Welcome to this Forum. It has been set up so that supporters of the Lower Fuel Tax campaign can discuss the ridiculous levels on Fuel tax in this country.
We have the highest fuel prices in Europe and the industrialised world.
Our petrol is 12p / litre more then France or Germany, 26p more then Spain or Luxembourg and 48p more then USA.
It is going up by 2p on June 14th. Meanwhile the crude oil price is raising again....
Lot of people think that cut in fuel tax would mean increase in other taxes.
This is not necessarily the case. Independent economic experts agree that Labour or rather the treasury already have enough funds to cover
the planned increases in NHS and education spending for next 3 years (36 bil. p.a. off which is paid by motorists).
They also say government could make great savings if properly managed.
You can't buy hospitals, schools, doctors, nurses or teachers off the shelf. Throwing large amounts of money at it will lead to waste.
Governments, like spendthrift wives, are best kept on tight budget - e.g. the Dome.
Even if part of the fuel tax was transferred to income tax, 75% of the population (the motorists on basic tax) would be better off.
The tax burden would be more fairly and evenly spread to people without cars and higher tax payers.
You may be concerned with traffic congestion and environment, but people have clearly shown they will not be priced out of their cars.
Mostly there is no viable alternative transport and even draconian parking restriction now extended to residential areas are having no effect.
People will simply push up wages and thus business costs which are already 13% higher then Germany and massive 45% higher then USA.
They may be pricing people out of jobs before it has any effect on traffic. UK's trade deficit has just reached record 3.4 bil.
The action we need to take has to be aimed at the Labour party, not because you or I don't want them to win,
but precisely BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKELY TO WIN.
Once again it will be Gordon's hand in your pocket (ouch!), purse or wallet taking out additional £8
for every £2 worth of fuel you put in your car.
There is only one thing that will shift the Labour Government,
the individual labour MP's FEAR that they will loose their seats in the election.
(Most of them haven't got a job or profession to return to.)
They are the only one's to force Blair's and / or Brown's hand(s).
Here is what we have to do:
1. The first thing to do is to get fuel tax on the top of the election agenda, that means we have to show
wide spread electorate outrage at the 'rip off' fuel prices.
So use your computer to print out a simple short slogan (in 3" high letters) such as:
"FUEL DOWN or BLAIR OUT"
( feel free to create your own version, the more variety, the more people, press and TV will notice )
Display this on your vehicle(s) and house or flat window and your place of business in you can / own one.
Plaster it on election posters.
Bring placards with same message to all election meetings, particularly Labour of course.
75% of the electorate are motorists, it should be possible to get one on every fourth car, van, lorry etc.
We must achieve a SATURATION coverage.
2. Write a letter to your Labour MP or prospective Labour candidate. You should be able to send one via email:
through www.faxyourmp.com , it's free!
Please write an individual letter, not just a copy of a std. one, or it would not be taken seriously.
Be brief and polite, but firm.
Tell him / her that you would have liked to vote for them, but you are outraged by the financial (and other!) persecution of road users.
If there is some way you are particularly affected, say so.
Or just say that it would be cheaper to have foreign hols, rather then the driving to Scotland (southerners) or Devon (northerners).
If you are asked by a 'pollster', say you will vote for whoever is likely to come second in your area, or anything but Labour.
You can always change you mind on the day, if Labour is your desire!
3. Offer to do / help with 1. & 2. to all your friend and family who may not have computer and / or internet access.
4. FORWARD this email to ALL your friends, family and acquaintances who drive,or print it and sent it. Post it in suitable discussion groups.
All the above actions are absolutely crucial if you live in a marginal labour seat.
Use the power of Internet, the media, and don't forget the FEAR of the ballot box is the ONLY weapon we have.
If we fail, we won't get another chance for up to five years !
By then Labour or any other government will assume to have the mandate to bleed the suckers (motorists) dry !
There is lot of disparate groups trying to organise protests, convoys, and blockades.
Alas the British people won't precipitate on such a cold and calculating issue,
(it's different with emotional cause e.g. for /against foxhunting)
and it can easily be contra productive if people are inconvenienced.
These groups should concentrate on spreading this message and target any election meetings of
Labour candidates especially in marginal seats.
Forget the yellow ribbons, I have yet to see one, 99% of the people have no idea what it means - Lib Dem's ?
What we need is a poster of a motorist filling up their car with Gordon standing behind pulling £20 notes from their pocket or purse.
Caption: STOP THIEF !
It should be possible to get Sun and other people to print it in large numbers.
Can you help ?
Good luck to us all, we will need it.
Regards,
M E Martin
PS don't waste time on lengthy discussions with inevitable dissenters,
use your time and energy to target those marginal Labour candidates......
A Sky reporter reported that when Andrew Spence (PFL Member who is standing against Tony Blair in his Yorkshire constituency) Mr Blair make a sharp EXIT when he saw Andrew Spence asking for a simple debate.
Blair was rustled into his car for a speedy get away by his undercover suits.
The best of it was....They left Blairs son, Euan behind, and went back for him later. Ha! Ha!....
What is Blair hiding from, doesn't he like being confronted with the TRUTH or a battle that the general public wants to SEE!!!
As reported on Sky TV news Mr Spence approached Tony Blair in a civil manor.
Mr Spence raised his voice when Blair whimped off like soneone hiding the truth.
These pictures were then shown on ITN news. (I presume the ones you saw, Showing no dialogue just Andrew Spence shouting his views).
Their is only one thug around and thats the DEPUTY PM.
By the way I would rather vote Labour than those TAX RAISING LIBS.
Whats their views on fuel? You probably can guess!
But on fuel alone its the Tories or UK Independence parties I shall be voting for !!!
In Kidderminster Worcs, they are closing their main A&E Hospital and moving it to a purposed built newer hospital in Worcester.
A trip of 18 miles, rumour as it that a sinle issue candidate, campaigning to save the old Kidderminster Hospital will WIN the seat he is standing for!
I LIVE in Worcester but support the views of the people that live in Kidderminster.
The same can be compared to the High price Fuel situation, lets stand up and vote for our own.
Yes, there are two current A&E hospitals in both Worcester and Kiddermister, but as usual they are picking the most provocative option and closing one of the hospitals and upgrading the other a bit.
(To save a bit of cash, more important than LIVES, in the time taken to get there!)
Bigger hospitals also means local areas are more conjested with traffic, and if you get ill and stay there, your family will have to make a day of it to find a car parking space and pay over the odds for the privailage if you find one.
Plus getting your car broke into?
Also going to the outpatients will now be a problem.
I'm in favour of smaller people friendly hospital units.
But surely the problem is not simply the cost of the building, the beds or the equipment but having trained staff to work in them. This is something you can't just throw money at to solve, you need to make the idea of working in the NHS attractive to get people in and retain them, then you have a 3-7 year wait until they are trained nurses & doctors. In an ideal world you would have 2 fully operating hospitals but we don't have the luxury of that at the moment. So you have to decide between dividing up the resources between the 2 or consolidating into one. Not ideal but the only viable option I guess.