Petrol Prices - Are they to high - What can we do about it.

[jizzemm]

on five live this evening there was a bloke on from the AA who said that currently you need to be doing 22,000 miles a year to benefit from Diesel (I don't do close, so from that advise I should have sold mine ages ago).. but he did say that Diesel demand is so high, that we are using it quicker than it can be refined, and thats why Diesel has risen at a rate of 1.5% above the rate that Petrol has risen.. Also, if it continues for the foreable future, then you would need to be doing 30,000 miles a year to see the benefit..

Recession "almost there". I blame the Government. Prices of our homes will fall, & that's a disaster. Or is it?.......

Poverty in the UK? I think not.

There is already poverty in some parts of the UK, not on the scale of 3rd world contries of course.. House Price's dropping, yes I think it may be a disaster for a lot of the lower paid people in work, who have heavily mortgaged their property during times of easy borrowings or boom as they call it. (I don't agree that they should have done it, and have been allowed to do it, to a certain extent but I am an accountant and were tight) but the fact remains, that if things continue as they are, a lot of people will lose their homes. The UK probably needs some kind of leveling out financially (I'm sure it will happen), but we will moan and moan about our own situation until we are secure, and when that is threatend, not much else will matter to the majority..

In terms of the vote, I agree TK, oil will continue to go up and up, prices will continue to go up and up, but surly not at the rate it is doing.. A petition will go into the bin, a vote at the next election will not, but saying that 60% of the people in the UK will be to busy watching their colour plasma screens to vote, so why should any government need to panic to much..

[tikay]

but tikay you are fighting human nature. Its not just Mail or Express readers, people are energised by that which is immediate to them

At the next election, will overseas aid for example be a big discussion point? will policies on global poverty be a big vote winner/loser?

I contend not.

People will vote, and discuss, on issues such as the domestic economy first and foremost.

This does not mean that people are uncaring about the likes of Burma, or Chinese earthquakes. In fact many will contribute if they are able. I suggest most look on sadly, a bit numb..in part because of a feeling of helplessness and in part because of immediacy.

Yes, people die all the time every day. If we stopped to grieve every death none of us would ever get out of bed for uncontrolled sobbing.

Instead, we care about people we are directly connected to. Friends, family, people we know, people who live near us, people who are in situations we could have found ourselves in ('I cross that road every day where that lad was knocked down etc').

Foreigners dying on TV just isn't close enough to home to matter.

Precisely!
Banging on about Burma and China on a thread about petrol??
No comparison at all, we all feel sympathy and we all shake our heads at the telly and some might even make a donation (on top of our taxed cash bein sent by Brown) but it is over there not here.
We were talking petrol prices.....

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.

2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

[TightEnd]

 The UK is absolutely awash with disposable income!

with respect, this statement is 18 months out of date. There is a nasty squeeze on and a load are struggling

You seen the queue for Lottery Tickets on a Saturday night Rich? How many folks in In Betting Shops? How many '07 & '08 Reg Cars are around? How many folks play on 'Stars? How many go abroad on Holiday? Have two-car families? Eat Roast Beef on a Tuesday?

It's possible we, as a Nation, are a tinsy bit less well-off than we were a year ago. But we're doing pretty good.

Yes. I am loathe to characterise things in terms of "class" but I wasn't necessarily referring to the "double income" middle class where disposable income can get pinched severely before real pain is felt, more the "working" class or "blue collar" type professions/jobs.

I am involved in one sphere of my life in speaking to a number of these people on a personal level and I can assure you that a lot of these people are really hurting, and struggling to get by.

[tikay]

on five live this evening there was a bloke on from the AA who said that currently you need to be doing 22,000 miles a year to benefit from Diesel (I don't do close, so from that advise I should have sold mine ages ago).. but he did say that Diesel demand is so high, that we are using it quicker than it can be refined, and thats why Diesel has risen at a rate of 1.5% above the rate that Petrol has risen.. Also, if it continues for the foreable future, then you would need to be doing 30,000 miles a year to see the benefit..

Recession "almost there". I blame the Government. Prices of our homes will fall, & that's a disaster. Or is it?.......

Poverty in the UK? I think not.

There is already poverty in some parts of the UK, not on the scale of 3rd world contries of course.. House Price's dropping, yes I think it may be a disaster for a lot of the lower paid people in work, who have heavily mortgaged their property during times of easy borrowings or boom as they call it. (I don't agree that they should have done it, and have been allowed to do it, to a certain extent but I am an accountant and were tight) but the fact remains, that if things continue as they are, a lot of people will lose their homes. The UK probably needs some kind of leveling out financially (I'm sure it will happen), but we will moan and moan about our own situation until we are secure, and when that is threatend, not much else will matter to the majority..

In terms of the vote, I agree TK, oil will continue to go up and up, prices will continue to go up and up, but surly not at the rate it is doing.. A petition will go into the bin, a vote at the next election will not, but saying that 60% of the people in the UK will be to busy watching their colour plasma screens to vote, so why should any government need to panic to much..

I admire your (housing) prudency.

But let me get this right. Are falling House Prices, overall, a good thing, or a bad thing? For you, &/or your kids?

[ifm]

We're lucky.  We have a benefit sytem, a health service that is free to all at the point of use, we have a fair amount of freedom whilst at the same time enjoying a relatively high level of protection from crime or persecution.  We have a bloody good standard of living - higher I dare say than ever.

But we're only 60 million in a world of nearly 7 billion.  We are an unbelievably wealthy nation.  What do we do about everyone else?  What does everyone else do about us?

Have you noticed the standard of living increasing over the same timescale as the increasing taxation or higher food/gas/electric?
The average wage rise is around 3% per annum, very much outpaced over the last couple of years at least.
We should be becoming more comfortable not less.
Those that want less luxury or who claim can still get by without it should move to Burma!

[roverthtaeh]

 The UK is absolutely awash with disposable income!

with respect, this statement is 18 months out of date. There is a nasty squeeze on and a load are struggling

You seen the queue for Lottery Tickets on a Saturday night Rich? How many folks in In Betting Shops? How many '07 & '08 Reg Cars are around? How many folks play on 'Stars? How many go abroad on Holiday? Have two-car families? Eat Roast Beef on a Tuesday?

It's possible we, as a Nation, are a tinsy bit less well-off than we were a year ago. But we're doing pretty good.

No offence but, I have never played the lottery, I have never been inside a betting shop, I drive an old banger, I don't play on Stars, I don't have holidays, I am not part of a two-car family, and I rarely eat roast beef.
I am also a lot worse off than I was last year despite working longer hours. At the moment I am not doing pretty good at all.
And I realise I am only one person but with regards to posters on this thread I represent a percentage.
You are probably right about fuel costs increasing and us not being able to do anything about it, but that shouldn't stop us trying. We can't do anything about cancer but we keep on trying, don't we?

[ifm]

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.

2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

What?
OMG!
We are a democracy dear fellow which means we can do something about it.

[KingPoker]

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.
2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

I'm sorry Tony but the fact it is a finite resource has nothing to do with the price of petrol.

What makes it ridiclous is that the oil companies charge 33p for the litre, the Government sticks a 300% mark up on it then has the frikking cheek to bang on the 17.5% on top again.

Its simply nothing but downright extortion!

[boldie]

but tikay you are fighting human nature. Its not just Mail or Express readers, people are energised by that which is immediate to them

At the next election, will overseas aid for example be a big discussion point? will policies on global poverty be a big vote winner/loser?

I contend not.

People will vote, and discuss, on issues such as the domestic economy first and foremost.

This does not mean that people are uncaring about the likes of Burma, or Chinese earthquakes. In fact many will contribute if they are able. I suggest most look on sadly, a bit numb..in part because of a feeling of helplessness and in part because of immediacy.

Yes, people die all the time every day. If we stopped to grieve every death none of us would ever get out of bed for uncontrolled sobbing.

Instead, we care about people we are directly connected to. Friends, family, people we know, people who live near us, people who are in situations we could have found ourselves in ('I cross that road every day where that lad was knocked down etc').

Foreigners dying on TV just isn't close enough to home to matter.

Precisely!
Banging on about Burma and China on a thread about petrol??
No comparison at all, we all feel sympathy and we all shake our heads at the telly and some might even make a donation (on top of our taxed cash bein sent by Brown) but it is over there not here.
We were talking petrol prices.....

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.

2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

And this is one of the big problems in Brittain , in my opinion. This fatalistic attitude; "There's nothing we can do about it" and "Whatever we do won't help". If the majority of people feel fuel is too heavily taxed and sign petitions and go on protest marches you can be pretty damned sure the govt would bring fuel tax down IF it believed it would get voted out of office if it didn't.
Right now, signing a petition won't help..because people don't even vote a govt. out of office over a war they didn't want to go to.
Unless "the people" DEMAND action to be taken; Lower taxes on fuel, more investment in alternative energy sources (in the case of this discussion) and all that stuff..on all subjects the government won't listen.

Will the price of oil go up? Yes, it's a finite resource as everybody knows. Does that mean that right now Gordon Brown has to add 2p tax to the price of fuel? Probably not...but he can..as people only moan.

[tikay]

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.

2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

What?
OMG!
We are a democracy dear fellow which means we can do something about it.

You, the World, & his Wife, Mother-In-Law too, can do precisely nothing about rising prices of a commodity that is in increasing demand, and of finite quantity.

Fuel Prices, year-on-year, will always rise. Same as land. Because we use more of it, & they don't make it any more.

[tikay]

OK, the Thread Title was "Petrol Prices - Are They Too High - What Can we do about it".

That's two questions, both are well easy to answer.

1) No. There is a finite supply & a growing demand.
2) Nothing.

Suppose we could have a good old moan though, or sign a petition. Which will achieve precisely.......

I'm sorry Tony but the fact it is a finite resource has nothing to do with the price of petrol.

What makes it ridiclous is that the oil companies charge 33p for the litre, the Government sticks a 300% mark up on it then has the frikking cheek to bang on the 17.5% on top again.

Its simply nothing but downright extortion!

I refer the Welsh person to the answer given by my Honourable Friend, Mr Tebbit.

[77dave]

i have been living in America for just over 3 months now.
 
When i arrived a gallon (us gallon 80% of an english gallon) was $2.85  now its $3.60 so that is nearly a 30% increase in just 3 months

All i hear at the tables is complaints about the price of fuel. If only they knew how lucky they were over here getting it for about a 1/3 of the prices as the UK.

I had a taxi driver telling me that the state of Florida are about to make it a utility so they can control the profits of the Petrol (gas) compainies.

[77dave]

Life would be better if the govt control other income streams therefore not needing to tax so highly on petrol.

Over here there is no road tax disc what you have to do is register your license plate every year. If you dont they do something about it.

So if the govt did something about the vast number of people on the roads who dont pay there road tax and insurance before they hurt the people who do pay.

Petrol may not be a luxury but id rather see taxes on cigarates and alcohol hiked before petrol.

By the way my flight from London to Vegas cost me 508 around the same as it cost me last year.

[KingPoker]

America is the only true democracy and you can argue with that all you want.

The fact is they still only charge a "decent" amount of tax on petrol and how our Governement gets away with what it does is unreal!

If the tories would simply make the promise/commitment to lowering fuel prices or the tax on it, they would simply stroll into 10 downing street.

Gordon Brown is nothing more than a glorified accountant puppeteering alistair darling and does not take into account what "his" nation wants but instead how to keep the budget afloat. Makes me sick!

It still makes me laugh how many people still believe it is down to the greedy oil companies robbing us when in truth they drill it, ship it, refine it and deliver it for 33p, I think thats pretty amazing to be honest!

[boldie]

America is the only true democracy and you can argue with that all you want.

The fact is they still only charge a "decent" amount of tax on petrol and how our Governement gets away with what it does is unreal!

If the tories would simply make the promise/commitment to lowering fuel prices or the tax on it, they would simply stroll into 10 downing street.

Gordon Brown is nothing more than a glorified accountant puppeteering alistair darling and does not take into account what "his" nation wants but instead how to keep the budget afloat. Makes me sick!

It still makes me laugh how many people still believe it is down to the greedy oil companies robbing us when in truth they drill it, ship it, refine it and deliver it for 33p, I think thats pretty amazing to be honest!

If it wasn't for taxes Petrol would be cheaper than bottled water..that is indeed truly astonishing. and an almost 300% tax on anything essential is a disgrace.

Not sure about America being the true democracy though as..well..they only have 2 real parties after all.....but that's beside the point me thinks.