FUEL PROTESTERS LOSE TRACK OF REALITY

While UK’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown tries to convince the British public of going green, lorry drivers are protesting in London against the rising fuel prices.

 

The reason behind the sky high global fuel prices is that a barrel of oil is measured in US dollars, and when the dollar is low, prices goes up. Of course the instability in the Middle East, particularly in relation to the occupation of Iraq, does not help.

 

Although the UK lorry drivers recognise that the government can’t control global fuel prices, the matter of controversy is in relation to a 2p tax increase on highly polluting cars. They wish instead for a duty rebate of 20p to 25p per litre for lorry drivers as they claim that would help the drivers compete with foreign competition.   

 

One of the protests organisers, Peter Corral claim: “If they do that, we will keep in business, we continue to pay our taxes and play our part in UK business and also the government wins because we take some of the inflationary pressure out of the economy.”

 

We can all understand the frustration of the lorry drivers, although the view Corral defends is very narrow minded, particularly at this stage when the Co2 levels in the atmosphere is at its highest in over 650,000 years.

 

Simultaneously, the sea is soaking up more and more waste, threatening the natural inhabitant of the sea, the artic ice is melting in record speed, the Amazon rainforest is in danger of becoming a dry savannah and harvest can be cut to up to half in some African countries. And this will not only affect the wellbeing of our planet, people need to remember that this will also have tremendous effect on their pockets. If all you understand is the pennies in your bank account, try and remember how much worse it could be and then you might decide that a 2p tax increase is not so bad after all.

  

Fair enough, The UK Labour party’s attempt in going green might be slightly hypocritical for a country and a government who simultaneously suggest the building of a new coal- fired power station, but even baby steps are better than nothing. So Lorry drivers, stop moaning and wakeup to the global crisis of the 21th Century, your part is as great as everyone else’s!

 

 

Related links: Stop whining about gas