New fuel protest strategy

testmonkey · May 21st, 2011, 10:42

I don't think I'll find many who will argue against the fact that it's tme to get fuel prices down. Especially in light of the recent increases for no good reason and the blatent refusal to lower prices back to the levels of a few months ago despite a drop in crude prices.

There's been a few ideas in the past but they are all to some degree flawed or inconvenience everybody and hence don't get enough support to get the job done.
1. Everybody boycotts buying fuel on a particular day - this one whilst fine in principle just doesn't work. For most people this would just mean filling up on another day as very few of us are burning fuel just for the hell of it. In fact we could even save the fuel companies money as they can just close their forecourts on a particular day and reduce operating costs!
2. Go slow on major roads - works up to a point but upsets too many people and is hard to coordinate nation wide enough to make it really effective. It generates news interest but hits the bottom line of industry not related to the problem whilst not effecting the oil companies. Great way to spark off anger about the fuel duty / levy but successive governments have shown they don't care.
3. Blockade some refinery - again has an impact and this does hit the oil companies but also causes inconvenience for the general public if fuel shortages take effect.

We all need to be able to buy fuel and go about our daily lives with the minimum of disruption whilst still having an impact, so how can we achieve that?

Simple, we boycott one of the major fuel companies until such time that they bring their prices down to an acceptable level. This isn't about getting the fuel levy reduced (that could follow once the British public finally realise they can make a difference) but more simply a case of getting pump prices down. We can still all buy fuel elsewhere and carry on as normal but in the end the targetted company have 2 choices - lower their prices or close all of their forecourts. Once their price drops we all go and buy our fuel from them meaning that the other companies follow suit or loose out themselves. If prices rise again straight afterwards we hit them again until they get the message but this time demanding an even lower price. Peaceful, legal, almost completely non-disruptive to us motorists and can be carried out indefinitely if we have to. The oil companies don't make a lot of money per litre of fuel sold but they do make a tidy profit from items they sell in their forecourt shops so a boycott has to mean a blanket refusal to go near them not just not buying their fuel.

So let's make a start shall we. From this point onwards DO NOT BUY FUEL OR USE A FORECOURT SHOP BELONGING TO BP UNTIL THEIR PRICES ARE AT OR BELOW --- U/L 121.9p --- DIESEL 124.9p

Yes, that price may not seem like much of a demand but that is part of the strategy of the approach. Even a reduction to those levels would make a significant difference to every motorist and even non-motorists in terms of distribution costs for goods in the shops. Most protests fail because they either have an objectionable element to them or make excessive demands. Neither of those allegations can be made against this protest. Virtually everybody would agree that the price being demanded is more than fair and this approach should cause nobody any more than a very minimum of disruption.

If you agree with this approach or have any slight belief it could work then pass this on to everybody you know via social networking / email etc. Let's spread this like wildfire via social networking and the media and make a stand. It's time the people of this country made their voices count, we can make this happen!!!

FAQ's
********

WHY BP?
In order to make this work we need to target one of the major forecourt suppliers who has a hand in all parts of the chain from extraction -> supply. BP are amongst the top 3 in the UK in this respect and are probably the most already under pressure due to recent events in their history.

WHAT IF I DON'T FILL UP AT BP?
Simple, carry on as normal. If you happen to be travelling away from your normal areas / routes and do find you need fuel just make sure you go to a non-BP forecourt.

THIS WON'T CHANGE THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE EXCESSIVE FUEL LEVY?
Correct, but it will hit the government indirectly through the reduced levy / tax they'll raise due to the lower sale price. More importantly it will send a clear message that the consumers of this country DO have the power to make things happen and can organise themselves into a powerful force for change This is something that any government hates - a united populace isn't good for those in charge. It will hopefully persuade the people of this country to believe in themselves a little more as well and maybe look at strategies to attack other areas of our lives where we are being ripped off such as gas and electricity.

IF BP DO DROP THEIR PRICES AND WE ALL SWITCH TO FILLING UP THERE WON'T THAT CAUSE MAJOR DISRUPTION AND FUEL SHORTAGES?
If we all suddenly move over to filling at BP due to a lower price then yes there will be an initial disruption and queues at the forecourt but the other companies won't be very long behind in changng their prices. 48hrs would be a maximum that any issues would occur for and more likely it would only be a matter of a few hours before prices dropped across the board. As soon as the other companies could see that their forecourts were almost empty they would soon react.

ISN'T 121.9 AND 124.9 LETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK?
To an extent yes but as stated in the main text above that is one of the most powerful weapons of this protest. It is very hard to come up with a justifiable counter argument about being held to ransom (it is the British motorist being held to ransom) or unreasonable demands. Likewise people can't claim that we will cause a problem for emergency services due to fuel shortages, the normal motorist will not see disruption from road blockages and for most people there will be no noticeable change. The only people really effected are those who regularly fill up at BP and I'm sure it's not that difficult for most to make a slight change to their lives to fill up elsewhere.

CAN'T WE SPREAD THE PROTEST BY BOYCOTTING ONE SUPPLIER ONE WEEK, ANOTHER THE NEXT ETC.?
No, doing so will have no impact as what they loose one week they'll gain the next. It's no different to the 'don't fill up on a Wednesday' strategy. In order to succeed one forecourt chain has to be backed into a corner and it has to be one of the companies that is involved in the whole process chain. Hitting a supermarket chain for example wouldn't work as the fuel manufacturers will still be selling the same overall quantities just via other channels.

Come on people, let's make this happen!

The Hooded Claw · May 21st, 2011, 11:24

Much as I applaud the sentiments you describe TestMonkey it aint gonna work !!!!

& yer know WHY it aint gonna work ??? APATHY

Joe Public will just carry on regardless & get Raped up the ass Time after Time After Time

68% of the Fuel costs are down to the government Not the Oil Companies Like I posted Months ago Joe Public puts £notes in the tank NOT Gallons/Litres they don't look at HOW MUCH Fuel they're getting for their money they just stick in 10,20,30 or 40 Quids worth & carry on as if its 50p a litre not £1.36..

It'll NEVER change .. We just gotta get used to it

Rossi-fan · May 21st, 2011, 11:34

We're not that much worse off than the rest of Europe. Would'nt mind paying what the Americans pay for their fuel.

RUTV70 · May 21st, 2011, 11:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Hooded Claw

Much as I applaud the sentiments you describe TestMonkey it aint gonna work !!!!

& yer know WHY it aint gonna work ??? APATHY

Joe Public will just carry on regardless & get Raped up the ass Time after Time After Time

68% of the Fuel costs are down to the government Not the Oil Companies Like I posted Months ago Joe Public puts £notes in the tank NOT Gallons/Litres they don't look at HOW MUCH Fuel they're getting for their money they just stick in 10,20,30 or 40 Quids worth & carry on as if its 50p a litre not £1.36..

It'll NEVER change .. We just gotta get used to it

Sad...but so VERY true.

Neil

XC60MY12 · May 21st, 2011, 13:14

I used to be apathetic but now I can't be bothered.

andy_d · May 21st, 2011, 13:43

erm
appart from the apathy part, the kinda idea of such a protest, is to Show we are well fed up with this, simply Not going to X chain ,,aint going to do it .
to have any effect and get noticed by "the media" and thusly "HMG" its going to have to be Something similar to the fuel protests last time.
IE cause a shed load of inconvinience to as many people as possible.

that was the part made them stop and take note last time, the idea "lets have a protest that doesnt cause any disruption or inconvience anyone" sorry but it Wont work....IF anyone could be arrrrsed to that is,,,,,

testmonkey · May 21st, 2011, 14:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy_d

erm
appart from the apathy part, the kinda idea of such a protest, is to Show we are well fed up with this, simply Not going to X chain ,,aint going to do it .
to have any effect and get noticed by "the media" and thusly "HMG" its going to have to be Something similar to the fuel protests last time.
IE cause a shed load of inconvinience to as many people as possible.

that was the part made them stop and take note last time, the idea "lets have a protest that doesnt cause any disruption or inconvience anyone" sorry but it Wont work....IF anyone could be arrrrsed to that is,,,,,

That's the point though Andy, last time there was a great deal of inconvenience and eventually the government said 'oh were very sorry...here have a small saving' and within no time at all prices were back above the pre-protest rates. Ultimately it achieved very little and such protest requires people to become rebels / break the law / show militancy or whatever, all things the Great British public is frankly rubbish at.

This isn't about trying to make a stand against fuel duty and show the government how we feel - they know how we feel and quite frankly they couldn't give a stuff. This is about FORCING one of the major retailers to reduce their prices via consumer choice and then switching so that the other retailers have to follow suit. It doesn't require anyone to be militant or risk the wrath of the law in any way, shape or form - they simply drive to a different forecourt. If it was to succeed it may actually wake the public up from their apathetic slumber to realise that they can make things happen if they want it to.

The fact that nobody has to get inconvenienced is the beauty of the whole thing. Bringing inconvenience to people's lives is a sure fire way to drive a wedge between those that support a protest and those that don't. The government / oil companies have a field day with such division and can chuck the spin machines into overdrive to increase the gap between the 2 sides. In this scenario anyone who doesn't support the idea simply doesn't take part but at the same time has no legitimate reason to feel negatively towards anyone who does.

If you support the idea in principle, whether you believe apathy will get the better of it or not, chuck it out there and let the idea gain momentum. If it doesn't come to anything so be it but we all owe it to ourselves (and our wallets) to at least give it a chance.

deathrider311271 · May 21st, 2011, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by testmonkey

That's the point though Andy, last time there was a great deal of inconvenience and eventually the government said 'oh were very sorry...here have a small saving' and within no time at all prices were back above the pre-protest rates. Ultimately it achieved very little and such protest requires people to become rebels / break the law / show militancy or whatever, all things the Great British public is frankly rubbish at.

This isn't about trying to make a stand against fuel duty and show the government how we feel - they know how we feel and quite frankly they couldn't give a stuff. This is about FORCING one of the major retailers to reduce their prices via consumer choice and then switching so that the other retailers have to follow suit. It doesn't require anyone to be militant or risk the wrath of the law in any way, shape or form - they simply drive to a different forecourt. If it was to succeed it may actually wake the public up from their apathetic slumber to realise that they can make things happen if they want it to.

The fact that nobody has to get inconvenienced is the beauty of the whole thing. Bringing inconvenience to people's lives is a sure fire way to drive a wedge between those that support a protest and those that don't. The government / oil companies have a field day with such division and can chuck the spin machines into overdrive to increase the gap between the 2 sides. In this scenario anyone who doesn't support the idea simply doesn't take part but at the same time has no legitimate reason to feel negatively towards anyone who does.

If you support the idea in principle, whether you believe apathy will get the better of it or not, chuck it out there and let the idea gain momentum. If it doesn't come to anything so be it but we all owe it to ourselves (and our wallets) to at least give it a chance.

im sorry but your talking a load of crap mate, do a search on here before posting stuff like this and get facts correct. It wont work end off.
I have posted several times on these bloody things who are the biggest buyers of fuel. it is not BP by a long shot.
Apart from anything else these companies dont really care about the forecourts its the bulk sales where they make their money. FACT

Direct action is the ONLY action that will work.

The Hooded Claw · May 21st, 2011, 14:53

If we bought Feul BY THE GALLON there would be riots in the Streets FACT!!

If the pumps were Pre Programmed to deliver "A SET GALLONIDGE" say 1,2,3,4,5 ect THEN & ONLY THEN would Joe Public Realise how much this Damned Government is RIPPING THEM OFF

pdrvolvo · May 21st, 2011, 17:24

I have no beef with the oil companies but i do object to the obscene amount of tax on fuel.Its not BP who are in the wrong its HMG.

peter.

May 21st, 2011, 10:42	#1
testmonkey Member Last Online: Apr 18th, 2014 01:50 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Nuneaton	New fuel protest strategy I don't think I'll find many who will argue against the fact that it's tme to get fuel prices down. Especially in light of the recent increases for no good reason and the blatent refusal to lower prices back to the levels of a few months ago despite a drop in crude prices. There's been a few ideas in the past but they are all to some degree flawed or inconvenience everybody and hence don't get enough support to get the job done. 1. Everybody boycotts buying fuel on a particular day - this one whilst fine in principle just doesn't work. For most people this would just mean filling up on another day as very few of us are burning fuel just for the hell of it. In fact we could even save the fuel companies money as they can just close their forecourts on a particular day and reduce operating costs! 2. Go slow on major roads - works up to a point but upsets too many people and is hard to coordinate nation wide enough to make it really effective. It generates news interest but hits the bottom line of industry not related to the problem whilst not effecting the oil companies. Great way to spark off anger about the fuel duty / levy but successive governments have shown they don't care. 3. Blockade some refinery - again has an impact and this does hit the oil companies but also causes inconvenience for the general public if fuel shortages take effect. We all need to be able to buy fuel and go about our daily lives with the minimum of disruption whilst still having an impact, so how can we achieve that? Simple, we boycott one of the major fuel companies until such time that they bring their prices down to an acceptable level. This isn't about getting the fuel levy reduced (that could follow once the British public finally realise they can make a difference) but more simply a case of getting pump prices down. We can still all buy fuel elsewhere and carry on as normal but in the end the targetted company have 2 choices - lower their prices or close all of their forecourts. Once their price drops we all go and buy our fuel from them meaning that the other companies follow suit or loose out themselves. If prices rise again straight afterwards we hit them again until they get the message but this time demanding an even lower price. Peaceful, legal, almost completely non-disruptive to us motorists and can be carried out indefinitely if we have to. The oil companies don't make a lot of money per litre of fuel sold but they do make a tidy profit from items they sell in their forecourt shops so a boycott has to mean a blanket refusal to go near them not just not buying their fuel. So let's make a start shall we. From this point onwards DO NOT BUY FUEL OR USE A FORECOURT SHOP BELONGING TO BP UNTIL THEIR PRICES ARE AT OR BELOW --- U/L 121.9p --- DIESEL 124.9p Yes, that price may not seem like much of a demand but that is part of the strategy of the approach. Even a reduction to those levels would make a significant difference to every motorist and even non-motorists in terms of distribution costs for goods in the shops. Most protests fail because they either have an objectionable element to them or make excessive demands. Neither of those allegations can be made against this protest. Virtually everybody would agree that the price being demanded is more than fair and this approach should cause nobody any more than a very minimum of disruption. If you agree with this approach or have any slight belief it could work then pass this on to everybody you know via social networking / email etc. Let's spread this like wildfire via social networking and the media and make a stand. It's time the people of this country made their voices count, we can make this happen!!! FAQ's ****** WHY BP? In order to make this work we need to target one of the major forecourt suppliers who has a hand in all parts of the chain from extraction -> supply. BP are amongst the top 3 in the UK in this respect and are probably the most already under pressure due to recent events in their history. WHAT IF I DON'T FILL UP AT BP? Simple, carry on as normal. If you happen to be travelling away from your normal areas / routes and do find you need fuel just make sure you go to a non-BP forecourt. THIS WON'T CHANGE THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE EXCESSIVE FUEL LEVY? Correct, but it will hit the government indirectly through the reduced levy / tax they'll raise due to the lower sale price. More importantly it will send a clear message that the consumers of this country DO have the power to make things happen and can organise themselves into a powerful force for change This is something that any government hates - a united populace isn't good for those in charge. It will hopefully persuade the people of this country to believe in themselves a little more as well and maybe look at strategies to attack other areas of our lives where we are being ripped off such as gas and electricity. IF BP DO DROP THEIR PRICES AND WE ALL SWITCH TO FILLING UP THERE WON'T THAT CAUSE MAJOR DISRUPTION AND FUEL SHORTAGES? If we all suddenly move over to filling at BP due to a lower price then yes there will be an initial disruption and queues at the forecourt but the other companies won't be very long behind in changng their prices. 48hrs would be a maximum that any issues would occur for and more likely it would only be a matter of a few hours before prices dropped across the board. As soon as the other companies could see that their forecourts were almost empty they would soon react. ISN'T 121.9 AND 124.9 LETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK? To an extent yes but as stated in the main text above that is one of the most powerful weapons of this protest. It is very hard to come up with a justifiable counter argument about being held to ransom (it is the British motorist being held to ransom) or unreasonable demands. Likewise people can't claim that we will cause a problem for emergency services due to fuel shortages, the normal motorist will not see disruption from road blockages and for most people there will be no noticeable change. The only people really effected are those who regularly fill up at BP and I'm sure it's not that difficult for most to make a slight change to their lives to fill up elsewhere. CAN'T WE SPREAD THE PROTEST BY BOYCOTTING ONE SUPPLIER ONE WEEK, ANOTHER THE NEXT ETC.? No, doing so will have no impact as what they loose one week they'll gain the next. It's no different to the 'don't fill up on a Wednesday' strategy. In order to succeed one forecourt chain has to be backed into a corner and it has to be one of the companies that is involved in the whole process chain. Hitting a supermarket chain for example wouldn't work as the fuel manufacturers will still be selling the same overall quantities just via other channels. Come on people, let's make this happen! __________________ S40 T4 CD Auto - ZX6R (now sadly departed) - X-Type 2.5 Estate** ---I'm not nearly as fast as my brain thinks I am---

May 21st, 2011, 11:24	#2
The Hooded Claw Owner Volvovehiclesclub Last Online: Apr 4th, 2014 12:18 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Choosing which Volvo to go out in Today !!! lex parsimoniae View Photos By: The Hooded Claw	Much as I applaud the sentiments you describe TestMonkey it aint gonna work !!!! & yer know WHY it aint gonna work ??? APATHY Joe Public will just carry on regardless & get Raped up the ass Time after Time After Time 68% of the Fuel costs are down to the government Not the Oil Companies Like I posted Months ago Joe Public puts £notes in the tank NOT Gallons/Litres they don't look at HOW MUCH Fuel they're getting for their money they just stick in 10,20,30 or 40 Quids worth & carry on as if its 50p a litre not £1.36.. It'll NEVER change .. We just gotta get used to it __________________ 2000 C70 T5 Phase 1 240 Bhp in Saffron Orange ("SAPPHIRE") 2001 S80 2435cc Now with Andy Northface () 1994 960 CD 3.0 Estate ("The Purple Monster") VOC 25900 lex parsimoniae

May 21st, 2011, 13:43	#6
andy_d Premier Member Last Online: May 22nd, 2024 12:36 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: birmingham	erm appart from the apathy part, the kinda idea of such a protest, is to Show we are well fed up with this, simply Not going to X chain ,,aint going to do it . to have any effect and get noticed by "the media" and thusly "HMG" its going to have to be Something similar to the fuel protests last time. IE cause a shed load of inconvinience to as many people as possible. that was the part made them stop and take note last time, the idea "lets have a protest that doesnt cause any disruption or inconvience anyone" sorry but it Wont work....IF anyone could be arrrrsed to that is,,,,, __________________ 940s - 2l / 92 < gone&missed s401.8 xs auto <gone >V50 2.4SE Geartronic aka "the new money pit" "skyship007 has now been successfully added to your ignore list. "."

May 21st, 2011, 14:53	#9
The Hooded Claw Owner Volvovehiclesclub Last Online: Apr 4th, 2014 12:18 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Choosing which Volvo to go out in Today !!! lex parsimoniae View Photos By: The Hooded Claw	If we bought Feul BY THE GALLON there would be riots in the Streets FACT!! If the pumps were Pre Programmed to deliver "A SET GALLONIDGE" say 1,2,3,4,5 ect THEN & ONLY THEN would Joe Public Realise how much this Damned Government is RIPPING THEM OFF __________________ 2000 C70 T5 Phase 1 240 Bhp in Saffron Orange ("SAPPHIRE") 2001 S80 2435cc Now with Andy Northface () 1994 960 CD 3.0 Estate ("The Purple Monster") VOC 25900 lex parsimoniae

May 21st, 2011, 17:24	#10
pdrvolvo Master Member Last Online: Oct 4th, 2012 19:08 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: middlewich	I have no beef with the oil companies but i do object to the obscene amount of tax on fuel.Its not BP who are in the wrong its HMG. peter. __________________ 244DL-1976/244DL-1983/740GL-1986/940GL-1992/850GLT-1995/V70-1998/S8O-2000/V70-2005/XC90T6 Exec.-2004.

May 21st, 2011, 11:34	#3
Rossi-fan Premier Member Last Online: Feb 12th, 2023 10:07 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Durham	We're not that much worse off than the rest of Europe. Would'nt mind paying what the Americans pay for their fuel.

May 21st, 2011, 13:14	#5
XC60MY12 Country Member Last Online: May 11th, 2012 22:23 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Johnstone	I used to be apathetic but now I can't be bothered.

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