Petrol/Derv price increases.........

[j2 lot]

Surely this would stir the fuel protesters into action !!

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArtic ... rs/232662/

[Shug]

Surely this would stir the fuel protesters into action !!

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArtic ... rs/232662/

Who are these mythical 'fuel protesters'?

Us. That's who.

If we can't be arsed doing anything ourselves, there's no point asking who will.

Country is f*cked because everyone's too jaded to bother stopping it... And I include myself in that damning statement.

[ryallm]

I don't buy all this 'Britain is going down the tubes' despondency. To put some perspective on all this, in terms of GDP per capita Britain is still one of the weathiest countries in the world, above France, Italy, Germany and Japan amongst many others. Allowing for inflation, the real cost of motoring has not gone up in the last ten years. Read this for some figures http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3776913.stm And that is not even allowing for the fact that average incomes have been steadily rising. Yes, we seem to pay a hell of a lot for fuel, but the real cost of motoring relative to average income is actually considerably lower than it was 10 years ago. The fact that we can afford to drive around in silly plastic cars just for the hell of it proves things can't be that bad at all.

The glass is still half full

Mark

[Dominic]

The glass is still half full

Mark

Wish my fuel tank was half full..........

[Sanjøy]

Next time I am at KH pls dont think I cannot drive for toffee, I am protesting.

[Shug]

but the real cost of motoring relative to average income is actually considerably lower than it was 10 years ago.

Who composed those figures - at the end of the day statistics will only ever show you what those compiling them want you to see.

The fact that we can afford to drive around in silly plastic cars just for the hell of it proves things can't be that bad at all.

I'm rapidly getting to the stage where I can't. Guess I'm not 'average' enough...

[Stevoraith]

Allowing for inflation, the real cost of motoring has not gone up in the last ten years. Read this for some figures http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3776913.stm And that is not even allowing for the fact that average incomes have been steadily rising. Yes, we seem to pay a hell of a lot for fuel, but the real cost of motoring relative to average income is actually considerably lower than it was 10 years ago. The fact that we can afford to drive around in silly plastic cars just for the hell of it proves things can't be that bad at all.

That report was compiled in 2004 and has petrol at ~85ppl!!! Petrol has gone up 50% since then!

It's nearly doubled since 1998- cannot possibly see how the real cost of motoring is not more now that it was 10 years ago. Tax is more, insurance isn't significantly less- there's no way inflation compensates for petrol doubling in price over 10 years!

[meatball]

STUFF

Cheers for that mate.....
My car is my only car......it is rapidly becoming unafforable.......I use public transport to get to work to save dosh!

If you look at the figures that consumer groups provide as opposed to government figures you will find that the "cost of living" has increased dramatically of late (I've only been a homeowner for 3 years....so didn't care before that)! Added to a payrise of only 1.9% I'm actually significantly worse off that a few years ago!
Awaits "get a better job" commets.

[ExigeKen]

Nah Campbell just get a real job and stop spending time in cafes eating doughnuts

[meatball]

zzzzzzzzzzzz!

[ExigeKen]

zzzzzzzzzzzz!

[smee]

There was a recent fuel protest outside depots etc, before the strike. Attendence was very low and was blamed on new "terror" laws, seemingly protesting for our lively hoods could be seen as terrorism even just peacfully waving a banner.

[Sanjøy]

Flash cars do draw attention and the media but it would be making sure that the irony gets across rather than a bunch of well off folk complaining that it is getting too expensive to run 5 cars.

[Sanjøy]

£1.28.9 for Derv @ Newbridge roundabout

[campbell]

I guess this might yet come to breaking point, but where is everyone's individual breaking point? I heard something about oil getting to $200 dollars a barrel this year on the radio this morning and thought, hm, that's expensive. But of course all the taxation smash blurs the line a bit.

Anyways, taxation changes seem to be a penny or two per litre every so often, I don't think that these are responsible for the 10p hikes in pump prices (happy to be corrected though).

I think a lot of this might just be standard economics - market prices are set by the tension between supply and demand. Oil supply generally remains fairly elastic, however in recent years problems have started to emerge re: falling North Sea capacity, supply from "less stable" states in other parts of the world, etc. Oil demand is probably still escalating pretty fast though, with the Chinese and other economies really starting to consume it more. It's only a guess, but improvements in engine economy probably don't keep pace with the increase in the number of consumers, and of course this also ignores the fact that we don't all change our inefficient older cars for new ones every year (if only!!).

So - higher demand against a limited supply or slightly less elastic supply just HAS to result in a higher market price. This is evidenced by the unbelievable increase in the barrel price. (I remember when it was dipping below $30 and Aberdeen was talking about becoming a ghost town!).

This is quite timely actually:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d891a854-27c9 ... ck_check=1

So what can you do? Well, consuming less will reduce the demand and oversupply means prices have to drop. Think carefully about how you use your car, and if you are changing it soon, how to get something with a good few % better economy. And of course enjoy the fact that most of us run Elises which remain streets ahead of the mainstream performance car market in terms of economy (unless you have a Yota engined one, or a heavily tuned variant, in which case the Devil take pity on you!)

As well as using less fuel, which saves you money, the fuel you do buy might start to cost less. I realise this is nonsense when taken on an individual basis, but as the world collectively wakes up to this logic you might be surprised at what happens.

All that said, I am personally appalled at the Government's lack of ability to invest in excellent public transport programmes or to reach out with subsidy and support to those areas where public transport still just isn't the answer (ie in the back of beyond where buses and railways don't make commercial sense). Despite its draconian ability to tax, tax, tax all in the false name of raising funds for transport projects.

Ironically, I have been a committed user of public transport for years now, but Logica has just moved all its Edinburgh staff from the city centre to Edinburgh Park (in the name of economies and overhead reductions on rent etc). Despite the "reasonable" proximity of rail stations for Edin Park, Lisa and I are gravitating back to driving to work albeit we car share for at least half the week just now.

Where will it all end, eh...