Fuel crisis: Brown tells others how to spend their windfall…
As oil prices escalate, haulage companies - which could go to the wall as one of their major costs goes through the roof - plan to demonstrate to ask the chancellor to cut the per centage he rakes in from his tax on petrol.
Mr Brown seems not to be of a mind to resist the lure of increased tax revenues. After all, his government spends money as if they’re oil sheiks…. But he wants others to make use of their increased oil revenues:
He is also pushing oil-producing nations to divert their current windfall into funding more production and refining facilities.
At the same time, Mr Brown wants more effort put into finding greener alternatives, with the World Bank to set up a fund to help developing countries do the same.
The IMF should create a fund for poorer countries hit by the rising prices, part-funded by Opec, he said.
So there you have it - the Brown approach:
Everyone else - do something! The British government - do nothing!
Fuel prices - a global problem and a global solution
According to Brown’s latest, nothing can be done by our government to tackle the high oil price. Is that right? Well let’s see what he has to say then. “It is because we understand the problems faced by hauliers, farmers…
Trackback by DailyPropaganda.co.uk — September 13, 2005 @ 3:46 pm
I had exactly the same thought when I read his speech, so much so that I wrote about it too. My conclusions were that Brown was a NIMBY and he should practice what he preaches or shut up. I doubt he will do either.
Comment by lascivious — September 13, 2005 @ 3:46 pm
Gordon Brown may call for production increases the important point is can those requests be met? Not from North Sea oil as production peaked several years ago and is declining year on year. Production peaked in the USA in the early 1970s and the Middle East is probably producing at peak capacity now. Thus we & Gordon Brown are being taught Economics 101 - supply & demand.
Comment by Thersites — September 13, 2005 @ 5:26 pm
The energy reserves of the world are abundant beyond the imagination.
The Iraq invasion was carried out to gain control of the petrolueum glut that was getting in the way of better profits for oil cartels.
On 29th April 2004 Saudi officials announced that their reserves previously stated at 261 billion barrels were actualy 1.2 trillion barrels.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=6§ion=0&article=44011&d=29&m=4&y=2004
In Mexico as reported by Reuters “huge new oil finds” double their reserves to a potential output equivalent to Saudi Arabia.
http://www.energybulletin.net/1803.html
Not unlike the “Al Qaeda” propaganda the simple minded public are seduced by repetetive rhetoric that simply is not based on the factual realities but it certainly serves the policy of monopoly.
A google search on “oil reserves” will find a couple of days study that delivers a picture of abundance.
That is why Iraq oil had to be shut down and other countries will certainly get the same traetment if they do not play the “shortage” game. Most likely they will be on the receiving end of another “Al Qaeda” event.
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 13, 2005 @ 10:24 pm
Mr Brooks,
Are you saying the US spent countless billions of dollars to raise the price of a commodity that they are dependent on and for which they’d then have to pay through the nose for?
Comment by Gary Monro — September 14, 2005 @ 6:55 am
Of course he is. As far as Brookie’s concerned, the US and UK are Big Brother, exercising power for power’s own sake. The fact that there’s no rhyme or reason for believing this doesn’t faze him in the slightest, why let facts and common sense get in the way of a good cult?
Comment by Dumb Brit — September 14, 2005 @ 8:14 am
Gary
If you take a look at his website, it is clear Brooke is a bit of a fruitloop, as dumb brit suggests.
Brooke has got a point that one of the reasons OPEC do not let the World know how much oil they have is so that they can play the shortage game, so Brown’s suggestion of “transparency” is futile. They like to keep the oil price high enough to make money, but low enough to not cause a recession, and the uncertainty in reserves is one factor in this game. However at the moment OPEC are relatively powerless, as the recent increase in prices isn’t due to the supply of crude oil, but the supply of refined products.
Comment by lascivious — September 14, 2005 @ 9:23 am
Reminds me of the Monty Python sketch:
“Tax all foreigners living abroad!!!”
Comment by James — September 14, 2005 @ 4:44 pm
Gary, the US auto owner will pay and the corporations make their super profits.
Why the invective from some posters?
What about the facts presented in the links?
This is just the tip of the ice burg.
Do you wish to frame your existence upon myths?
The reality and politics behind refinery capacity is very worthy of study.
“oil reserves” “oil refinery glut”
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 14, 2005 @ 8:01 pm
Because you’re insane to the point of cultishness and can’t spell ‘iceberg’ yet think yourself qualified to explode international conspiracies. Plus, lascivious has managed to falsify you in one post, so… yeah….
Comment by Dumb Brit — September 14, 2005 @ 10:01 pm
As usual most comments completely ignore the factual information and distract with childish name calling.
liscivious suggests that refinery capacity limits product which is in some respects true.
The concentration in the industry has allowed a greater monopoly over the supply of product and hence where power grows so do the dividends flow.
The fact remains as my references document, there is bountiful oil and this prospect is likely to continue into the distant future.
I mean hundreds of years.
The question is will the public accept the manipulation of a plentiful resource for super profits or will they see through the “peak oil” propaganda and demand that the abundance of nature be available to all in a just fashion.
Orwell predicted those who tell the truth would eventually be declared “insane” while the “lie” would become the “truth”.
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 15, 2005 @ 7:11 pm
That prediction was made by the Desert Fathers long before Blair/Orwell ever thought of it. As to name calling, I’ve yet to see any.
Comment by Dumb Brit — September 15, 2005 @ 8:46 pm
Dumdbrit, do you have no comment on the oil reserve realities?
After all that was my point.
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 16, 2005 @ 8:21 pm