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Originally Posted by blackthorn
I live by the refinery and went by it about 30 mins ago. There`s not much happening down there, tankers are getting in and out with no problems. the shell garage in the town has no queues and people here dont appear to be panic buying.
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The thing is, by and large there were no blockades in 2001 either. Just a lot of men standing by the refinery gates and asking tanker drivers to stop and talk to them, just as now. The thing about 2001 was, the tanker drivers, who all own their own cars as well, were as keen to protest as anyone else, so although they refused to drive past the crowds on grounds of 'safety', in reality that was the excuse they used to stop deliveries.
These protests won't work, because there isn't the same popular outrage now as there was in 2001. In 2001 the problem was quite specifically caused by tax, and iniquitous tax is one thing pretty much guaranteed to make Brits take to the streets. This time round prices are high but this is largely due to world oil prices. Yes, fuel duty is still very high but not absurdly so by British standards, and there is no longer an 'escalator' ensuring vast annual rises above inflation.