Fwd: Oil barons chuckle as greens take on protestors

[The Land Is Ours]

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>Date: Sun, 05 Nov 2000 01:38:06 +0000
>To: underc at gn.apc.org
>From: Ecovillage Network UK <evnuk at gaia.org>
>Subject: Oil barons chuckle as greens take on protestors
>
>
>Oil barons chuckle as greens take on protestors
>-----------------------------------------------
>
>This fuel 'crisis' has been, as Ken Livingstone rightly said two months
>ago, orchestrated by the big three global oil companies. (Shell, BP and
>Exxon).
>
>They want protesters to put pressure on the government to reduce tax on
>fuel so they can make even bigger profits.
>
>Some environmentalists have been saying fuel prices should be even higher
>to stop people using cars. How naive! People don't use cars because fuel's
>too cheap but because public transport is either not there any more,
>particularly in the freight world, or too expensive.
>
>Since the sixties buses, trams and trains have been closed down or made
>extremely expensive to FORCE people to become dependant on cars and
>massively boost consumption of and dependence on the oil companies.
>
>Don't blame the protestors! In some cases the recent rise in fuel prices
>means companies and small one-man bands that are dependant on vehicles are
>now running at a loss.  It is simply not good enough for environmentalists
>to say - 'told you so' because many people who are dependant on their
>vehicles have been forced into that position as public transport has been
>withdrawn or made impossibly expensive. We mustn't forget social
>considerations when moaning about dependance on cars.  Many people truly
>have no public transport alternative any more.
>
>If the rail fare from Bristol to Oxford, for example, was cheaper than the
>cost of the fuel to drive far more people would take the train. Problem is
>over expensive public transport and profiteering privatised bus and rail
>companies. What with the profiteering oil companies for many people there's
>no way out.
>
>Protesting truckers and motorists are quite right to fight back against the
>hike in fuel prices. And they are targeting the oil companies more as they
>learn about how this archetypally monopolistic industry works.
>
>The oil companies have been clever diverting public anger onto the
>government whilst making record profits - blaming the world market price
>which they conveniently forget they control!
>
>Last week Shell announced an 80% rise in first quarter profits. Yes that's
>80%!!!!
>
>They're not messing about these oil monopolists, they're going for the mega
>big bucks and their PR departments are much happier when it is made out to
>be a fight between the people and the government about prices over which
>they have no control. Needless to say this is bollox!
>
>Even the smaller oil companies have been blockading the big boys'
>distribution terminals because they're being forced out of business. That
>action by an independant tanker drivers firm in Liverpool 10 days ago was
>only reported on one radio news bulletin then dropped. So don't be too
>suprised if you didn't hear about it.
>
>We should be demanding a reduction of oil company profits side by side with
>the fuel protestors and a subsequent reduction in fuel prices AS WELL AS
>realistic public transport fares to reduce dependance on the car long term.
>
>As a regular rail passenger I am disgusted to see trains running around
>outside the rush hours almost empty. If the train operators were penalised
>for this you'd soon see fares come down, less cars on the road and the oil
>companies would have a tiny bit less of a stranglehold.
>
>But the future is surely bleak, the oil barons are in such a powerful
>position nowadays that they've even managed to con some greens into helping
>them out.
>
>Tony G
>
>
>Greennet has been knobbled tonight as I write this ;-) but when it is back
>up again you'll be able to find more info about the destruction of public
>transport in the UK and the USA here:
>
>Beeching and dismantlement of the railways
>http://www.bilderberg.org/railways.htm
>Ken Livingstone's Fares Fair at the GLC
>http://www.bilderberg.org/farefare.htm
>
>
>At 09:33 04/11/00 -0800, you wrote:
> >Fuel convoy:
> >
> >
> >We are keen to get accross the message that Motorists do not pay for the
> >real cost of their Motoring and would encourage the networking of the the
> >web site www.realfuelcrisis.co.uk. We are keen to link to others if you
> >could let us know.
> >
>
>
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