Pertol Prices (boycott)

[herthab]

It's not the fuel companies that take the biggest cut anyway, it's the cunting taxman.

Probably to subsidise the sweaties..............................

[Arnold.J.Rimmer]

Not sure if anyone has driven past Bridge Garage in Marlborough (UK's most expensive) recently, somebody has spray painted "BULL SHIT" right accross the price sign.  

[tans]

[Samdy Gray]

The petrol company's obscene profits come from elsewhere.

It's cunning financial engineering. In effect, one part of the company 'sells' the oil to another part of the company or something like that.

[Peter Venkman]

Fucking £1.29.9 in Chard Tescos for Disiesel bloody disgusting.

[pauld]

My old man was telling me years ago when people protested it simply resulted in the prices going up again, as if to prove a point!

Simple law of supply and demand. If no-one buys from X and Y, then more people will be buying from A and B. As the demand increases, A and B put their prices up. And to rub salt into the wound, A and B likely do not have the supply to meet the demand so have to buy in oil from X and Y's refinery. So you end up paying more AND increasing X and Y's profits.

Oh, and the original post is just a variant of a widely known chain mail that's been doing the rounds since about 2000:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

And there's even a "boycott women who don't dress revealingly enough" variant. Which is equally likely to succeed.

http://www.all-lies.com/legends/protest/gaswar.shtml

[DMR]

My old man was telling me years ago when people protested it simply resulted in the prices going up again, as if to prove a point!

Simple law of supply and demand. If no-one buys from X and Y, then more people will be buying from A and B. As the demand increases, A and B put their prices up. And to rub salt into the wound, A and B likely do not have the supply to meet the demand so have to buy in oil from X and Y's refinery. So you end up paying more AND increasing X and Y's profits.

Oh, and the original post is just a variant of a widely known chain mail that's been doing the rounds since about 2000:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

And there's even a "boycott women who don't dress revealingly enough" variant. Which is equally likely to succeed.

http://www.all-lies.com/legends/protest/gaswar.shtml

That's what I meant but I figured my way was more concise

[Lumps]

I love the way that people who are ususally enthusiastic supporters of the free market, suddenly turn when the impact of supply and demand takes a bit out of their disposable income.

It's capitalism I'm afraid. It's always worked like this and always will. You're looking at a constantly diminishing resource that's becoming more and more difficult to find and extract. Add to that the markets natural tendency toward monopoly, particularly in fields with major barriers to market entry like the oil industry, which leads to a small number of suppliers who can ruthlessly exploit fluctuations in global prices to smuggle in increases in profit.

So why the hell are you suprised that this stuff is getting more expensive?

Some of you people have to make up your minds. Either the free market is the best way to control the supply of goods and services to market or it isn't. You might not always agree with my politics but at least I'm fucking consistent

[Colin Todd]

Thats all well and good lumps, if you ignore how much of the UK petrol price is made up of tax (and VAT on the fucking tax!)

The government are recieving a several billion a year windfall as the result of higher oil prices. They could do something to lower the tax burden and keep prices at a more reaonable (albeit still increasing for the reasons you have stated) level. They wont.

And whys that? Because our wonderful socialist goverment has spent far far too much money and desperatly needs the tax income. Despite increasing the tax burden on an average working man by an enormous amount in the last 12 years, with a negligible improvement on anything.

[Don Rogers Shop]

I love the way that people who are ususally enthusiastic supporters of the free market, suddenly turn when the impact of supply and demand takes a bit out of their disposable income.

It's capitalism I'm afraid. It's always worked like this and always will. You're looking at a constantly diminishing resource that's becoming more and more difficult to find and extract. Add to that the markets natural tendency toward monopoly, particularly in fields with major barriers to market entry like the oil industry, which leads to a small number of suppliers who can ruthlessly exploit fluctuations in global prices to smuggle in increases in profit.

So why the hell are you suprised that this stuff is getting more expensive?

Some of you people have to make up your minds. Either the free market is the best way to control the supply of goods and services to market or it isn't. You might not always agree with my politics but at least I'm fucking consistent

That is a cracking post it is just unfortunate that it is bollocks.

[herthab]

I love the way that people who are ususally enthusiastic supporters of the free market, suddenly turn when the impact of supply and demand takes a bit out of their disposable income.

It's capitalism I'm afraid. It's always worked like this and always will. You're looking at a constantly diminishing resource that's becoming more and more difficult to find and extract. Add to that the markets natural tendency toward monopoly, particularly in fields with major barriers to market entry like the oil industry, which leads to a small number of suppliers who can ruthlessly exploit fluctuations in global prices to smuggle in increases in profit.

So why the hell are you suprised that this stuff is getting more expensive?

Some of you people have to make up your minds. Either the free market is the best way to control the supply of goods and services to market or it isn't. You might not always agree with my politics but at least I'm fucking consistent

You manage to appear both intelligent and a fuckwit with this post.

Well done.

[Bushey Boy]

Its a way of life, if you dont like it go on public transport.

I fill up about twice a week at £70 a pop, I do not like it but I cant change it

[Lumps]

And whys that? Because our wonderful socialist goverment has spent far far too much money and desperatly needs the tax income. Despite increasing the tax burden on an average working man by an enormous amount in the last 12 years, with a negligible improvement on anything.

You kind of give yourself away a bit at the end there don't you? Not that it wasn't all a bit Daily Mail before then, but having to call politicians you don't like "socialist", despite all the evidence to the contrary, including the stuff you bring up in your own arguement, is a bit of a giveaway.

There's nothing socialist about this government and deep down you know it. It's in the shit because it's pursued the same kind of half-arsed monatarist one minute, keynsianist the next economic policies so beloved of the every british government since the war, including those led by the Lady Thatcher. Yes it has increased the tax burden on the average working man, whilst at the same time it's lowered taxes for industry and commerce and the wealthy. Just like every government since Harold Wilson's.

Oh and the fuel tax? Have a look back and see which government introduced the fuel tax escalator. Proposing to put up fuel duty by 3% above the rate of inflation in each budget that it was in power. Seriously, do you think that a re-elected Major government would have abandoned that policy and cut fuel duty and the other tax burdens that you're complaining about?

If you want to blame everything that's wrong with the British economy and society on a bogieman like "socialism" rather than actually looking at the economic policies that governments have pursued then that's fine by me, but you're not going to be able to muster a particularly convincing argument are you.

[Lumps]

Hey Don and Herthab.

Brilliant counter arguments. Very incisive. You should both be on question time.

[herthab]

Cheers.