Fuel up again !!

[colin(bridgend)]

There will always be arguments regarding the value, or otherwise , of the Thatcher era. The problem is nobody can make any accurate statement about where we would be if she had not come to power. Prior to her arrival we were in hoc to the IMF up to our necks, power cuts were regular and nobody I ever met would admit to buying a British Leyland car., let alone a British TV set. Looking at the working practices then I suspect our industries would have still become defunct in a very short time indeed versus the new economies. What did happen was that we went through the 'pain' and were in a far better state to meet the competition when it arrived in the 80/90's. Yes, the coal mines closed and everybody adopted gas, which one should state has served us well for the last 30 years and is still being produced. The Poles, who happily supplied coal to us, are now complaining bitterly that their coal industry has been eradicated by newer markets and what do they do about it? Move to Britain in large numbers. What do the Brits do about the problems? Move abroad in large numbers, So in many ways we are adopting the global economy which Thatcher imposed on us, whether everybody really likes it, or not. What the Trade Unions hate most of course, is their loss of power and are desperate to get that back at any cost. If it does happen we will be even worse off, because the rest of the world has moved on, and if we don't follow suit, we fall.

I empathise with the comments regarding local businesses, and I too try to support them. The growth of 'farmers markets' is just one example. But a family of 4 is far more likely to shop at a large supermarket as it is obviously cheaper for them, and it is almost impossible to argue against that one. Local businesses that can find niche markets will survive, and the Internet has opened many doors for small one man businesses to make a success. I note from looking at many of the hobby type of magazines that many ex miners, or ex whatever, are making a successful living creating a small niche business and using the Internet as a market. You just have to look at the addresses given to realize these are not in industrial areas.

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing but that should not detract from the fact that the majority of people living in Britain have a far higher standard of living than previous generations. Yes, there are bad points of course, but do you really want to go back? If so, start by asking all the 2 car families to give one up.

Britain went to the dogs in the late 60s/early70s. the worst thing in my opinion was joining the EU. It would have been far better if we had stayed with the Commonwealth. Britain, which at one time had a fantastic manufacturing industry and was admired the world over, is now history - what happened? Britain's education was regarded as the best in the world - what happened? British health policies were copied in many other countries as again it was regarded as the best - what happened? Britain at one time had one of the lowest crime rate figures in the world - what happened? We are now the laughing stock of the rest of the world. EU bureaucrats and the PC brigade have brought us to our knees.

The news today where a farmer from Hereford stated that immigrant workers were good for the country as he could not get local labour on his farm. The reason that these workers are good for the country is that they are prepaired to work long hours in dreadful conditions for very low wages. Most of our hospitals are staffed by foreign nurses and British trained nurses have to go abroad to find work or leave the profession to work in supermarkets as shelf stackers (Southampton male nurse last week).

Enoch Powell, a former MP for Wolverhampton, frightened the Tory government with his "Rivers of Blood" speach and was expelled from the party. He has since been proven right. I am not racist and have many friends who are from foreign shores but they have settled in this country by initially doing work on low pay and long hours. They have now bettered themselves and have very good jobs or are self employed.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

CanI add another angle to this . I hope to shortly travel to France for my annual getaway. one of the attractions is the cheaper fuel costs plus of course the wine etc. but on the other side I am expected to produce food and compete with the french and they with their fuel costs that much lower than ours. there has been talk of Tescos and thier profits, as a farmer the mention of that name makes me want to vomit. We are required to produce to a high standard to meet thier requirements then they bring in produce from all over the world that is produced by methods that I would be locked up if I were to use them.

Thats enough for my blood pressure tonight.

David from Suffolk

... and dont forget David, they are buying from inefficient French farmers who are grossly over subsidised by the EU.

 

[David.O]

There will always be arguments regarding the value, or otherwise , of the Thatcher era. The problem is nobody can make any accurate statement about where we would be if she had not come to power. Prior to her arrival we were in hoc to the IMF up to our necks, power cuts were regular and nobody I ever met would admit to buying a British Leyland car., let alone a British TV set. Looking at the working practices then I suspect our industries would have still become defunct in a very short time indeed versus the new economies. What did happen was that we went through the 'pain' and were in a far better state to meet the competition when it arrived in the 80/90's. Yes, the coal mines closed and everybody adopted gas, which one should state has served us well for the last 30 years and is still being produced. The Poles, who happily supplied coal to us, are now complaining bitterly that their coal industry has been eradicated by newer markets and what do they do about it? Move to Britain in large numbers. What do the Brits do about the problems? Move abroad in large numbers, So in many ways we are adopting the global economy which Thatcher imposed on us, whether everybody really likes it, or not. What the Trade Unions hate most of course, is their loss of power and are desperate to get that back at any cost. If it does happen we will be even worse off, because the rest of the world has moved on, and if we don't follow suit, we fall.

I empathise with the comments regarding local businesses, and I too try to support them. The growth of 'farmers markets' is just one example. But a family of 4 is far more likely to shop at a large supermarket as it is obviously cheaper for them, and it is almost impossible to argue against that one. Local businesses that can find niche markets will survive, and the Internet has opened many doors for small one man businesses to make a success. I note from looking at many of the hobby type of magazines that many ex miners, or ex whatever, are making a successful living creating a small niche business and using the Internet as a market. You just have to look at the addresses given to realize these are not in industrial areas.

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing but that should not detract from the fact that the majority of people living in Britain have a far higher standard of living than previous generations. Yes, there are bad points of course, but do you really want to go back? If so, start by asking all the 2 car families to give one up.

Colin

Yes how right you are, the main problem has been to get the crops that can only be hand picked harvested. this has been solved by migrant labour, but as for apples we now need trees.

What I cannot get my head round I have neiboughors who are at this time unable to sell onions and are dumping hundreds of tons back on the fields and yet the supermarkets are importing them from New zealand. hence my views on Tesco

David From Suffolk

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Colin of Bridgend,

I do not condone the practice of profiteering without any social regard, but you have fallen into the trap that the media want you to do - Tesco profits at 2.5 Billion, yes that sound enormous, BUT on what turnover? How many people do they keep employed? And how much money has it saved all the millions of customers who have befitted by lower prices?

What happens to that profit? Does it go into a massive pit and sits there? No it used to generate more work, it is distributed to the share holders who then spend it. So it is recycled, and don't forget that Gordon gets his grubby hands on significant proportion of it either directly as corporation tax or indirectly and personal taxation of share and investment income.

I regret the loss of small local shops, but it is the public that close them by not using them, not the supermarkets. I do agree that having a supermarket in the area is likely to tempt custom away from local shops, but that is the consumers choice.

I know of some small local village shops in Gloucestershire where they are actually competing effectively with the large supermarkets, by being local, offering a good choice of produce, and topping it off with special deliveries to suit to local customers. So it can be done, but it needs shop keepers with foresight, local knowledge, personal touch and commercial sense. The few pence extra that items cost is offset by the customers not having to travel to the supermarket, and paying for parking etc.

With so many supermarkets now operating, and all competing it is very unlikely that they will force prices up, that only happens when there is an unchallenged monopoly, or other artificially imposed restricted competition.

I do regret the push to privatise so many parts of our essential infrastructure, I do believe that electricity, gas, water and trains/buses should have remained firmly in the public sector, but with improved management similar to the private sector.

I don't lay all the blame at the door of our current government, it has been an underlying trend for many decades, Commerce has never had a level playing field, but our recent governments do seem to have lost the plot, and allowed so many takeovers that much of our essential services are now run by none UK organisations and their agenda is not wholly aligned to the best interests of the UK

We have seen it happen so often where a familiar British company or brand has been purchased by a foreign company and then the UK end has been closed, why? Three main reasons. Firstly we seem to be less productive per unit cost, and secondly despite the protestations of our current government it is less painful for a foreign company to make UK workers redundant that almost anywhere else in the EU. Lastly there is pressure from their own nationals to maximise the benefit to their own country, Imagine the Puegeot issue, a French company making French nationals redundant- they would be put to the guillotine! So save French national pride and get rid of a the UK site.

And note for Scotch Lad, It was a rather embarrassed large Japanese television manufacture who had to admit that the sets that were produced in Wales were much better than the sets from all their other worldwide sites. A fact they discovered after they closed the factory, and reports of unreliability and poor picture quality began to increase. The key UK site managers were re employed and shipped out to improve all other sites around the world. Similar issues were reported when a large pan European manufacture also closed their UK tube manufacturing plant.

 

[Steve L]

Interestingly enough I did start motoring with a Morris Minor then an Austin 1100 and at one point a BL Marina estate (ref Scotch lad), but after trying Vauxhall I then went to renaultand stuck with them for 17 cars and apart from a brief flirt with a Jag XJ40 i'm still a French car favourite. Why?

Because they are inovative and forward thinking and because people have the preconception that spares are dear the second hand values are low and thus affordable by the working classes.

I'm afraid in the 60's and 70's we brits sat back with our stiff upper lip and watched the world poach both our motor cycle and car industry ideas. Honda took a BSA bantam and turned it into a Honda CD175 (the peoples motor bike of china and japan. Hydro lastic suspension from Austin Morris became familiar in Citreon BX14/19's. Ford even borrowed the ultra fine element heated window from MK2 Jags to put it in the front screen of a Mondaino and call it inovation.

Why did all of this happen? It's simple nobody stood up and shouted "Oi you lot , we object and want some thing done about it".

I would love to give up our second car but I use that one to commute to work as it goes 60% further on a litre of fuel than our tow car which by the way does 30mpg on un-leaded with the van on the back.

As Lord B quite rightly pointed out theminers did not want more they just wanted to preserve a way of life and not burden the country with dole claims. The way fuel prices are going we could well see people going on the dole purely because after deducting travel cost's they would be as well off and even on 30K I'm rapidly reaching that point of cross over between working for a living or claiming all I can and let you lot pick up the tab and for someone who has been brought up to work to support a family and only ever claimed dole for three weeks in a 31 year working life, that is a bitter pill to take.

One point that nobody has picked up on yet is that, we produce some of the finest quality crude oil in the world right here in the North Sea and our cars run on the poorest quality oils. So is there not a bargaining chip there for our govenment to use to reduce cost's to us. I appreciate that the oil companies make minor percentages of profit compared to turnover and also I appreciate just how dammed hard the oil rig guys work to achieve that.

If we harp back to the miners strikes, that got memorable world wide news coverage but it went on for weeks. The french have a one day blockade and that get's the same news coverage and people power get's it's way.

A one hour token stappage would get the news coverage, cause a couple of days of disruption to get back to the norm, but send a strong message that we have had enough of price hikes chipping away at our meager incomes.

SWL

 

[Lutz]

There are signs that consumers throughout Europe are putting the pressure on. Travelling back and forth between Germany and the UK occasionally I note that last year petrol in the UK was more expensive than in France, Belgium and Germany, with France at the time being the cheapest. I now find that prices have converged with, on the average, little difference between the 4 countries. It seems that the price of already expensive petrol can't be hiked any more because of pressure from the public. This has resulted in a levelling out of the price around Europe. Sure, there are still a few cheap places like Luxemburg, but that's rather a special case.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

If I can comment on Steves comment - "As Lord B quite rightly pointed out the miners did not want more they just wanted to preserve a way of life and not burden the country with dole claims".

This is actually what a lot of ex-miners are now doing as probably can be verified by Lol or Mark who live in a mining area. A high percentage are now no longer working but claiming all the benefits they can. A booming trade is being made in motorised disability scooters. "White finger" payouts are costing the country

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Lord B in many instances in your last posting you hit the nail right on the head. The people of the south Wales valleys are not all on the social but there are quite a few there - too old to find other work or retrain and only skilled as a mine worker. One other point which you did not mention was the killing of a very close knit and friendly community. I am a towny and married into the valley. My wife at the time was working for Maypole and the locals would not go to her to be served because she married out of the valley - what is wrong with a valley boy? It took me a few years to be accepted into the valley as a true citizen.

The other problem with the valley is both the topography and mine subsidence - for this reason it is not practical to construct large factory units. The infrastructure for communications is also virtually zero. The roads are narrow and potholed and the railways are now a thing of the past.

Youngsters from the local valleys were bussed into Bridgend to Sony, Ford and Christie Tyler factories but what has now happened is both Sony and Christie Tyler have both closed throwing thousands out of work yet again. This continual laying off must be very demoralising to the individual. Rexel set up a factory in the locality with a WDA grant - as soon as the grant money ceased the company moved out, received a further grant from somewhere in England and relocated on fresh government money.

Fair enough the valleys are now a lot cleaner with the coal tips virtually removed and the area landscaped but the cost of housing in the area has rocketed because first time buyers from out of the area are setting up home and commuting to Cardiff/Bristol/etc. A three bedroomed terraced house in good order 10 years ago was about

 

[Steve L]

I agree with both his lordship and you Colin about the miners. In their day they worked b***dy hard to put a roof under the families heads. The ironic thing with that industry is that if the american technology was deployed that we see today, most of the pit's would still be workable. Remote controlled excavation is both cheaper compared to man power and safer. As a knock on it would the provide jobs in the fringe industries that support the mines IE engineering, haulage, civil engineering etc.

I was back in the late eighties approached by the developement commission for Wales and asked if I'd consider moving our engineering business to Presteigne in Powis. they would set me up with a relocation loan, and give me a building rent/rates free for ten years. After looking at the additional transport costs to deliver our products and the cost of a mini bus to support key workers who we needed to take for at least the first year, plus the fact that our raw material suppliers were all Birmingham based (Brass bar) and they would only deliver once a week to the Powis area, the idea was shelved.

The people of the vallies like a lot of area's can't help their situation and given the choice would work to earn a crust. The problem is that the only work around is often in the supermarkets where they deliberately employ at part time low rate of pay, as they have a captive audience of desperate workers. Then they crow about being the biggest employers??

For me, yesterday was a black day.

Our company has announced that it has lost a large contract to supply chassis to a major sports car manufacturer and as a consequence we have the twelve month runout period to find new work or we will be all redundent. The corperate heads have three months to come up with an action plan, so the redundencies could start then.

So I could become a dole claimer my self yet.

 

[Ogre]

Wife's Son is over from Germany at the moment.

Petrol is almost exactly the same price there too.

One thing that never fails to amaze me though is the number of drivers who blast along at well over the speed limit. They either get their fuel paid for, or they are simply too stupid to ease up a bit.

I don't condone the government's Fuel Tax, and I will make that clear at the next general Election, but easing up on the loud pedal is the only way forward at the moment.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Sorry to hear of your bad news Steve. Things will pick up, usually the sun shines in the end. When I was told I had to finish I was down in the doldrums for a time but now having cut the cloth accordingly we manage o.k. I can't say I enjoyed my job over the last couple of years but it was a worry where I was going to get the money to pay the mortgage. Now if I feel a bit down I just think I could be working 12 hour shifts, parked up in some layby 24/7 or cleaning the equipment and rear of the ambulance of vomit when picking up the @*&^%#~s out of the gutters on a weekend. Believe me, it's a wonderful tonic, I'm soon feeling on top of the world knowing I can go to bed each night and wake when I want. Better still I don't have to suffer a**h*le management who are only in position from how hard and long they can kiss a**e* rather than what qualifications they possess. Keep your chin up Steve, its not all bad, I could have paid off my mortgage with my payout but still have the mortgage. The money went on a new caravan and upgraded my car, so you see, as I said its not all bad ;O)

 

[Surfer]

Basically if Brown stops giving away our tax money to corrupt developing nations, fuel tax could be reduced. Anyway some of that money should be channeled towards research on alternative fuels. Why are we taxedt on environmentally friendly fuels at almost the same rate as normal diesel etc?

 

[Jeremy_5088972]

I get really fed up with whingers complaining about the price of petrol & diesel.

If the price was kept low there would be no incentive for vehicle manufacturers to develop new power sources which don't require oil. One day oil will run out. The current level of fuel prices is a wake up call to us all.

If Gordon Brown didn't raise tax from fuel he'd have to increase the tax on roads, cars, drink, houses, food, clothes, caravans, income tax, VAT, inheritance tax, national insurance, etc..

Sure, I don't like paying higher prices for my fuel but wake up folks. Get used to expensive energy. Stop thinking short-term and think about what sort of world we want to leave to our children.

Go ahead, blockade roads and refineries. Long term where will it get you?

 

[ThePlotter]

Jeremy you must feature amongst the well healed to talk such rubbish!Maggie Thatcher destroyed the unions,they were at that time too powerful but she went to extremes and destroyed the working mans protection mainly by calling on women voters who voted for the woman not the policy.

GB could easily reduce fuel taxation but as usual sees it as an easy target.Could you imagine the French standing for this they would be out there blockading the ports and towns and the government would have no choice but to capitulate.

I f we spent less on the vast number of benefit immigrants we could easily reduce fuel tax,only today the papers announce that Brussels ( I dont remember passing the country over to Brussels) have said that now their extended families can now come here and claim benefit.Having spent much time and anguish trying to claim benefit for my profoundly deaf daughter only to have it turned down it makes one wonder if now is the time to emigrate to say Australia but of course ther you have to go through a rigorous process to be allowed in which the majority of our Eastern European friends would not pass.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

In reply to both Jeremy and Tony the government could quite easily reduce the tax on fuel. The reason that blinkered people are saying that other taxes would rise to compensate is that the so called Chancellor has got himself and the country into such a financial state that the only reason he can possibly make ends meet is to introduce stealth taxes on just about everything which now includes funeral expences, which until recently would attract a grant from the government. This shower of a government is a wonderful advertisment and is the best one the Tories could ever wish for - as proven in the local elections. Why on earth are we allowing so many foreigners into this country when both Germany & France has put a block on them? Also we are handing out so much money to the professional lame, sick and lazy that the only way to obtain wealth in this country is to be a foreign layabout - they will give you the world, especially if you become pregnant. Why has the Barking branch of the Labour party sanctioned their MP for speaking out and advising them to be wary of the BNP - simply because she told the truth and they did not like to hear it.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

What it wants is a wake up call to all parties in this country by the BNP doing well. God forbid, I didn't ever think I would be saying something like this, encouraging people to vote for a fascist party but something must be done - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We are losing this country of ours to anyone who wants to come here. Thugs, theives, drug dealers, paedophiles, murderers etc. When they offend we cant send them back after serving their sentence because the Courts of Human Rights say their lives might be in danger so they are let out to reoffend. A young police woman would be still alive today if it wasn't for this madness. We are governed not by Labour but by Brussels and every civil liberties crank on the planet. Personally I think the only way we would get this country back on an even keel is by a revolution. I can only see things getting even worse because we haven't anyone man enough like Enoch Powell who had the courage to speak out, and it's not just one Enoch Powell we need, it's a government full of the likes of him.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Yes people are displeased with this government and yes they have the right to protest but to vote BNP is pure madness.I heard on the radio their spokesman say they would have a meeting to discuss their policy . This meeting will be attended by 500 people and "whatever was decided at the meeting will be their policy"Now correct me if I'm wrong but what sort of people will attend a BNP meeting.I don't think the likes of you and me who are concerned about 'rapist,murderers etc coming to this country. I think more likely those who are anti anyone who is 'non white'.

You will never know the horror that I saw from my wife when she heard the results.Results like this in a country she has lived in for over 30 years,all of her working life in the NHS and now seeing people vote for a party who would want her to go back from where she came from.

PURE F*ING MADNESS !

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Brian from what I gathered on the news this evening, I only saw part of it though therefore I could have misunderstood, but the impression I had was that the BNP would introduce voluntary repatriation whereby should someone who would wish to return to their native land but could not afford it they would pay for a one way ticket for them. The only forced repatriation would be for wrong doers - those who do not abide by the British law. The rank and file settler in this country who does a fair days work for a fair days pay and abides by the law would be welcome to stay. I will agree there are many of their policies I would be concerned about.

Enoch Powell was a fine man who frightened the Tory part with his "Rivers of Blood" speech and I will agree with Lord B. that the sooner we do away with the PC brigade and Brussells the better. One other point a life sentence in America means life and not freedom after a few years in prison. Where are the human rights supporters to dictate to them. They voice off over here because they know they will have their way because we are a soft touch. Same with these animal rights supporters who are now mouthing off about the cattle exports. They have won with animals being used in laboratories for drug testing. Where would medicine be today without this research? There are far too many so called do-gooders in this country and they will protest to any length to disrupt the future of the country.

These postings have deviated somewhat from the original regarding fuel prices but it is all politically based whereby a minority are dictating to the majority as is nowadays the accepted norm.

 

[JandP]

The cost of fuel seems to be a hot topic at the moment, and I can remember when Shell was 3s/6d a gallon! I must state now that I am no way obliged to any company, thus my comments represent my own views.

As Roger L and others have pointed out; the cost of fuel is related to supply and demand. There are some that point an accusing at finger at the oil companies who seem to make vast profits, but simply looking at the actual profit by it's self does not give you a clear or fair picture.

The media are always looking for a story, and they have been known to make them up sometimes, but more frequently they will use statistics and other facts in isolation to sensationalise and stir up distrust through public ignorance.

"EXCLUSIVE! Acme profits rise by 100%" The public response is why can a company make such a big profit increase? Surely there must be some fat cats there using Joe Public to feather their own nests! This hides the fact that company turnover last year was 100M, with a profit of only 1M (1% profit on turnover) This year Turnover 120M and a profit of 2M

(0.6% on turnover) Yes 2M compared to 1M is a 100% increase, but profitability of only 1% and falling to 0.6% would be a bad sign and in reality would be a failing company.

The real Oil companies are very big organisations, and their turnover is measured in Billions of

 

[Steve L]

Sorry to hear of your bad news Steve. Things will pick up, usually the sun shines in the end. When I was told I had to finish I was down in the doldrums for a time but now having cut the cloth accordingly we manage o.k. I can't say I enjoyed my job over the last couple of years but it was a worry where I was going to get the money to pay the mortgage. Now if I feel a bit down I just think I could be working 12 hour shifts, parked up in some layby 24/7 or cleaning the equipment and rear of the ambulance of vomit when picking up the @*&^%#~s out of the gutters on a weekend. Believe me, it's a wonderful tonic, I'm soon feeling on top of the world knowing I can go to bed each night and wake when I want. Better still I don't have to suffer a**h*le management who are only in position from how hard and long they can kiss a**e* rather than what qualifications they possess. Keep your chin up Steve, its not all bad, I could have paid off my mortgage with my payout but still have the mortgage. The money went on a new caravan and upgraded my car, so you see, as I said its not all bad ;O)

Thanks for your words of support and wisdom. We will know more in the next three months about what the company plans to do.

 

[Steve L]

I'm afraid I'm in agreeance with Colin and his lordship on this one. It's about time Britain stopped being the soft touch for the rest of the world and took more care of both it's own people and resources.

Not all ethnic originated people are lazy, scroungers. Some do work dammed hard and want to genuinely stay a British resident and work for their living.

But even at my work place we have several people from eastern europe who are working here just so that they can get medical treatment done on our NHS that they would have to pay thousands for back home. We then see waiting lists going up and even these people jumping the que of the genuine uk resident who has paid into the system for years.

While in no way am I either a racist or a supporter of far right principles, you only have to look to other countries and what we have to abide by as guest's in their domain. Yet here in the UK we have an open all hours policy and don't worry if you haven't got a job we'll support you.

My father was a rotarian and their priciple moral was they would not just hand out charitable cash, but provide eqquipment and resoarce to help people to work better to improve them selves. It was a way of ensuring that the money raised actually went to the cause and not syphoned off to someones back pocket.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Brian, I'm sorry if my post was misunderstood by you. I was just giving examples of whats needed before whatever government of this country listens to the vast silent majority. No way would I advocate throwing out all people of a different coloured skin to myself. There isn't a person in these islands who could argue the point that we aren't losing what we all hold dear by being British, or Scottish, Irish, Welsh or English. The fact is we are losing it from people who are native to these islands from their misguided support of having political clout to allow the worlds thugs (in their speak read persecuted) to come and live here. The best policy would probably be the same as Australia, if you have no job to come to you stay where you are. The main criteria for people to come here though is they must integrate into OUR society, and not us into theirs and they must learn to speak English within a certain period. In a lot of the country now if you didn't know otherwise you would think you were in Islamabad. Once again please accept my apologies if I didn't come over very clear.

 

[CliveV]

I agree with Brian - a vote for the BNP is a very dangerous step. But unfortunately with impotent and corrupt politicians from all the major parties offering no real "honest" policies - extreme parties like the BNP will gain votes.

The debacle of Charles Clarke's departure, two sh*gs keeping his salary and homes, the job losses in the NHS and stealth taxes and fuel taxes sucking the life out of businesses and individuals - will have given the BNP a boost that must make them think that Christmas has come early this year.

I would never vote BNP - but I can see why some who feel alienated in their "own country" would find voting BNP attractive in exactly the same way as I find voting for the Monster Raving Loony Party attractive as a protest vote.

If there was as "Mums Party" candidate I would probably vote for them. If Martin Bell put himself up for election I would vote for him.

Another option is to spoil your vote paper by writing "None of the above" on the bottom of the list of candidates.

Apparently if enough people do this they have to announce the result.

 

[RogerL]

How can any government listen to a silent majority? It's silent so they can't hear! Around half of the population of the UK don't bother to vote in a general election so everyone gets what a small minority wanted.

If it was as simple as slashing fuel duty, or any other tax, without slashing spending - don't you think that one of the opposition parties would have proposed it - it would be enough to bring any government down.

Fuel tax is unfair because it isn't applied at the same rate to other types of transport, particularly air travel, but the answer is to increase tax on aviation fuel, not decrease tax on road fuels.

We all need to burn less fuel, of all types, to save the planet - reducing the fuel tax won't achieve that.

 

[CliveV]

The hunting ban is a classic example of a minority forcing a "bad law" on the majority.

The hunting ban is here - is it working? - NO!

Is hunting still taking place? - YES

Do we now have more or less respect for the Law? - FAR LESS

Do the Police take the law re the ban seriously? - NO

So what was it all about? - THE PC MINORITY FORCING THRO' AN UNENFORCABLE LAW THAT JUST MAKES THE MAJORITY SHAKE ITS COLLECTIVE HEAD IN DISBELIEF.

But then who would have thought John Prescott was in any way attractive?