Talk of "go slow" convoy protests against the fuel tax duty increase, again
The record world fuel prices together with the fuel tax increases are again generating real anger with the Labour government's inept fuel and tax policies. These do nothing to "save the planet" but they are causing real hardship for many ordinary people on low incomes, and businesses on small profit margins, whilst generating fat profits for a small minority and another financial windfall for the Treasury.
The Sunday Times reports:
Convoy protests
The Sunday Times
November 11, 2007Farmers and road hauliers are threatening to mount "rolling road" protests over the rise in petrol prices, writes Brendan Montague.
The snail-pace convoys could take to the roads in the run-up to Christmas, slowing traffic and putting pressure on Gordon Brown to scrap a 2p rise in fuel duty due next spring.
The action has been discussed at meetings in London and the northeast.
David Handley, chairman of the Farmers for Action group, which was central to the 2000 fuel protests, said: “We have been inundated with calls demanding we take action.” He said fuel costs for the average farmer with 500 acres had risen by £10,000 in the past two years.
[...]
Given the repressive legislative clampdown on all peaceful protests which this Labour government has introduced since 2000, it would be wise for the organisers of such peaceful protests to take some elementary precautions, especially regarding mobile phones, email, contact with journalists and the broadcast media etc.
There has been a vast increase since the 2000 protests, in the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cctv camera surveillance systems. These are now increasingly linked to a centralised National ANPR Database, and being fed, in real time, with bulk data 24/7 from , say, the London Congestion Charge cameras (and probably the forthcoming London Low Emission Zone cameras as well).
Whilst supposedly intended to "deny criminals the use of the road", which is fair enough, ANPR is also a convenient infrastructure tool which enables the authorities to monitor, harass and suppress any fuel tax protest convoys, no matter how peaceful, once any such protests start to embarrass the Labour politicians via the opinion polls or if the media get hysterical again.
See:
Spy Blog's hints and tips for whistleblowers, and protecting anonymous sources.
Digital Security & Privacy for Human Rights Defenders manual.
Comments
while i synthaze with farmers an hauliers, i as a normal motorist have noticed a vast differance to my fuel bills in the last 2 yrs .while hauliers an farmers may notice a differance if the price drops 5 or 10pence a litre. i would have to see a reduction of at least 15 to 20 pence a litre to gain a reasonable improvement , i know of people who have to save petrol in the week so they can have some sort of sopcial life at the weekend i,e trips top coast or days off, this may not seem significant to big buziness, but what iam trying to say is people should beable to have good prime time aswell as haveing to hog petrol for work purposes . i totaly back any action whitch may alter the price of petrol an appreciate any help from the farmers an the hauliers. but allso remember it is not just petrol tha the motorists are geting bombarded with it is anything to do with motoring we just seem to be an eacy money makeing target for the goverment, so lets get these prices back down to a reasonable ammount, what about the goverment giveing us some of the vast amount of tax they take off petrol an other assorted things, to rob peter to pay paul , iam just a simple person who can see threw all this, so why cant the goverment thankyou please help
Posted by: russell daly | November 16, 2007 6:57 PM
I am sorry but we have had chance after chance to challenge this government. The 'Im alright Jack' mentalilty of most of the selfish UK public leads to no shows in demostrations and thus allows the government to do what the hell they like. If we want change, we have to raise government property to the ground. We have to take to the streets and riot. I am not a violent person by any means, but they simply ignore anything we say. Something must give before we get listened to. If people are not prepared to take their protest to teh limit, then they'd be as well not starting. The Police have curbed the Scottish demo to 30 vehicles, we shuold go out of our way to ensure we put 300 vehicles on the road just to show them that we are prepared to do what it takes.
Posted by: Deemac | December 15, 2007 12:50 PM
Despite the low turnout, the actual media coverage in the press on television, on Saturday 15th December 2007, was comparable to that obtained by many much larger demonstrations.
Considering the poor timing of the demonstrations (during the UN Bali "global warming" conference, which gave the Labour Government the chance to pretend that it is somehow "saving the planet") and the peculiar press and media strategy of the organisers (why was so little notice given of the calling of the demos ?) , the peaceful demonstrations can be seen as a success, in terms of raising the issues.
There do seem to have been some articles pointing out the exploitative £4 billion windfall tax profits- far more than the Treasury had budgeted for, due to the world oil price.
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Posted by: steve clarke | January 24, 2008 1:47 PM