Posted on 05/27/2008 4:22:32 PM PDT by shrinkermd
With the price of gasoline topping $2.35 a liter in much of Europe, growing protests by groups from truckers to fishermen are putting governments under pressure to cut the taxes that make up much of the cost of fuel.
So far, however, the real puzzle is that despite soaring fuel costs that make U.S. pump prices look cheap, they haven't caught fire as a major political issue. Analysts cite reasons from simple fatalism to a growing green consciousness that makes some Europeans feel they should be cutting back on miles anyhow.
Fishermen in France have blocked ports and oil depots around the country for more than a week, and on Tuesday hundreds of truck drivers converged on central London to demand relief from rising fuel prices.
For U.K. ministers, the action evoked unsettling memories of the wave of protests in 2000 that turned into a major challenge to the then prime minister Tony Blair. Truck drivers and farmers blockaded oil refineries, terminals and depots, causing widespread disruption to gasoline supplies.
The protests this time come weeks after the governing Labour party suffered its worst local election defeat on record. Ministers conceded that result showed the government wasn't doing enough to address consumers' concern about rising food and energy prices.
Since then, the Labour party has been alert to the risk that fuel inflation could further hurt its already rock-bottom approval ratings. Some Labour lawmakers are calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ditch plans to raise road tax on older, more polluting vehicles, saying it would hit poorer drivers hardest. There have also been calls on ministers to put off a planned two-pence-a-liter, or nearly four cents, rise in fuel tax scheduled to take effect this fall.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Here in SoCal regular gas went from $4.03 last Tuesday to $4.09 last Thursday and now today $4.19. Chevron station across the street from my office and it’s getting kinda interesting to see just how far this is gonna go before Congress makes some changes.
When 60 - 70% of the truckers stay home. Higher food costs are a contributing factor as well.
Everything is in a political pressure cooker now.
“Everything is in a political pressure cooker now.”
And so, the Democrat answer is to SUE OPEC???
These people are MORONS, yet the media just plays right on along...
When oil hits $155/bbl, Pelousy and the rest of the donks will put together a bill that Bush can’t sign. Bush gets blamed for not “bringing down” prices. Status Quo.
That needs to happen for a few days. I just hope that they do it after I move my household goods from Ohio to Tennessee. Right after though. Seriously, someone needs to wake up the braindead liberals and RINOS that this problem is real, and that it can be resolved over time by telling the envoronazis to 'shut the heck up'.
It could have been prevented if the politicians had told the envoros that years ago, but I wouldn't expect that from the spineless elected wimps.
Its going to take a General Strike to get the message through to this PM who doesn’t know his arse from his elbow.
Over 60% of the cash made at the pumps goes to the government, and they are keen to increase road tax as well (although this revenue sure isn’t being spent on road maintenance!)
This government is leaving itself with one hell of a legacy, and the best it can hope for now is damage limitation. Call a General Election PM, and have the good grace to leave early before you do anything else wrong.
And we came last in the Eurovision Song Contest.... :(
The last time I went food shopping last weekend...I was really taken aback by some of the raises in food prices. Some items by as much as a $1. Yikes. I don’t know how large families are coping. I have also noticed some fast food items have jumped up by 30-40 cents an item. The truckers who used to travel at 70-75mph here on the I-10 in the IE are now traveling at 55-60mph. Noticable difference on the interstate in my area.
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