UK Petrol Prices - ESSO and BP boycott.

[SurfnSpear]

Hi, this morning going to work I paid £1.02 a litre for my diesel. I also received the email below this morning...I know it's all speculative but anything that cuts my transport costs is worth a go for a while?

>We are hitting 98p a litre in some areas now, soon we will be faced with
>paying £1 a litre. Philip Hollsworth offered this good idea:
>
>This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the 'don't buy petrol on a certain day
>campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just
>laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to hurt ourselves by
>refusing to buy petrol. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a
>problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea has come up with a plan
>that can really work.
>
>Please read it and join in!
>
>Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to
>think that the cost of a litre is CHEAP, we need to take aggressive action
>to teach them that BUYERS control the market place not sellers. With the
>price of petrol going up more each day, we consumers need to take action.
>The only way we are going to see the price of petrol come down is if we hit
>someone in the pocket by not purchasing their Petrol! And we can do that
>WITHOUT hurting ourselves. Here's the idea:
>
>For the rest of this year DON'T purchase ANY petrol from the two biggest
>oil companies (which now are one), ESSO and BP.
>
>If they are not selling any petrol, they will be inclined to reduce their
>prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to
>follow suit. But to have an impact we need to reach literally millions of
>Esso and BP petrol buyers. It's really simple to do!!
>
>Now, don't wimp out on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain
>how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
>
>I am sending this note to a lot of people. If each of you send it to at
>least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)... and those 300 send it to at least ten
>more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on, by the time the message reaches the
>sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION
>consumers! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten
>friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes
>one level further, you guessed it... ..
>
>THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
>
>Again, all You have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (And not
>buy at ESSO/BP) How long would all that take? If each of us sends this
>email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION
>people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8days!!! Acting
>together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass
>this message on.
>
>PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE 69p a LITRE RANGE
>
>It's easy to make this happen. Just forward this email, and buy your petrol
>at Shell, Asda,Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrison's Jet etc. i.e. boycott BP and
>Esso

 

[podge]

Right on Brother, power to the revolution baby!:ko

Although its as much the fault of the current UK government with there HEAVY TAX BILL:rcard:rcard for us all to pay than it is the fault of the petrol companies.

But what the hell I’ll give it a go and the girl behind the counter at my nearest Tesco petrol station is a right Babe:inlove and always brings a smile to an otherwise dull day.

 

[land shark]

ok thats it im gonna take my bike down to buy my lawnmower gas that'll make em think a bit

 

[shoutatthesky]

As a fuel retailer I have to deal with this issue every day and I can tell you this is quite a pointless strategy. Sure if you get enough people to follow then you will hurt the profits of those companies. That won't stop the fact that oil is running out.
Put your energy into getting people to reduce their usage of oil. As I see it all the alternative put forward so far are unsuitable for worldwide use. Electric cars are by far the best but whether we ever get to see them on the road is a very good question.
If your aim is to get the price down there are two things you could do - find a number of huge deposits of oil or bring peace to the Middle East.
Our use of oil will never disappear but our use of it will change drastically.

 

[wet]

pardon my drifting

My Solution: Design concept vehicle Traix.

Traix: 1/2 pedal, 1/2 electric bike-car (2 wheeled) in which the harder you pedal, the more juice the battery provides, aerodynamic, links to others on the road via a push-button latch-hook, to form a "train" of say 20 - 100 vehicles on a highway, so everybody cruises aerodynamically with moderate leg power with optimal cardio-vascular aerobic action. At a desired exit, small "bus" of 10 vehicles splits off as a group and goes to neighborhood, then splits apart again into "solo" vehicles, solos park in tight space or carried inside the home. Very good for commutes, not for hauling big heavy stuff (but 2 linked side-by-side could pull a packed tent trailer easily).

Traix fights the poor health problem in the developed world: obesity-diabetes-hardened arteries from lack of aerobic exercise (thanks in part to petroleum powered vehicles).

Traix fights the bad pollution problem in the developed and developing world: air pollution and various auto emissions ...dirty waters...global warming

Traix avoids the dangers of riding bicycles in auto traffic in cities and highways, by keeping many riders in a unitary mass, in line, rather than all over the road, yet allows easy quick detachment at "bus stops".

Traix recharges via solar panels or home electric plug in, combines a motorcycle battery with a capacitor system for both slow and high speed.

Traix quickly adjusts for optimum aerodynamics as solo, duo or bus/train configuration, and provides both carbonfiber/bamboo shell with protective safety foam surrounding the hull, with umbrella-like top.

Traix really is the best option. Boycotts are band-aids ("plasters").

You heard it here at Deeper Blue. Blue water, green forests, clean air, health.

[Traix Design by David Deden Designs]

DDeden

 

[Marwan]

You also need to consider that oil companies raise prices as a result of increased cost and not just the greed to make more money...the supply is not covering the demand hence prices go up...also the political turmoil around regions like the caspian sea and the middle east play into that...its pure economics unfortunately..
Wanna hear more bad news...the alternate energy sources like natural gas powered vehicles, electricity, hybrids etc,... are and will remain a minor segment for years to come..
Petroleum companies make most of their money selling crude oil anyway and not the petrol/oil etc.. to your car.. the effect will be quite small at the end..but felt nonetheless

sorry to dissappoint you..but it would be much better to gather the same 300 million people and make the political statement to bring peace/stability to the affected areas, cast away the clouds/threats of war and that will ultimately drive crude oil prices down...then the petroleum companies will really feel the effect, so will you in a good way
cheers

 

[Paul Kotik]

But aren't higher petrol prices better for the Earth? I mean, Al Gore has told us that our governments should greatly increase taxes on petrol so that the consumer has to pay much more per litre, and therefore will use much less. Shouldn't we all be celebrating higher fuel prices with a group hug?

 

[sanso]

Paul, I'm in.
I say 2€ (or 2¤ for that matter) per litre aren't enough. - Go ride Your bikes, people! Instead of not buying from a certain company, just go buy none at all!

And, yes, it's possible to live without a car. It may involve major changes in one's life, but most of them will be good, like getting in shape and having a chance to clear one's head out after work. It certainly works like a charm for me, cycling 9km to work and the same back every day. And it's not an effort at all, but I actually miss doing it when for some reason I have to take the bus. 15-20 minutes cardio twice a day - and with what You save by not having a car it's pretty much being paid for Your workout, even if You buy the fanciest bike out there.

 

[SurfnSpear]

Horses for courses....we all lead different lives in different parts of the world!
The majority of the populas is sick of being taxed to the hilt in the UK and anything that might wishfully shave something off the transport costs suits me fine.
I am not going to give up my 4x4 to drive me to the surf, to the diving, to the farm, to the town, to the schools, to the mountains, to my extended family with my immediate family, etc. whether paying £1 or £3 per litre. It's the wrong approach and anyway unless versed in certain eastern skills, I do not put my family, dog and kit on a bicycle.
I and millions of other people do not live near enough to acceptable and proportionate public transport hence £1.02 or $2 per litre of
diesel/petrol IN THE UK is nothing more than ill-directed overtaxation and profiteering from those who can. I prefer not to comment here on anywhere else in the world but am not one for swallowing too much enviro-spin without balanced and measured changes that are viable to me right here on my little green lane in the UK.....

 

[island_sands]

Sheesh!

I fill my 4x4 car here in dubai for the total of 10GBP petrol is really cheap here. Unfortunately you do need a car here until they finish the Dubai metro (monorail) and improve the bus transport system. the taxi drivers never know where they are going and always get lost, so you may as well drive yourself around.

 

[Marwan]

no complaints here too, the government is subsidizing petrol, so it costs me just over 20 U.S cents a liter, or approximately 0.8$/gallon!!! so my 4x4 and me are not stopping anytime soon...

 

[Jon]

Paul is right that higher fuel prices are better for the Earth because people will use less- once it gets high enough. I've read that it needs to get to $5 a gallon before people in the US will actually do something about thist.

I remember that Thomas Friedman wrote we should have had a $1 a gallon patriot tax right after 911 to help wean us off foreign oil and pay for the war in Iraq. Instead, we have prices much higher than they would have been back then and we still have to pay for the war- albeit at some future date.

I ride my bike as many places as I can- even diving. I use a push mower- no gas needed. My wife and I don't tavel much- so we can escape many of the high gas prices by avoiding them. Having said all of that I'm fearful of this winter as home fuel prices are something that I can't avoid. I can insulate my house, and turn down the thermostat to a certain extent, but with two little kids at home there's only so far that can go.

Jon

 

[trux]

You also need to consider that oil companies raise prices as a result of increased cost and not just the greed to make more money...

You must be kidding! Oil companies report new record wins each year since the beginning of the Gulf War II (that's no conspiracy theory - dozens of articles from highly respectable sources show it quite clearly). So they are definitely no victims of the situation. Well, I think everyone finally figured out that the war was not about terrorism, or about WMD, but people are naive if they think the war was to assure low prices of fuel. The exact opposite is true.

 

[Marwan]

Trux..you misunderstood me, im just saying its not all greed

 

[Spaniard]

War is very profitable business whatever the motive! In the UK the problem is soon going to be too many cars and not enough road, the M25 is a carpark and every household has 3 trillion cars. I can walk to central london faster than I can drive. I walk to the pub and crawl back, bring back the Sinclair C5!!!

 

[trux]

Trux..you misunderstood me, im just saying its not all greed

Well, if it is not all greed, then what is it? How can you explain that their wins soar just now when others bleed? If the profit was lower than before or equal, then I agree it is no greed, rather just circumstances, but it is not the case. The oil companies (besides others) simply need such permanent crisis and definitely have absolutely no interest in peace in the Middle East.

 

[land shark]

ahhh how we love to look for simple solutions. Lets raise the price of gas to stop folks from riding around. Ok think about this, What ever happened to zero population growth?
now get used to your fun. Even though I ride my bike around I presently drive a 50 mile commute to work It has been as high as 200mi daily. The bus does not always go to where I have to work. so guess what? If the cost of getting to work goes up I cry at contract time for more gas money. And my employer has no choice but to pass it on to you. So the cost goes up. Then the customer who's building I'm building has to crunch numbers so everthing thats cheaper most of the time comes from outside the country mmm more fuel to get it there?? So he has to pass the cost on to his customers. So the people that work for him try to locate closer to work but the building is sitting way out past the bus lines why? cheaper Taxes so now we have new infustructure speading out there to avoid higher fuel costs? Can you spell Urban Sprawl. now lets see lets not forget all the goods They just pass the cost of fuel on to cover Transortation and Services like health care. we all have that right?? Lets make it more affordable to the poor by raising the cost of petrolem. The amount of plastic has skyrocketed everywhere
did I mention thats petrl based right? I could obviously go on and on Its all about power
any country that has wealth has a healthy energy source. People in the U.S have had a great time crying about pollution from energy sources to the point that now the infustructure needs attention. Its time to pay and it hurts and it will more than likely hurt some more before it is resolved. Until then we put our faith in the scientists to keep looking and in my opinion they are doing one hell of job so far.

 

[Marwan]

Well, if it is not all greed, then what is it? How can you explain that their wins soar just now when others bleed? If the profit was lower than before or equal, then I agree it is no greed, rather just circumstances, but it is not the case. The oil companies (besides others) simply need such permanent crisis and definitely have absolutely no interest in peace in the Middle East.

whether there are wars or not, i personally believe that oil prices will continue to rise due to the supply and demand..wars etc cause surges due to uncertainty, just like what you see in the stock markets for some companies/commodties...
I disagree with you that oil companies need permanent crises..they dont, a year of record earnings for most of thebig oil companies was when china and India's economy started to boom and demand for oil hit a record high at the time..
Wars certainly help, unfortunately, but i dont think oil companies depend on them..I see the biggest benefciaries of War are the countries that sponsor war.. as well as their objective of dominating the oil supply which is being depleted against the rise in demand, i believe thats the main objective, power...money/profit is a cool side effect too. (and oil companies among other companies/industries benefit from it of course),..but not the primary objective in my view

want a cool fact? you want to know who the biggest producers of oil are/were? its not the Exxon's and the BP's out there but rather the National oil companies of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Pakistan...see any familiar names in there where ther have been wars lately?
I believe that the issue is much bigger than BP, etc.. trying to make some extra dollars off you and me. in my opinion, oil companies and other industry beneficiaries may appear as the face of the problem but not the root cause..thats why its better to address foreign policy issues that lead to these situations...could be more effective then fighting the "symptoms"..
Some companies in General, whether oil producers, mobile operators, food suppliers, cement companies, iron and steel companies, construction companies, may all benefit from war in one place or the other (so of course they are not going to be looking to stop it), i just dont think boycotting their products (which are unfortunately basic necessity) would solve the problem..i am also not aware of a precedent where that worked in the past....

 

[podge]

All valid points guys.
But its as simple as this, as long as we all have the love affair with our petrol and oil hungry lives then it’s a standard fact of business that the people which supply the commodity will ALWAYS make as much as they can.
How many of you are in business for yourselves or are responsible for the running of a business? Ask yourself the same question, if I have a product that everybody wants shall I sell it for $5 or $50 and if your true to yourself the answer will be $50 every time.
Same thing goes for the tax that we have to pay on the fuel that we use, as unfair as we may all feel that it is the government again will always make as much as they can from something that we all have come to use a lot of.
As for me I’ll with SurfnSpear, I live to far from any decent beach to be able to ride a bike to it and when it gets cold in the middle of winter I most defiantly will be turning the thermostat up to be comfortable, after all and this goes for us all if we choose to use it then we must be willing to pay for it.

 

[island_sands]

Gulfnews: A karmic view of oil