Fuel Price Petition
Posted by: djftw on 09 June 2008
quote:
Originally posted by Adam Meredith:
quote:
Originally posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
I got my watch at the gas station with tokens.
"look I can afford expensive petrol"
If unlike Gianluigi you can't afford expensive petrol, or indeed you just think that the price of petrol and utilities in the UK are ridiculous and think the government should be doing something other than cashing in on it then you might want to take a look at/sign this.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Lowerduty30/Cue all the environmentalists telling me I'm complicit in us all going to hell on a turbo-charged hand cart!
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Laurie Saunders
quote:
Perhaps, but I think many people, myself included see their current lifestyle as worth defending. That isn't to say that we do nothing about the environment etc. etc. but by applying human intelligence and ingenuity to the problem, rather than reversing every technological advancement and stripping away every personal freedom, which seems to be the aim of the green movement. I think Jeremy Clarkson was bang on when he said of the green movement's dismay about the new generation of nuclear power stations, "some people won't be happy until we are all eating leaves under a hammer and sickle".
The day that Jeremy Clarkson is used as a benchmark for reasoned argument, we might as well all shut up shop and call it a day
You may well feel that you have the right to defend your current lifestyle, but I`m afraid that you will be overwhelmed by events and forced to change...eg I heard this morning a report that oil prices are likely to exceed $200 a barrel within a year...so you just carry on using your car, complaining ..and see what good it will do you
laurie
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Nigel Cavendish
quote:
Originally posted by 555:
quote:
What is interesting is that the richer you are the more you proselytise about restraint.
Careful you don't crush a testicle on that fence Nigel.
I use public transport everyday, so I don't need lectures from you or Bruce as to how you think I should live my life.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by DAVOhorn
Dear All,
I spent my formative years in hong kong ages 3yrs to 21 years.
The cost of motoring in HK was punitive for most and the cost of public transport a pittance.
When i started work at 17 yrs i used to walk down the road to get the tram from Causewaybay to Central each day.
If you missed a tram you could see the next one coming so every 3 mins was a tram. cost in 1975 was $0.30 HK. this was a flat fare so one stop or the whole run was the same. I earned $700.00 per month so as you can see the cost of going to work was cheap.
One also could use Buses Public Light Buses or public death traps as they were fondly referred to. Coaches taxis and illegal taxis or pakpais as they were called.
Now if memeory serves me right twice the then population of HK used public transport each day.
Today they also have the metro railway system too.
So it seems if you want effective public transport you need punitive private motoring costs and peanut public transport costs.
Here in Sydney the Govt wanted people off the roads to use public transport to free up the road congestion.
Fuel is $1.59 litre and people are now using the public transport and it is as a result failing under the massive increase in usage.
Govt now wants less people to use public transport to free up capacity ???? on the system.
So lets see reduce usage to give the appearance that there is spare capacity.
I love that Dilemma Iemma.
regards David.
3 days a week i walk 1km each way and 2 days a week drive 40km each way.
regards David
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by djftw
quote:
so you just carry on using your car, complaining ..and see what good it will do you
I will being as I have no viable alternative, let alone a cost effective one. Even if I cycled to the nearest bus stop, and could convince my employer to let me work a 4 hour day to fit in with the times the buses run from there, the bus tickets would still amount to £35 a week which is more than I spend a week on fuel even at today's price, and that £35 doesn't take into account the cost of any other journeys I make.
I am not struggling to afford to keep my car on the road, and the cost of losing my mobility would be much greater. I, however, am reasonably well off if I do say so myself. What concerns me is that high fuel prices hugely and disproportionately hurt the rural poor. I spoke to a friend recently who said her heating bill alone last winter was almost £1000, anywhere that doesn't have mains gas gets absolutely screwed, they have a household income of around £16k before tax. They also run a rather aged 1.4l Astra, which is hardly a frivolous high performance vehicle, but isn't remotely fuel efficient by modern standards. Unlike me they can't afford a modern diesel which will keep their fuel costs lower, so they get screwed even more. Then food prices rise, more so than in big cities as distribution on a smaller scale invariably uses more fuel... etc etc.
I think next winter we will see the elderly dying in record numbers because heating their home will be beyond many of their means, and most of them will be too proud to ask for help.
So excuse me if I don't agree with a bunch of smug, arrogant, urban dwelling hippies and middle class apologists who aren't really suffering, but get some sort of moral enema from having their wallets emptied when they do something that breaks an environmentalist taboo. Go tear up the roads of London and put in a tram system or build a train that runs on time and doesn't smell of piss or something, that would do far more from the environment than trying to price people who have no alternative out of their cars, and merely creating more poverty.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Ewan Aye
Exactly. I saw a news article last night with an old lady growing vegetables in her garden because she needed to live off them because money was so tight, and the costs are rising to keep herself alive. I wondered at the time if she was aware how big her water bill is going to be for growing food, and that the water company will crucify her for it.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Laurie Saunders
Quote: I will being as I have no viable alternative, let alone a cost effective one. Even if I cycled to the nearest bus stop, and could convince my employer to let me work a 4 hour day to fit in with the times the buses run from there, the bus tickets would still amount to £35 a week which is more than I spend a week on fuel even at today's price, and that £35 doesn't take into account the cost of any other journeys I make. with the times the buses run from there, the bus tickets would still amount to £35 a week which is more than I spend a week on fuel even at today's price, and that £35 doesn't take into account the cost of any other journeys I make.[b]B]
Oh stop it...you`re breaking my heart!
In the grand scheme of things, do you think anyone really cares about your "problems"
I`m afraid you are just gonna have to get used to doing without the things that you think you cannot...or go to the wall. Sorry but that`s the blunt truth
laurie
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Laurie Saunders
So excuse me if I don't agree with a bunch of smug, arrogant, urban dwelling hippies and middle class apologists who aren't really suffering, but get some sort of moral enema from having their wallets emptied when they do something that breaks an environmentalist taboo. Go tear up the roads of London and put in a tram system or build a train that runs on time and doesn't smell of piss or something, that would do far more from the environment than trying to price people who have no alternative out of their cars, and merely creating more poverty
There speaks the voice of reason.
Life`s tough eh?,
laurie
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by 555
quote:
You can't tell me a bus with three people on it is better for the environment than a car with three people in it!
I can tell you a good bus service is better for the environment than a car. There has been a vicious circle with buses in the UK where the decreasing service & increasing fares has reduced demand, so fares go up & service is further reduced.
Those looking for an excuse to stay in their metal box are free to do so,
if they can afford it & can live with themselves, but please cut the BS.
quote:
I use public transport everyday, so I don't need lectures ...
Good to hear Nigel. I don't think any one has been lecturing.
Did you fall off your fence, or were you pushed?
quote:
So excuse me if I don't agree with a bunch of smug, arrogant ......
(rabid rant edited to spare djftw some embarrassment)
Rich from someone who puts up Jeremy Clarkson as a good example of how to treat the environment!
P.S. My spell checker want to change djftw to daft.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Nigel Cavendish
Laurie/555
I think I will start using the car again.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by User34
quote:
Originally posted by Ewan Aye:
quote:
Originally posted by User34:
Luckily for me, there's good public transport where I live,
So you're not in the UK then
No, I live near Paris. I also work in outbound automobile logistics. i.e. getting the car from the factory to the buyer. The company I'm working for, sells cars made all over the world. One of those cars, which, originally, was presented for eastern european markets costs more to distribute than it does to make
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by 555
quote:
Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:
Laurie/555
I think I will start using the car again.
Careful you don't crush a testicle as you climb back over your fence.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Nigel Cavendish
Inhale my smoke...killing the planet seems ever more attractive.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by 555
What goes around comes around Nigel.
quote:
I saw a news article last night with an old lady growing vegetables in her garden because she needed to live off them because money was so tight, and the costs are rising to keep herself alive.
I also saw that news item Ewan.
The senior citizen involved, like so many others,
is living in poverty because her state pension is a pittance.
Most people feel sorry for those living in poverty, but it seems when push comes to shove the majority don't want to pay the price of getting folk out of it.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Ewan Aye
Pay the price for getting old folk out of poverty? With a 42% increase in gas prices next year and redundancies on the way? Water companies charging ever more because they've been given a monopoly by Thatcher to rip the public off without ever thinking to upgrade the sewers, causing the flooding we have because of over development?
Who can pay these prices themselves, before even being able to consider helping out others?
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Laurie Saunders
quote:
Originally posted by Ewan Aye:
Exactly. I saw a news article last night with an old lady growing vegetables in her garden because she needed to live off them because money was so tight, and the costs are rising to keep herself alive. I wondered at the time if she was aware how big her water bill is going to be for growing food, and that the water company will crucify her for it.
In reality, the REAL problem facing us is the exponentially rising population. Tackling that is realively cost free...and we still cannot manage it..(with tax breaks for having kids etc)...so what chance is there for us to really deal with the issues that WILL cost...none imo
So..global warming, fuel crises, food shortages etc are all SECONDARY effects of the real underlying problem....ie population growth.
Whichever secondary problem reaches the "finishing line" first is irrelevant...if we don`t deal with the population issue soon, Nature will take care of it for us..
laurie
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Bob McC
quote:
One of those cars, which, originally, was presented for eastern european markets costs more to distribute than it does to make
The Renault/Dacia Logan perhaps?
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by djftw
quote:
So..global warming, fuel crises, food shortages etc are all SECONDARY effects of the real underlying problem....ie population growth.
Oh good God not this again... Fine, I think you're right, therefore you should go out tomorrow and get yourself spayed.
Posted on: 11 June 2008 by Stephen Tate
If we all used our push bikes, i bet the goverment would do everything in it's power to get us back in our cars - oh, um... i'd love one of those Bentleys with one of those thingy majigs in it!
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by djftw
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by Staedtler
There's hope for us yet then...
I remember a Tomorrow's World program from over 20 years ago demonstrating using powdered algae as a form of fuel too, it was highly flammable when ignited under pressure.
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by Steve S1
quote:
Originally posted by Jagster:
There's hope for us yet then...
I remember a Tomorrow's World program from over 20 years ago demonstrating using powdered algae as a form of fuel too, it was highly flammable when ignited under pressure.
You might be right, those were the same people spreading jam on CDs and "proving" that they would still play perfectly.
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by Staedtler
Maybe, but which side of the disc?
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
those were the same people spreading jam on CDs and "proving" that they would still play perfectly
may be an odd questions, but why did anybody think I might want to spread jam on my CDs?
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by djftw
quote:
why did anybody think I might want to spread jam on my CDs?
Quick, someone delete this thread before Russ gets any ideas and starts selling jam for £29.99 a jar!
Posted on: 12 June 2008 by Steve S1
quote:
may be an odd questions, but why did anybody think I might want to spread jam on my CDs?
They have seen you eat.
Nah...all part of the pre-launch hype about how delicate LPs are etc. First they rubbed a CD with a Brillo pad, then they put jam on it...and it still played...etc.
Accompanied by squeals of "imagine you tried that with an LP".
Steve
