In Britain we are having a little taste of the future.

[billyskank]

The truckers who distribute gas to Shell stations are on strike, protesting for better pay. They've been on strike since Friday until the end of tomorrow. Shell stations are only about 10% of the total in Britain, but many truckers supplying other gas stations have refused to cross picket lines. In addition, people have been panic buying, which have caused shortages of fuel in many places and at stations other than those owned by Shell.

They have another four-day strike planned for the following week, so we should get used to it. It seemed to me that many people were driving more slowly than usual on the freeway; I certainly was. I discovered that my car can do more than 500 miles of freeway driving on one tank, if I take it very easy.

Anyway, in one way I guess we should thank the truckers. They are causing great disruption to be sure, and I am not sure if the public mood is with them. But they are certainly teaching us a lesson; giving us a small taste of what it will be like to have to conserve fuel. And prices are already at an all-time high; gas costs more than double what it does in America. Though I know that nobody is interested in that, because when I mention it in gas price threads everybody always ignores it.

I think interesting times are just around the corner. Whether it will be alright, I have no idea.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear billyskank...

Yes, interesting times are indeed coming, if they're not here already...

Many people here in the States are discovering what you've discovered...

Driving more slowly brings better mileage...

Lots of folks are also using mass transit too, as well as driving to work.

They do't use it every day, but a couple of days a week, and that's helping the freeway crowding, as well as making their fuel costs lower...

I don't know what the future holds...

Great to see you today, sweetie!

:hug:

[billyskank]

3. Hi Peggy

:hi:

[redwitch]

2. Hey Billy!

I have been using our Camry for thruway driving here in NY. With cruise control I get over 30 mpg, way better than my Ford wagon. And I have noticed here that the only people slowing down are the truck drivers.

It's nice to see you here again!

[billyskank]

5. Hi redwitch

Nice to see you too. :hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. Hey billyskank --

good to see you :hug:

we are living in interesting times, yes.

[billyskank]

6. Hi

:hug:

:hi:

[BlueJazz]

7. True..Petrol costs twice as much but you get a whole lot more.

Ours (Gas tax) is suppose to go for infrastructure but the sharks steal it anyway. :)

Good Post!

[lost-in-nj]

8. Hi Billy...

long time no see....


I believe we are coming up on some frightening times
thinking about buying a gun
and learning how to use it....
My son knows how to shoot, he is a Distinguished Expert on a .22
he just bought a pistol and is learning how to use it
so I might just join him
I'm alone, and it's scary

I am almost trying to figure out how I can use my horse in my day to day travels......


:hi:



lost

[billyskank]

15. We're fucked.

If it's come to having to arm yourselves, then it's all over.

:hi:

[truedelphi]

9. I don't think that gas costs double ANY MORE

Our prices have risen three fold, while your prices have only doubled.

Additionally, you folks buy by the liter (liter? I don't even know how it is spelled.) - while we buy by the gallon.

I was just on a site abt three days ago, and it comparison-priced the cost of gas between the various countries. When you make the conversion to dollars and gallons, you Brits are paying just about what we pay here in California.

[truedelphi]

11. The CNN site shows the Brits paying $ 5.79 - it is abt $ 4.59

today at my local rural CA gas station.

[hellbound-liberal]

12. This site shows Germany and the UK paying more than double the US rate

I know it was posted on Wikipedia but it looks legit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing

[billyskank]

13. My local station sells unleaded for £1.18 a litre.

According to XE.com, that is about $2.30 a litre.

If there are 3.78 litres in one US gallon, then that comes to about $8.70 a gallon.

[truedelphi]

25. Yes I am realizing that CNN might have made a mistake

IMAGINE THAT!

And I went and believed them.

[billyskank]

14. Actually it's worse than double

Whatever figures you saw are wrong.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7833924&mesg_id=7833983

[JVS]

16. It's like £1.16/ liter, so 3.78*1.16 £4.38 = about $8.76/US gallon

[billyskank]

17. No-one will believe it though.

No-one will believe that I just paid like $120 to fill a four-cylinder family sedan.

[JVS]

19. I buy it. I walk by a tesco gas station each day and see Ford fiestas running up...

gas bills of £50-£60. I shudder to think of how much it costs to run the ferrari that I see parked in nearby garage.
Any car is a luxury, or so it appears to me.

[billyskank]

20. A Ferrari went past me on the motorway this evening

I dread to think how much that costs to drive. But then, if you can afford a Ferrari then I suppose you can afford the petrol.

I had no idea you were over here.

[JVS]

yeah. I'm doing some work. Get a vacation from July 20th-30th.

[libnnc]

43. Was it Jeremy Clarkson in the Ferrari?

[billyskank]

46. Couldn't see, it was dark

and the Ferrari was two lanes across from me, and I didn't notice it until it had overtaken me.

[flvegan]

50. He drives a Lambo, and if it were he in the Ferrari...

it would have been going sideways.

POWER!!

[libnnc]

54. "It's BRILLIANT!"

:P

[DS1]

72. Bark. AAAAUUUGHHHH!!

[flvegan]

21. I believe it.

[billyskank]

24. Thanks.

:hi:

[GreenPartyVoter]

69. I believe it. How do you manage?!

[hellbound-liberal]

10. Hey billyskank, thanks for sharing this.

I start my day with the podcast from the Guardian and I've heard that things are much worse over there than they are here and that people are having to choose between food and fuel. I am thankful that the truckers over there are willing to take a stand. I'm afraid things are going to get worse before they get better.

[billyskank]

18. Yes, the food prices are going up as well.

My regular monthly outgoings are now getting quite close to my monthy income, which is very scary. It's scary because I'm single, I don't drink or smoke, I don't have a girlfriend, I basically don't do much, and I earn a reasonably decent salary. If I'm starting to feel the pinch then a lot of people must be in very serious trouble.

[JVS]

23. Tesco value sausages were on sale for 16p rather than the normal 54p/454g Let the good times roll!

;-)

[DS1]

27. oooh, value sausage

:9

[JVS]

29. want some value 4.2% abv. cider. it's 94p for 2 liters. And then there are value pasties 32p each.

[billyskank]

30. Bless the blue and white stripes.

No longer the staple only of students; now they can save us all!

[JVS]

32. Why is beer so fucking expensive here? I'd buy tesco value lager and bitter, but at 2% there's no..

point.

[DS1]

33. 2%? That's lower than Bud

:wtf:

[JVS]

34. That's lower than bud light! Get the cider, it's stronger and costs the same.

[billyskank]

37. British lager drinkers have no discrimination.

Athentic British drinks are ales, though most people drink lager. But the lager that gets sold here is horrid. Not like the stuff they make on the continent, which is actually nice to drink. I've never drunk beer in America so I can't compare it, but I would hope it is better than what they sell here. If you want a proper beer in Britain, steer clear of the fizzy stuff and get something smooth instead.

[billyskank]

35. I don't know. Since getting wasted is the national pastime

you'd think they'd make it as cheap as possible. But I stopped drinking myself five years ago, so I am no longer an authority on alcohol and matters related thereof.

[JVS]

36. The Germans share that national past-time and they make sure that getting wasted from store bought..

beer is nice and cheap. Germany is home of the 22 cent tallboy.

[billyskank]

38. You can always rely on the Germans to do things right.

On the other hand, if you want stuff done in the most half-assed way possible, Britain is your place.

[JVS]

40. How the hell did they lose the war?

I guess doing things right is less important in war than the Russian knack for doing things no matter how many people get killed.

[billyskank]

44. Maybe it is a recent phenomenon

Although I think the main reason Germany lost the war was because they tried to fight it on about 15 fronts at once.

[Connonym]

78. I read somewhere that meat is cheap right now because the price of feed is so high

farmers are killing off their herds because it's too expensive to keep them. We're in for some hard times I think. The price of gas plus flooding in the midwest is really going to put a damper on crops this year. It's pretty scary.

[RainDog]

22. Thank you for sharing this

I would imagine there are a lot of commuters since London is the most expensive city in the world now...or so I heard.

I'm looking at jobs and likely moving and I really don't want to move to a large city, given the choice, because things will be more expensive there. I hate to leave my fruit trees and bushes too. If worst came to worse, fruit isn't bad to eat.

in any case, cost of living comparison calculators need to be updated often these days.

so what would you estimate the "new" speed limit to be?

[billyskank]

28. London is unusual

London is certainly a very expensive city; I don't know if it's the most expensive in the world (Tokyo might be more expensive) but I am sure it is in the top three.

But you can easily live in London without a car. The much-maligned tube (subway) is still far more effective than anything we have in any other British city, and driving in London is a nightmare anyway. The housing is ridiculously expensive, of course, so most people end up renting houses together in groups, rather like students do. This is certainly how young people live in London.

[Haole Girl]

26. Hi billy!

[billyskank]

31. Hi!

:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

39. Hi

:hi:

[billyskank]

41. Hi

:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

42. i miss you

*pout*

:hug:

:loveya:

Come back to MA...

[billyskank]

47. I miss you too.

:hug:

I wish I could move to your city.

:*

[bicentennial_baby]

48. I'll recruit a pal to marry you for green card hijinks!

Just like that Depardieu film. :D

And, since it's MA, gender not an issue! :P

:*

[billyskank]

51. Bwahahaha

Do you think anybody in Boston would want to hire a talented limey Java web developer? ;)

[bicentennial_baby]

55. I'm sure of it...

And I'd move mountains to get you here...It's so good to see you tonight. :hug:

:loveya:

[billyskank]

61. It is good to see you too.

I :loveya: too.

I will go to bed on that thought. Thank you. :hug:

Goodnight all. :hi:

[Fire Walk With Me]

45. Americans are extremely self-centered.

Our troubles must somehow be worse than anyone else's, because they're OUR troubles. I'm sorry about the effect BushCo are having upon your and the EU's petrol pricing.

A positive note: What shall be the result of extreme gas prices and social unrest? Less selfishness.

[billyskank]

49. Everybody is. I'm sorry

I was just being peevish.

I do hope you're right. I do hope that the adversity (that I believe is coming) will make people start co-operating more, spend more time together doing things by hand, and less time working themselves to the bone making rich people richer in the vain hope of becoming wealthy themselves.

[Fire Walk With Me]

52. You have every right to be peevish, it's America's fault for allowing this to happen.

And you're suffering more than twice as much.

[leeroysphitz]

53. I wish I lived in a country where people could and would strike with the reasonable expectation that

by doing so they could and would change things...

[billyskank]

57. I suppose we should wait to see how it ends first.

n/t

[leeroysphitz]

64. Maybe, but in the States we do nothing and get nothing. Even if things don't work out

at least people in Europe are TRYING. That's really what I meant, I suppose.

[femmocrat]

77. . . .

and that they won't lose their livelihood....

Me too.

[Oeditpus Rex]

56. Gas? Truckers? Freeway?

Petrol? Lorry drivers? Motorway?



:shrug:



Don't make me un-learn everything Monty Python taught me. :(

[billyskank]

59. If I say petrol, lorries or motorway people will make fun of me.

;)

[Oeditpus Rex]

65. Yes, well, they're just a lot of gits, then, aren't they?

:)

[flvegan]

70. Pillocks, the lot of them.

[sniffa]

58. Hi Billy

:hi:

We take public transit for most things, and I even walk for some errands. :o

[billyskank]

60. Hey you.

Yes, I have seen it. I am glad that you have the facility in Boston to get about without a car. I know it doesn't extend to everybody in the city, but at least you have it, which gladdens my heart.

:hi:

[no name no slogan]

62. I noticed slower drivers on the road this weekend, too

I had to make a 180-mile round-trip drive, mostly on a highway with a 65 mph speed limit. For the first time in 20 years of driving this route, I noticed that most people were driving 65-70 mph, where they previously drove 70-80 mph.

Thankfully I'm not overly affected by the gas crunch, as I live only a couple miles from work and telecommute one day a week.

Things will get very interesting in the next few months, all over the world.

[LeftyMom]

79. They keep getting in my way.

Twice today some asshat in an enormous vehicle (one old Bronco type-thing made into a convertible, one newish Lexus SUV) was going 15-20 miles under the limit on a main street for no good reason and snarling traffic. As there was nobody in front, they didn't have their four ways on, and the engine wasn't billowing smoke, I assume it was some misguided attempt at reducing the fuel consumption of an overlarge vehicle.

People like that make me wish I could mount some sort of artillery on my little Saturn. My dinky car and I have places to be, damn it. :nuke:

[Lyric]

63. Yes, people in Britain pay more for gasoline. However,

people in Britain get other benefits that make it much easier to bear the higher petrol costs. Petrol in Britain costs more because it's taxed heavily, and that tax pays for healthcare, among other benefits. Britain is also much smaller and less reliant on petrol for moving goods around the country than we are. If American citizens had the universal healthcare (with the much-lowered and more spread-out costs that go along with it), more bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities, and less reliance on gasoline for shipping that Britain has, I suspect that the higher gas prices wouldn't be nearly as catastrophic as they've become.

Just an observation. I envy Brits. :)

[skygazer]

66. I really think people are going to change a lot of their habits

And that is a good thing, even though it's prompted by a bad thing.

It's nice to see you. :hug: :hi: :loveya:

[billyskank]

82. Hiya sky

It's good to see you too. :loveya:

:hug:

[Mutley]

67. Heard about that on NPR.

They assured everyone listening that this would not cause any problems for British drivers.

Oh, and I bet we all ignore British gas prices in the gas price threads because none of us want to think about the days in the near future when we have to pay the same.

Plus, Americans are selfish. :P

[billyskank]

83. Nothing to see here, move along please.

The government has been urging people not to panic buy. *I* tried to be good and waited till I nearly ran out. But when I did go to fill up, I saw that the previous customer had put in £5 worth, and I also saw somebody putting two jerry cans into the back of their little hatchback. :eyes:

People everywhere are selfish. ;)

:hug:

[Mutley]

87. Heh, I guess if fuel never again arrives in Britian,

those two jerry cans will last, what, a week? Two? :eyes:



Howya been? :hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

68. I was wondering how things were going with the strike. Thanks for the insight

[Skittles]

71. as someone who has lived in England and America

there is no way you can compare gas prices in England to those in America - it is apples and oranges

[femmocrat]

73. Hi billy! Great to see you again!

:hi: That is very interesting about the truckers. I expect that we will see demonstrations, if not strikes, here before long, with diesel over $5.00 a gallon.

Locally, I am not only seeing slower drivers, but FEWER drivers. The stores are practically deserted. We live out in the country and have to drive everywhere, but we consolidate our errands into far fewer trips. No more shopping out of boredom!

I am happy to be on summer break, so I don't drive much right now. My S.O. put $90.00 into my SUV this week. I am trying to make it last until August! LOL

[graywarrior]

74. I love those truckers almost as much as I love you!

:loveya:

[billyskank]

84. The truckers must never find out.

You are MINE! :loveya:

[graywarrior]

86. I'll shout it from the rooftops!!!!!!!

I don't care who knows! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[Elidor]

75. More than double???

Jebus. I knew it was a lot more, but had no idea. I'm fortunate I don't have to do much driving. I've held myself down to $10 a week lately.

[harmonicon]

76. makes me glad that I don't drive

good to see you around here again, btw.

[tigereye]

80. I have seen a number of gas stations go out of business here

in my part of the US. I've never seen that before... well, other than when some type of chain store wants the property...

[FunkyLeprechaun]

81. In Burton

On our way to the movies, there was a line for petrol. On our way back, it wasn't busy (we needed to get some).

We'll see. I also wonder if the housing market is affected by this as well? My bro-in-law is selling his house and he just dropped one agent and got a new agent. The previous agent had a "property particulars" link and in it had the energy rating of the house (it was an E rating). The new one doesn't show the energy rating.

In fact, I've noticed that a lot of the houses on RightMove don't even show the energy rating of the house.

[WinkyDink]

85. You are correct about the future. OUR situation, though = larger distances to drive to get

anywhere; much worse to non-existent public transportation; rare if any pedestrian-only shopping zones in urban areas.