Oil prices...

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

It's getting crazy now! :D

My back-of-fag-packet manifesto: http://www.paulobrien.net/the-oil-price-debacle

hehe :(

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[Guest Looby]

I drive a Golf TDi. Why is diesel cheaper than unleaded in Europe but not in the UK? Well I know the answer the UK is an unregulated free market economy where big business does as it likes and the rest of us can whistle or rant until the crash. Six months ago the exchange rate for Sterling to the Euro was 68p, it is now 80p. :D

[Guest WearTheFoxHat]

It will eventually get to a price where people cannot afford to get into their work location. The economy will fail.

A mate whom owns a haulage company is packing up shop shortly.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Yeah, it's only the fact the dollar is so f^#$&d that the horrid pound / euro ration gets ignored. Shame i'm off to Italy next week :D

The effect on the haulage industry and it's ability to compete is serious...

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[Guest chucky.egg]

Hauliers have been suffering, and complaining about it, for ages - but nobody in Govt seems to listen.

If they start going under in large numbers then the price of everything in the shops will go up, which will accelerate the downward economic spiral.

Surely that's pretty obvious to anyone?

"Flexible working" will pick up though, which will drive (excuse the poor choice of words) business to telecomms carriers, IT service companies etc. Now might be a good time to setup shop.

But don't worry. "They'll" reduce the tax before it comes to that, won't they?

Oh wait, there's another fuel tax increase coming later this year.

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

I'm just glad I swapped to diesel, may cost more now but car tax at only £145 a year plus getting about 170 miles to a tank more than the old car is a bonus for me.

Couple of guys at work with their audi type cards have to pay well over £400 for tax soon.

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Just renewed my car tax, £400 for the year :D

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[Guest WearTheFoxHat]

Luckily I work from home, and have swapped my car to diesel too.

Biodiesel isnt worth the risk any more, as the price is 90p a litre minimum. Id rather not knacker my engine!

Also meant to be moving house shortly, but really worried about interest rates now!

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

LPG seems like a decent option, if you have a car that is convertable...

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[Guest FlangeArtist]

You should be like me. I don't drive, and walk to work :-)

I think the government is trying to MAKE us (read you all) use public transport. No wait, that's even worse and going rapidly up in price too! :-(

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Haha, sadly walking doesn't help me heat my house or have food delivered to my local supermarket :D

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[Guest Dark Horse]

There's little point in buying a diesel these days unless you do serious mileage. The extra 1-2k a diesel model costs over a petrol means you wouldn't break even on just a few thousand miles per year. Ditto LPG, watch the price shoot up once it becomes more of an established revenue stream.

As for reasons why fuel has shot up, there are several:

1. Increased consumption from China and India and other emerging economies.

2. OPEC refuse to increase production (and why should they?).

3. Investors are piling into commodities such as oil and gold as the mickey mouse dollar falls which is driving up prices.

4. This tax grabbing, sleaze ridden, arrogant, cheap, lying, no good, rotten, low-life, overstuffed, ignorant, tough snuffling, bloodsucking, brainless, hopeless, bug-eyed excuse for a government we have takes a greater share of revenue as prices rise so there is no incentive for them to reduce the tax burden. The sooner we get rid of Bottler Brown and his gang of useless clowns, the better, they have ruined this once great country.

:D

Regards,

Dark Horse

[Guest chucky.egg]

Not a Labour supporter then? :D

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Interesting reading btw: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalW...CE_PROD1_027232

Can't wait for those 2 more price rises! :D

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[Guest tsutton]

I think the government is trying to MAKE us (read you all) use public transport. No wait, that's even worse and going rapidly up in price too! :-(

Ha! They will seriously need to sort out the public transport before we use it!

Buses are always late and in my area, they don't even show up! :D

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

And for some of us buses don't really exist as an option...

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[Guest tsutton]

Paul, the duty rate link on your blog is 404'ing.

[Guest tsutton]

And for some of us buses don't really exist as an option...

Thankfully taxi exists in your area... :D

[Guest Dark Horse]

Not a Labour supporter then? :D

Now what gave you that idea :(

But to be honest, there's not much between the parties anyway. The Tories would still have taken us into Iraq and I didn't see them voting against abolishing the 10p tax rate last year nor taking us out of Europe when they had the chance.

The problem is that any government that stays in power inevitably corrupts and becomes rotten to the core. They become arrogant and with the tax funded gravy train that is Parliament (MP salary is £62k per year + expenses + gold plated pensions + £22k second home allowance + subsidised John Lewis shopping list + subsidised MP bar + part time directorships + all the vol au vents you can stuff your face with when Two Jags Prescott is distracted), they'd do anything to stay in power at the expense of the electorate. They start to believe they know what's good for everyone and begin to patronise and talk down to the electorate.

Witness Health Secretary and professional fool, Alan Johnson on last weeks QT, the way he was preaching on about how much better everything was under Nu Labour, the last time I saw anything like it was in that cartoon where Wile E. Coyote tells Bugs Bunny not to try and get away because "he's smarter, better and faster whilst you'd hardly pass the entrance examinations to kindergarten". Look at Bottler Gordy McBroon smirking away at the budget and patting his chancellor, a man who makes no attempt to disguise his use of Grecian 2000, on the back to remind him who's the daddy as it's The Bottler's policies that have ruined this country.

Make no mistake folks, this lying, cheating, scumbag government is out to tax us all to death and oil prices are just the beginning.

Regards,

Dark Horse

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Paul, the duty rate link on your blog is 404'ing.

Cheers Tony, fixed to http://tinyurl.com/6hc3yh.

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[Guest mcwarre]

This tax grabbing, sleaze ridden, arrogant, cheap, lying, no good, rotten, low-life, overstuffed, ignorant, tough snuffling, bloodsucking, brainless, hopeless, bug-eyed excuse for a government we have takes a greater share of revenue as prices rise so there is no incentive for them to reduce the tax burden. The sooner we get rid of Bottler Brown and his gang of useless clowns, the better, they have ruined this once great country.

:D

Regards,

Dark Horse

Dark Horse,

I couldn't have put it better myself :(

A mate runs his (old) diesel on rape seed oil. He has faced a big increase as the transport to get his fuel to the supermarket has gone up in price. I did suggest that he should recommend that they use rape seed oil also.

TBH it is an ever decreasing circle. Use biofuel more then food prices increase. More food to reduce the cost, fuel goes up. I am getting so fed up. I have just got the sort code and bank number for the treasury if anyone is interested so as I can set up a direct debit to cut out the middle man (i.e. me) and send all my wages directly to them.

On the plus side I now drive slower so as to save fuel. Bunch of ar$e to quote someone.

Bring on the Revolution, Brothers!!!!

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

The driving slower thing is interesting, but I do actually generally want to get places too :D

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[Guest awarner (MVP)]

Now what gave you that idea :D

But to be honest, there's not much between the parties anyway.

It's the civil servants that are the true cogs that run the country, the political parties are just their puppets.

Parties change but civil servants don't.

On the drive slow/more carefully etc, I'm on 46.3mpg average atm not bad for a heavy mondeo :(

[Guest mcwarre]

It's the civil servants that are the true cogs that run the country

Pity the cogs are wrongly geared, under-priced, too many of them and it is difficult to get them to work............. :D

[Guest Samsonite]

It's the civil servants that are the true cogs that run the country, the political parties are just their puppets.

Parties change but civil servants don't.

On the drive slow/more carefully etc, I'm on 46.3mpg average atm not bad for a heavy mondeo :D

It doesn't matter who you vote for, the government always seem to get in!

i drive like a typical rep and get 45-55mpg from my Corolla Verso 2.2 D4D... 6points so far (another 3 en route i think..) I laugh at the price of diesel everytime i fill up.