Fuel protesters in poll threat
Fuel protesters in poll threat
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Mrs Fish

Original Poster:

30,018 posts

287 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
ananova said:
Fuel protesters in poll threat

Fuel tax protesters have threatened to disrupt the General Election with direct action including refinery blockades and go-slows on major routes.

Farmer and haulier Andrew Spence, a spokesman for the Fuel Lobby, said their campaign was set to begin on May 3, two days before polling day, if the Government did not bring down tax on fuel.

The lobby said it was prepared to recreate the week-long protests of September 2000 which caused shortages and buying panic at the pumps.

Mr Spence, from Consett, County Durham, said: "Don't rule anything out.

"The election would be stopped if we had our way. Tony Blair will not be able have enough fuel in his car to get to the polling station."

He said a large meeting of hauliers will be held in Stirling, Scotland.

"Those boys up there want to do something now," Mr Spence said. "The hardest part will be stopping them from protesting until May 3."

The Road Haulage Association has also warned members could be stirred into "legal" action.

It claimed anger was mounting around the country about "the increasing cost of fuel".

RHA chief executive Roger King said meetings had been held in Scotland and North Wales and attitudes among those present were "increasingly militant".

mondeoman

11,430 posts

295 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Rock n Roll!!!

Don

28,378 posts

313 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
mondeoman said:
Rock n Roll!!!


Amen to that. Anything to make his Tonyness less popular.

They should start a little earlier. May 1st or before. Otherwise there will still be petrol in London on polling day...

I can *walk* to the polling station!

maxf

8,443 posts

270 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
nice! They need to start earlier though - it didn't really bite until a few days in last time.

Matt_fp

3,402 posts

278 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Oh this is going to be fun!! About time there was some action again.

Matt

beanbag

7,346 posts

270 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
I'll even help in the boycott. The tax we pay is just daylight robbery.

It's also a good thing as I'll have to work in Bracknell instead of Newbury which means 5 mins to work on the push bike instead of 1 hour by car. (Also means another 30 mins in bed )

shadowninja

79,993 posts

311 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Postal voting here I come.

I really enjoyed getting stuck behind some slow-go lorries last time... because I really am Tony Blair himself even if I don't look like it or appear to even work in politics. In other words, all it meant was I got pissed off by the morons driving the lorries and was late for a meeting, while Blair sat in his office working.



Oh yes, and Blair and pals can still drive around because of their own emergency supply.

>> Edited by shadowninja on Friday 22 April 09:34

Duncan23

142 posts

263 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Maybe they should just vote the b'starard out?
Direct action with a pen rather than a truck!
They drove me nuts last time because I was leaving Uni and had to take all my stuff home. This time I'm not bothered.

JagLover

46,739 posts

264 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
I think it is something that will backfire on them in the middle of an election campaign.

Besides, given the low rises in fuel duty in the last few years, it is much less of a political issue.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

299 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Good on 'em.

Fair tax on fuel!

gh0st

4,693 posts

287 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Duncan23 said:
Maybe they should just vote the b'starard out?


Wont happen. The large percentage of the british public are not the most clever of folk

dds1

1,407 posts

287 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
You could imagine how well plans to restrict HGV's to lane 1 of the motorway or restrict their hours to nightime only will go down with them...

JMGS4

8,923 posts

299 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
bLAIR will invoke the anti-terrorism laws to prevent any such "illegal" action well on time...... If you don't beleive me then wait it out...... and then the stupid british public will vote bLIAR back in!!!
Sometimes I wish I was in the right position with a loaded BAR!

edited for bad spelling, sorry

>> Edited by JMGS4 on Friday 22 April 09:47

Duncan23

142 posts

263 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
gh0st said:

Duncan23 said:
Maybe they should just vote the b'starard out?



Wont happen. The large percentage of the british public are not the most clever of folk


The large percentage of the british public won't bother to vote.
If you could persuade 1% of the apathetics to actually go out and vote for your party, then you'd win without a problem. But no, they won't do politics. Just go slow and off thousands of ordinary motorists aand businesses.

PetrolTed

34,468 posts

332 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Govt has a contingency plan in place for a fuel protest this time around. Police and army would be used straight away to ensure "no threat to life".

mondeoman

11,430 posts

295 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
PetrolTed said:
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Govt has a contingency plan in place for a fuel protest this time around. Police and army would be used straight away to ensure "no threat to life".

There was no threat to life last time either, just panic buying that led to the shortages. All emergency services were well covered and had supplies, the protesters had already thought of that one.

Direct Protest is as good a way as any to get a popint across, TB really doesn't do democracy!

PetrolTed

34,468 posts

332 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
I agree, but the politicians/media will have us believe that 'essential' supplies aren't getting through etc.

The spontaneity of the last protest was its success.

parrot of doom

23,075 posts

263 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Er sorry, but well out of order. Intefering with an election is just plain stupid.

They should have had a protest a few weeks ago, made their point, and given the opposition time to capitalise upon the fallout.

Mon Ami Mate

6,589 posts

297 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
parrot of doom said:
Er sorry, but well out of order. Intefering with an election is just plain stupid.

They should have had a protest a few weeks ago, made their point, and given the opposition time to capitalise upon the fallout.



Disagree. Any protest should be happening right now, to try to get through to the apathetic. Anything that inspires a bit of passion in the millions of witless, saggy-brained dullards is a good thing. Fuel prices affect everybody and should be a major election issue.

>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Friday 22 April 10:34

JagLover

46,739 posts

264 months

Friday 22nd April 2005
quotequote all
Mon Ami Mate said:

parrot of doom said:
Er sorry, but well out of order. Intefering with an election is just plain stupid.

They should have had a protest a few weeks ago, made their point, and given the opposition time to capitalise upon the fallout.


Disagree. Any protest should be happening right now, to try to get through to the apathetic. Anything that inspires a bit of passion in the millions of witless, saggy-brained dullards is a good thing. Fuel prices affect everybody and should be a major election issue.

>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Friday 22 April 10:34


They should not be doing this in the middle of an election campaign. If they are worried about this issue then campaign for the Conservatives.

At other times direct action is needed, becuase that is the only means of protest-but we have a chance to choose the government in a few days!!.