michael Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Like I said before I wish you success with your plans, calling those of us who choose to adopt a more passive approach isn't going to get you many voters when you attempt to become PM though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syed Shah Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Well Thanks What annoys me is the passive/non-existent approach that the British Public seems to take to everything, which is what allows us to be rip-off Britain! I agree it is unlikey to have a great effect, but everything needs to start somewhere, and it is about time we started. To not even bother due to thre risk of failure is pathetic IMHO, nothing ventured, nothing gained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W2 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 I think its good that Syed is getting off his arse and doing somrthing about it. At least lodging petitions and voicing the nations anger makes them think twice about the increases that they put on taxation of petrol. If we all adopted the 'bend over and take it attitude' petrol would have reached a £1 per litre long before now i suspect. If it doesn't do anything, at least we've tried. It's better than not doing anything at all. I don't know why people have such a defeatist attitude. Not getting at you personally, but if the petrol prices effect you, and your not happy about it either, why are you moaning at the people that are trying to do something, whatever the results may be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 It's the principal of it all. Stand up and be counted. Stand up for your rights. The only thing certain about this whole thing is that if you do nothing, nothing will change. It's not a "passive" approach, it's "giving up and accepting" We've gotta give the fat bastards in power a kick and it needs short term pain. Either that or play into their hands by being apathetic and cough up more tax on your tax on your tax and grumble about it down the pub. -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJI Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 I agree with you Syed..... it is very much the case that the British public have been very quite on lots of things and which has allowed us to become the rip-off place that we live. It has allowed petrol to be taxed through the roof, it has allowed europe to tell us how we should live our lives, it has allowed our businesses to be taken over by foreign companies etc. etc. etc. The government needs to be told that ther is far too much tax on fuel. If nobody does anything then they will be more than happy to put further and further tax on it. What do ministers care what the tax on fuel is any way if nobody protests about it? They always get chaufered around and never have to put a fuel pump nozel into their Jaguars !! AND I hate the way that they use the excuse that the NHS and schools are funded by fuel tax !! Income tax and NHS contributions are what is supposed to fund those. Yet again another case of Labour not being able to control spending and having to raise money from other sources. (Blimey, second rant in as many days !! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 One of the biggest problems Gordon has is the promise he made not to increase income tax. We all know Labour taxes more than certian other parties so the only option he had was to raise all other taxes! He dug himself a hole and now it's deep enough, we should fill it in over his head for him! BTW maybe this is getting a bit political for a Supra forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_Devlin Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Joe Public is crap at getting off their backside and doing things. Think of all those dumb noisy minority groups that make a song and dance about things. Everybody tells them to shut up and crawl back in their hole, but at least they're doing something. The Old Folk who recently stood up against the Council Tax are great IMO, if the rest of the public made themselves that much of a pest then the current government would grind to a halt. There seems to be so much resentment of so many government policies that something should be done. OK we can vote for someone else and get more of the same... The only shame about the current voting system is that there isnt a "None of the above" box to tick. Who would govern the place then? The current lot have got in with a turn out of about half to two thirds, and even then they only got about 45% of the votes... so they get in on ~25% of the possible vote... 75% of people either dont want them in or are fed up with the whole thing! Where's the petition to start the revolution??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 [Originally posted by Patrick_Devlin OK we can vote for someone else and get more of the same... The only shame about the current voting system is that there isnt a "None of the above" box to tick. Who would govern the place then? Here Here. I am partly to blame for the mess this country is in because I didn't vote in either of the last 2 elections. That said I didn't vote because I really didn't like any of the choices available. If there had of been a none of the above box I would have made the effort to go and vote. This time around I feel strongly enough that the current regime (and I use that term as I see it fits a government that runs rough shod over its people and forces descisions that are against the majority opinion on them) to go out and vote for the party I think will most likely oust them. Michael Howard came out this morning on national TV in favour of "fuel protests" not I might add blockades but its a gesture in the correct direction and IMO a very smart one. If this snowballs enough with the current attitude against the government it might be an issue strong enough to pull labour down. The noises that were made about bogus asylum seekers eventually provoked a governmental response which is a contentious issue at best, the cost of fuel is across the board (apart from your hard-core green brigade that don't have jobs or a life) a fairly unanimous stand point. You are of course correct the tax paid on fuel is used in various places. Places like for instance lets be controversial here starting wars in the middle east which oh here we go causes the price of oil to rise!!! Continuous polls on wether we want a referendum on giving up our currency. Continuous studies on how involved we should be in europe and how laws should be dealt with on a european scale. Ridiculous amounts of government ie local, regional, national, and european none of which seem to be able to function properly the correspondence costs alone between these agencies must cost a fortune. The mismanagement of government funded agencies such as the NHS. The where theres blame theres a claim culture towards agencies such as the NHS. The rising costs of asylum amnesty seekers most of whom are coming from nations that we decided to stick our noses into their affairs in a military way. Taxes need to paid fairy snuff. Taxes will always be mismanaged to a certain percentage thats just the way things go. But we as the tax payers with a vote should be able to do something about how they are levied and the efficiency that they are spent. For more than 20 years there hasn't been a government that realises this which is why fuel prices and most other stuff has gotten to where it is. Fuel didn't just suddenly become £1 a litre we let it get that expensive. If we don't do something about it we will still be complaining in a couple of years that its £2 a litre with no-one but ourselves to blame. It is a bit political this thread now but any issue that has so many people with very strong and opposing views is political. The only way it will get sorted is on a political level and most people (quite rightly I think) don't think that anyone up there is listening. Right afternoon rant over for now lol:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 The french seem to have protesting down to a fine art, and they get results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazing grace Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 But what should we do to alter a Government that is convinced that they can make us eat sh@t whenever they want us to??:deviI will however be filling up as i have to run kids to school next week as there are no buses that do the route to school out here in thhe sticks, so i have no choice . I will not be voting for crooked Blair, thats for sure!!!!!! Sheenna:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon F Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by Patrick_Devlin Where's the petition to start the revolution??? Whilst most people (apart from the Greens) aren't too happy with any increase on fuel duty, there probably isn't going to be much of a revolution while interest rates are low, there is no raging inflation, and we dont have 3 million on the dole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Originally posted by Amazing grace I will however be filling up as i have to run kids to school next week as there are no buses that do the route to school out here in thhe sticks, so i have no choice. Sheenna:) Get them to ride their bikes!! I had to ride 24 miles to school every day!!!!! (actually I only rode about 8 miles every day but my dad always complains that he used to ride 24 miles to school! Thought it was worth mentioning) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Ah see we aren't talking revolution here. We are talking governmental instability. A hung house for a term will see the people have a significantly higher say in the various parties policies and provoke a more efficient government (in order for each party to offer us more they will have to extract more from what we give them). The one pound per litre is a very important milestone. Its like a marriage really, its amazing what people put up with for years and then suddenly one day someone leaves the top off the toothpaste and that ends in divorce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_Devlin Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Originally posted by Gordon F Whilst most people (apart from the Greens) aren't too happy with any increase on fuel duty, there probably isn't going to be much of a revolution while interest rates are low, there is no raging inflation, and we dont have 3 million on the dole. And thats the dilema... this government have got some things spot on. I cant complain about interest rates (just bought first house!) and and employment is low, although its amazing what you can do with statistics and the definition of employment. Unfortunately they have (like most governments do) just started pissing people off. There are lots of (not so) minority groups starting to make themselves heard; the middle england lot... its just a feeling of general dissatisfaction. I didnt vote last time cos I felt that no-one had anything to offer, but I will this time, to try and make sure that for the next 4 to 5 years we dont have this lot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Eastbourne are out of unleaded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 They were hinting at maybe not doing the 2p tax hike on the news this morning, but there was some idiot on the news yet again implying that it was all down to the price of crude. "We expect the oil producing nations to put together some sort of plan to increase production to lower the price of oil" or something to that effect. FFS when are they going to realise that everyone knows that the price of crude isn't the big issue? *EDIT* Looks like it was the man himself. Gordon Brown (texture like sun). Read all about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_Devlin Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Originally posted by Supragal Eastbourne are out of unleaded There hasnt been lead in many Eastbourne residents pencils for several years now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Originally posted by Patrick_Devlin There hasnt been lead in many Eastbourne residents pencils for several years now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W2 Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 A few petrol station ran out round here yesterday, I was lucky, i needed Optimax. Never got petrol so quick at that time of day:) Even if I did have to pay far too much for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 So if they don't tax petrol, what do you suggest they tax? They need our money in one form or another. Although i'm not a great fan on financing expensive wars, those wars do keep a vast amount of people in jobs etc. so it's all swings and roundabouts. Obviously that's a LONG political topic, so lets avoid that. But what is the actual solution to this? Vote someone else in that'll need even more money to pay for the last persons mistakes? Surely the core issue here is to locate why the government needs to much money then streamline that? Then it can actually reduce taxes? They wouldn't be so hardline about the 2p increase if they didn't actually need it. I think it would be very cool if some of the active people in this thread could get together in the chat room sometime and talk it though. Flames withheld it could be an interesting conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 yeah you are right they do need the money which is why they put the 2p on fuel. But as i said before the wastefull nature of a secure 2/3's majority government sets a lax attitude. If they can get away with doing less work for us they will. If the parliament is finer balanced they have to work harder with our money and waste less of it to keep their jobs. My point a little is that they (and i mean succsesive governments) have used the green issue as an easy way of targetting a specific group of people for taxes. No matter who you tax they aren't gonna be happy about it. But with the relentless rise in various motoring related taxes and things such as overuse of mobile speed camera vans being construed by the populace as further taxation the motorist is starting to get a touch miffed. If you targetted any other group of people in this way an ISM would be forthcoming straight away and protests would front page news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJI Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Right here goes...... the main reason as to why this government requires soo much of our money is because they have 'created' so many administration jobs within the government and council areas. And I mean they have created 1000's of pointless jobs which don't really need to be there. The cost to be part of the european union cost this country billions !! And most of that money at the moment is going to Spain as it modernises its road infrastructure. The new eastern european countries are now going to be demanding money to modernise all of their statutory services and road networks to bring them upto EU standard etc. (One of the main reasons they were so happy to join the EU in the first place). The Iraq war costs the UK millions every week as supplies/ammo, vehicle repair, army hardware that is all operational. Also huge public waste of money as they spend millions putting in speed cameras and pointless 'traffic calming' measures. Projects like the dome. Their lack of control over the justice system allows criminals to go through the courts time and time again without any real punishment, costing the tax payer millions each year to fund their legal bills. Not to mention all the free medical and legal aid they happily give to ILLEGAL immigrants. All of the above are only a few reasons as to why the stupid ministers (and their really great ideas and views) are wasting public money to the extreme. And to make the motorist have to pay for all this through fuel taxation is beyond belief !! I think these election results are really going to shock this government as it will be a resounding NO to europe and a resouinding NO to Blair, Brown & Prescot ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Walker Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I for one would be happy to pay for education and medical privately if the tax on fuel was reduced to US levels. If VAT was reduced to US levels too, we wouldn't know what to do with the money, we'd all be loaded. Is there figures anywhere to show how much petrol UK drivers go though a year? Gaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3775727.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Heard that earlier on the wireless radio gramophone. Seems like a bit of a climb-down but to be fair they did always say they only felt they had to take action because the government were not listening, and they would prefer a political solution. Still banging on about the price of crude, I see...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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