lease: ~£35/day

Depot costs sod all, we borrowed space from another company.
 

gordonthemoron

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if you think fuel prices are expensıve ın the UK, try Turkey:

UK lıtre unleaded 140p
Turkey lıtre unleaded 165p

and Turks get paıd a lot less
 

DarloRich

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The Government have simple way to deal with it. Send the Riot police in to break up the "strikers" lines and use the army to distribute the fuel. The police can then keep the "strikers" away from the fuel depots and keep the deliveries moving.

It is what they did with the miners.
 

SS4

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Striking is always an action of last resort. I suspect the government has refused to listen knowing it can used its friends in the press to portray the strikers as treasonous.

Of course to get an audience with Cameron one has to "donate" a lot of money to the Conservative party ;)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just out of interest how many well known nationals are on the left? The guardian is one
 
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Failed Unit

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'Oil Based' economy anyone??? Wonder what Marples/Beeching would be thinking now, as it's all coming 'home to roost'??? :roll:

When you look at the planning system we have made ourselves car dependent with out of town shopping centres / offices not accessiable to public transport and the new generation of internet shoppers. Saying that I don't know if one van delivering to multiple house is better than multiple houses hitting the high street visiting multiple shops.

But no-one can argue no-fuel will = chaos on a bigger scale than if the entire public transport industry walked out.
 

Schnellzug

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Did you see that the Government is once again training the Army , or so they claim, despite the fact that the Army has been the victim of some of the worst of Cameron's foolishness, but of course they can't strike, can they, so they can be ordered to do whatever the Government tells them to.
 

Deerfold

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The Government have simple way to deal with it. Send the Riot police in to break up the "strikers" lines and use the army to distribute the fuel. The police can then keep the "strikers" away from the fuel depots and keep the deliveries moving.

It is what they did with the miners.

And didn't that work well?

We've a fine mining industry haven't we?

Isn't riot police a bit of an overreactio to people withdrawing their labour?
 

Oswyntail

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.....
My routes' main costs where:

Fuel: £60 - £80/day
Me: £100 - £130/day (What it costs to employ me, not what I get paid!)
Vehicle Lease: ~£35/day

Depot costs sod all, we borrowed space from another company.
Isn't there something missing, though? The infrastructure seems to be considered as free, provided by the state out of taxation. Level that particular playing field and there could be several knock-on effects, some detrimental to the country, some not.
 

Schnellzug

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Sadly, it does - which is why it is effectively subsidised so much. And, before anyone flames me for that remark, just look at the massive numbers of small, independent hauliers around. What other industry can afford to be so fragmented these days?

Really? And have you seen the number of small, independent hauliers that go bust every year because the Government always sees road transport as something that they can squeeze indefinitely, and they can argue, with that two-facedness which is the only skill that Politicians really need, that they're "being Green"? Would your preferred solution be to renationalise them, bring back British Road Services, so it could then be used as another revenue generator for the Government, like BR was?
 

142094

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BBC were pointing out the last time we had fuel strikes, we had a lot more petrol stations than we do now. Also, increasingly petrol stations have smaller underground storage tanks, so operate the 'just in time' delivery practice. So if there is a fuel strike, expect the remaining petrol stations to run out of fuel fast.

Even if the army is brought in they'll be focussed on providing fuel for the emergency services and then local councils etc. Poor old John Smith driving his car isn't going to be top of the list.

Could prove to be a coup for the railways and public transport, if they can get the fuel they need?
 

Nym

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Isn't there something missing, though? The infrastructure seems to be considered as free, provided by the state out of taxation. Level that particular playing field and there could be several knock-on effects, some detrimental to the country, some not.

"Vehicle Leasing Costs" Include Road Vehicle Tax, Vehicle Operatores Licence Tax, and "Fuel Costs" Include Fuel Duty Tax and Value Added Tax, there is also Value Added Tax paid on leasing costs, and National Insurance Tax contiributions for the drivers...
 

Zoe

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This isn't like 2000 where people blockaded refineries in protest over the high cost of fuel. This is the fuel tanker drivers going on strike over terms and conditions and safety, not the cost of fuel.
 

SS4

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MPs will have all the fuel they need of course...
It's like something out of nineteen eighty four where the Party keeps all the good stuff for its own use and denies any to the proles.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
In unrelated news isn't water cannon now meant to be available to deal with rioters? (I hope rioter is suitably defined in law). Perhaps the South East could riot in their gardens :lol:
 

Zoe

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In unrelated news isn't water cannon now meant to be available to deal with rioters? (I hope rioter is suitably defined in law). Perhaps the South East could riot in their gardens
There certainly won't be any fueling around.
 

Nym

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Wouldn't work in most riot situations as seen in the UK, only really works on protesting crowds that don't move very quickly and want to remain in one place, rioters will simply sod off somewhere else and outrun the water cannon.
 

DarloRich

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And didn't that work well?

We've a fine mining industry haven't we?

Isn't riot police a bit of an overreactio to people withdrawing their labour?

Not at all (that is exactly what they did with the miners who attempted to picket and therefore close coal/coke supply depots!) Unfortunately our national economy depends on fuel and the supply of fuel to operate, as does our national life. Any attempt to disrupt this could be seen as civil insurrection and an attempt to overthrow the elected government.

Obviously no one wants that but the situation can not be allowed to deteriorate to a level where national life and economic function is compromised.
 
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142094

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In unrelated news isn't water cannon now meant to be available to deal with rioters? (I hope rioter is suitably defined in law). Perhaps the South East could riot in their gardens :lol:

By contrast, our reservoirs up here are 90% full! Excuse me whilst I water the garden, wash the car, play in my paddling pool and have a cup of tea <D
 

Schnellzug

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MPs will have all the fuel they need of course...
It's like something out of nineteen eighty four where the Party keeps all the good stuff for its own use and denies any to the proles.
:

Perhaps "The Deficit" is rather like Eastasia, or Eurasia; this vast and amorphous enemy that the Government decides that it's allowed to do anything at all in order to combat, whatever the costs to the People, since the only thing that matters is that it be defeated .. In fact, maybe it's taken the place in Cameroon's mind that the "War on Terror" occupied in the mind of Tony Blair.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Any attempt to disrupt this could be seen as civil insurrection and an attempt to overthrow the elected government. .

*ironic snort*
 

LE Greys

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Well, ideally they'll sort it out before any action happens. If not, then I as a non-driver will see relatively little impact. It's highly unlikely that the shops will run out of food, deliveries such as this will be made the highest priority. I'm getting a new bicycle soon, so there seems to be a chance to test it. As an overall message, perhaps once again it will serve as a reminder that we are too dependent on roads, cars and lorries, and we need to do something about it. Still, you all know my opinion on that!
 

Captain Chaos

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It's stupid that we have allowed ourselves to be such a car-dependant society and planned and developed our towns accordingly.

Driving a car is a privledge, not a right.
 

starrymarkb

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I wonder how much the media's doom-mongering hysteria is playing a part, generally there is enough fuel for a couple of days in the tanks, add in panic buying and you have petrol stations running out.

Me - I'll be on my bike and feet!
 
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