Mark Gobell
On Gardening Leave
Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 4529
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 Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:21 am Post subject: |
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Guardian
| Quote: | Fuel protesters threaten demos at refineries
James Meikle
Tuesday December 11, 2007
The Guardian
Fuel protesters threatening demonstrations this weekend at refineries and depots warned motorists and hauliers yesterday to "fill up by Saturday" and promised a winter of discontent unless ministers moved to cut prices.
One organiser predicted hundreds of people would be outside big storage installations but said there would be no blockades of deliveries of petrol and diesel. "We don't want to spoil Christmas shopping for the general public," said David Handley, chairman of Farmers for Action and a member of Transaction 2007, a pressure group urging further action next year if the government does not respond to complaints.
The government, oil industry and police have contingency plans to control any possible rerun of the 2000 protests, which included blockades, convoys and rolling roadblocks. Downing Street was shaken by the success of that campaign.
Better preparation against threats of terrorism and the need to keep supplies of fuel and food in emergencies mean ministers and the oil industry will be ready this time. The government will also seek to win a PR battle as unease about Britain's high fuel taxes compared with the rest of Europe escalates. Ministers are likely to point to areas of life where taxes are higher in other countries.
Handley, a dairy farmer from Monmouthshire, said: "I would advise anyone who runs any vehicle of any description to fill up by Saturday. We will be totally legal. There will be no blockade with lorries, tractors or whatever." He said that unless the government set up a meeting to hear complaints, the protests would start again after Christmas, and "I think everyone knows what that will involve".
Transaction 2007 says on its website that protests "at a refinery or storage depot near you" have been set for Saturday so protesters who would normally be working could attend. Concerns about fuel prices are shared by road hauliers and the oil industry. Fuel duty on diesel is more than 50p a litre and VAT is added at the pump, taking prices above £1.
The Road Haulage Association, while recognising that some of its 9,000 members support Transaction 2007, distanced itself from the organisation.
It said that "comments within Transaction 2007 suggesting that legal and peaceful protests would produce no results and that more direct action should be taken are unacceptable". |
| A senior police source wrote: | In principle, we have no problem with peaceful protests, as long as you have completed the required paper work, provided fingerprints, DNA and iris scans, are up to date with all your flu jabs and have never once travelled to Pakistan, Afghanistan or any other country on the Home Office "dodgy list".
Besides, as we are facing a pay cut in real terms we could do with the overtime, what with Christmas coming up and stuff. . .
Anyway, we have picked up a lot of internet chatter recently and our intelligence sources say that this is the work of the Secret Organisation of Al Qaeda for Lower Fuel Duty in Europe. This new group, termed, "The Axis of Tax Denial", extends to affiliates responsible for the current fuel tax terrorism in Italy and beyond. They are a loose coalition that have reformed and are stronger than ever.
As Santa Claus is Gold Commander for the day, who may or may not be in touch with the Elves on the ground, our advice is:
- make sure you don't have Mongolian eyes,
- do not wear bulky jackets
- tuck any trailing wires that might not even be there, right in.
Just in case some of our eye witnesses might, once again, start hallucinating, just before the snipers, which are there for your own protection, shoot you dead.
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Farmers for Action
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