SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

Wending my merry way into work this morning, thought the roads looked nice and empty until I hit the A40 into central London...bugger totally forgot about this
spent another hour and half trying to avoid all the congestion to get to my client
oh well, serves me right I suppose

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

I wonder if it will do any good?

Spyder550

BBC NEWS | UK | Hauliers protesting at fuel cost

Protesters are demanding an "essential user" duty rebate for HGV drivers.

Given "Public" transport is so sh*t and unreliable I thought we all are essential users

stilover

No.

Only blocking refineries again will have any kind of impact. Only the Government have made it illegal and would bring in the army to use force to get the trucks moving.

Too many people think the way SwissTony does. They don't like fuel prices but don't want any protest to impact them or their daily lives. Get a grip man. I'd happily take a bit of disturbance to my daily life for a couiple of weeks if it meant fuel prices coming down.

Do nothing, nothing gets done.

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

when did I say I thought that way . I ****ing hate the way the price of petrol has risen and the way it impacts my daily life, my work, the costs we have to pass onto our clients, the dent in my wallet etc. I protested at the first fuel protest oh so many years ago. This protest was only for hauliers and I sympathise with them.

My problem today was the fact that I was a numpty in not remembering the road closure.

The Chief

Hopefully there will be a lot more come 19th July

stilover

Fair enough. I misinterpreted you post.

Leslie

Its good to see them taking a stand, there are mutterings about a fuel blockade too.

If nothing is done, they will just carry on and the situation will continue to get worse as far as tax etc is concerned. They must be made to understand that the public will only take so much and the result just won't be worth their while.

Les

davegtt

The stupid thing is though, blockades and the like doesnt really effect them. It effects the everyday man and the people doing the blockades losing money by not working etc. Whatever happens its only causing more hassle for themselves.

coolangatta

It's only natural selection/evolution at work.
The strong/wealthy will survive and the rest will take public transport or walk

boomer

What is getting scary is how rapidly and efficiently the police react to these protests.

The truckers in Wales had their start delayed whilst the police handed out notices informing them that if they drove slowly they would be arrested. They were them prevented from handing a petition to the Welsh assembly in Cardiff, so 50 lorries met assembly members at a service station - the rest were turned back by the police.

In London the police are ordering the lorries to leave the A40 before the rush hour.

Shame that they aren't so organised when an illegal travelers' camp gets set up, or clampers tow your car away or your car suffers vandalism but the culprits were not seen etc etc.

When the police spend all of their time supporting the government and it's ideals, you have got yourself a police state!!!!

mb

PeteBrant

Only of those being ordered by the police comply with theier demands.

If Truckers disobey en masse, then there is nothing that could be done about it.

Odds on

Look what the French did! And they're Police did bugger all about it.

It's a shame we've lost our right to protest. Shall we apply (like you have to) to protest about our lack of rights to just protest about fuel prices?

PeteBrant

We havent lost our right to protest -We have never been any good at it. We are far too reserved. Far too scared.

Odds on

Er, you have to apply to be able to protest (in London at least, we might be terrorists after all ) They can turn you down on grounds of health and safety or any old bollocks they feel like.

You can't protest outside a refinery, because the tanker driver's will not drive through because they're scared of someone putting something on their lorry. That makes you a terrorist, so your nicked.

That's a loss in my books.

As for not being any good at it, you don't need to go back far to see how people in this country can react.

bugeyeandy

Another example of what kind of loons we have in our government

Mmm, when all the Uk hauliers are out of business how much revenue exactly do you think will come in you pleb

PeteBrant

It only a loss if you comply. What you are saying is because the establishment says you cannot do a thing, you must not do a thing.

You are conforming. You accept the laws that have been made.

The french protesters are probably breaking several laws, but because the are doing it en masse, it has weight.

You can protest outside a refinery if enough of you decide to do it (and of course, not make the error of advertising it to the world before you do it).

If you are talking about the poll tax riots, I would hardly hold that up as a sterling example of how the British demonstrate.

Dedrater

Would it be more effective if everyone left there trucks and cars and made it on foot to the roads, mass crowds mass disturbance and overwhelm, its not against the law to walk on the roads, is it? and much less chance of getting a fine through the post.

coolangatta

Come off it guys! protest nor riot will be of any use, let history be my evidence, the status quo will preside.

PeteBrant

Said just like the good, meek, apathetic British person you are

The Chief

You've already rolled over and died and accepted defeat like the French did in WW2

Stand up for what you believe in and fight for what you think is fair and just.

coolangatta

Indeed as my grandfather did and probably yours! And the status quo still prevails.

PeteBrant

Well, Not really, I mean into comparison to WW2. People fought and died to prevent something becoming the status quo - Sucessfully.

coolangatta

I mean 'our' status quo, not theirs

PeteBrant

So it entirely depends on your side of the fence as to whether history says the staus quo prevails or not.

One thing is for absolute certain, inaction will change nothing, demonstrating [i[might[/i] change something, and mass civil disobedience does work. Ask Ghandi

EddScott

This is what should happen at refineries. If you get a few people then yes they will probably get nicked. You get several hundred people and just sit down outside the refinery. Get media there and make sure none of the protestors gets lairy what are they going to do then? Arrest them all under terrorism act.

If we all take a stand theres nothing they can do except back down.

boomer

...but that is why i said "What is getting scary is how rapidly and efficiently the police react to these protests." earlier. The police will already have very detailed plans on how to stop such a mass protest from happening.

Know activists will already have their phones and Interweb bugged, so planning will be extremely difficult.

The authorities will quickly spot any unusual traffic movements heading for, say, a refinery (Aye, En, Pee, Arrrrr, as is continually regurgitated on just about every traffic-cop program these days) and will have just about unlimited resources to throw at it.

Dispersal orders, curfews and other legal process will immediately be implemented (for anti-terrorism purposes of course ), making it a criminal offence to be in the area.

Then, anyone who dares to try to continue will be methodically stopped, arrested, hand-cuffed, held without charge for 42 days if Flash gets his way, leant-on and generally discouraged from ever being naughty again.

Think that i am kidding? Did you see the later news footage of the Wales protesters? Their convoy was surrounded by TENS of police vehicles. Every motorway exit was physically blocked off to ensure that the conformed to "the rules", roundabouts and junctions were patrolled - there was no room whatsoever for stepping out of line.

Of course, if the police put the same effort into patrolling traffic on, say, a bank holiday, the roads would be running smoother than a very smooth thing. But that would be "serving" the public, rather than the goons in parliament - so it ain't going to happen!

Princess Tony got a bloody nose during the first couple of days of the last (proper) fuel protest - so the Kremlin, er, i mean, our elected leaders are keeping a very tight leash these days

mb

spireite

Were slowly becoming the next Zimbabwe

Spyder550

From the BBC website this mornining " Brown to meet oil industry chiefs "
BBC NEWS | UK | Brown to meet oil industry chiefs

Still hasn't twigged that the problem in the UK is mostly his tax

StickyMicky

its all well and saying that, but no ****er stands up

much easier to sign pointless government petitions which mean **** all