Friday, June 13, 2008

What a waste of fuel

According to the papers this morning Gordon Brown is going to embark on a 'personal crusade' to bring down the price of oil by traveling to the Middle East and trying to convince them that they don't (excuse the pun) have him over a barrel.

Putting aside the use of the term 'crusade' in relation to a Middle East trip, he really doesn't have to get on a plane to solve the problem. All he actually has to do is have a word in the ear of Alistair Darling and reduce the tax on the stuff.

Of course that will mean less money for the Treasury but it was money it didn't budget for having. So instead of spending shed load of money flying around the world, if Brown really wants to help people with the cost of fuel, lower the tax. Don't waste the fuel on the flight.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

His beard probably wants to get some shopping done in Dubai before he loses his travel perks.

Anonymous said...

How come so little is mentioned of coal these days? We are supposed to have reserves well in excess of 1 billion tonnes

Anonymous said...

If Gordon Brown can't convince his own country of anything - it's highly unlikely he will be persuasive in the middle east.

Gordon Brown is incapable of basic communication - he has no people skills.

He is a waste of time and space.

Letters From A Tory said...

So let's be clear about this - he's going on a pointless long-haul flight to talk about oil.

So much for his green credentials!

Anonymous said...

If he did actually say "personal crusade" then he is an idiot.

Moslem countries have never taken to crusaders for obvious reasons -and Bush ran into huge trouble when he used the word.

Anyway, why would anyone want to pay much attention to a prime minister from a country in severe decline and who will be cast into electoral oblivion?

Alex said...

If petrol costs £1.175 per litre (I use that simply because the numbers are easier), then 17.5p is VAT and 50.35p is duty, so that means 49.65p is the cost of crude oil, refining, transport etc. (compared with 67.85p tax).

Add to that the fact thatoil companies operaing in the North Sea get taxed at 48p (not 28p) in the pound on their profits, and some North Sea oil fields also pay 50% PRT on their profits (deductible against CT profits), and we can see where the high cost comes from.

Pogo said...

"Anonymous@8:30"...

Why not use coal? Because cretinous "climate protesters" think it kills fluffy bunnies and drowns Polar Bears.

haddock said...

is he off to Saudi Arabia to agree to more mosques in return for oil ?

Anonymous said...

Alex: Electro Kevin posted a full chart of costs breakdown on his blog a couple of days ago. Worth a look if you want to see how much is being stolen from you every time you fill up.

Mulligan said...

Brown is going to the Middle East to lower the price of oil?

Buy oil, sell shares, $250 a barrel by the end of the month

Bill Quango MP said...

New Coal...I've been convinced.

It's jobs for the most deprived regions of the UK.
It will lower our oil dependency
It will decrease our imports
It will let us have a product we can sell around the world again
It will reduce or at least stabilise our energy prices and benefit consumers and industry.

The down side..
It isn't wind. It isn't green. It isn't very hugable

Some strong marketing needed.
Forget Coal, call it Earth Bricks?
Natural Stones? The Organic Greenhouse resource?

Anonymous said...

Good Grief. He'll be setting up the Gordon Brown Oil Foundation next.

DiscoveredJoys said...

The present government seem over enthusiastic in collecting tax. They must feel that there is a real problem with the country's finances. It makes me wonder if there is a 'second set of books' which show the true financial position...

Michael Heaver said...

Brown strikes me as the type of PM who isn't going to be negotiate shit in favour of Britain.

Anonymous said...

Will he actually get there, as his `Moral Compass` on present performance shows his navigation highly questionable?
There again- perhaps he may finish up where he should actually be "In the Middle of No where" with his useless kinder garden-cabinet with him.-----------

Here`s living in some hope after the Irish Vote

JH

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree.

Dizzy +1
Rubbish Government -99999999999

Anonymous said...

Useless Brown has the front to tell the Beeb ( local radio, today 1pm ) that there was nothing that he could do about the price of fuel because it is an international problem. He takes us for complete fools.

Anonymous said...

What a wanker he is.

Anonymous said...

He's just running away again...