On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:19:52 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:56:48 +0100, MM wrote:

Yep, and one of the neighbours said to me recently they'd just filled
their tank at 50p a litre and the driver said the industry reckoned it
would be a pound a litre by 2009.

If so that has very serious implications on the price of road fuels, think
160+p/l for diesel and 150p+/l for petrol. The base oil cost of all fuels
is pretty much the same, it's the the duty and VAT that give the price
differences.

Well, unleaded petrol prices are around 106p per litre already in the
Spalding area.

Such massive increases in such a short time don't let the economy adjust.
Things just stop happening as people and companies can't afford to do them
any longer and make a profit.

Definition of a crisis, no?

150p/l is £6.80/gallon (ish). Some one on or near the minimum wage and
working 15 to 20 miles from home has to work for over an hour just to pay
for the fuel to get there. Another hour to pay the insurance, maintenace
etc. Probably another couple for deductions like Income Tax, NI & Pension.

Maybe the oil companies are deliberately hitting the home heating
victims, who do not have the same degree of exposure as electricity
and gas consumers.


Oh look it's lunchtime and this worker still hasn't earn't any money to
spend on *anything* else. Come the end of the day they might have £25 to
spend on other fuel bills, housing, food...

The drivers fear for their jobs as customers drop oil heating like a hot
potato.

But people still need to keep warm, what are they going to switch to?

Already it's borderline whether electricity is actually cheaper than
oil. In some parts of the country, especially if one is running short
of oil and will soon need another refill, it probably is. So people
will just buy a few cheap fan heaters and use them instead.

LPG
has increased, so has electricity. It's probably a fairly safe assumption
that mains gas is not available to the vast majority using oil for
heating. People are caught between a rock and hard place.

Another definition of a crisis! (Since consumers can do bugger all.)

MM