National Blockage Day

[Joe Rocket]

Saturday 17th November there is a big movement to stop as much traffic as possible circulating over the whole of France.

The protest is against the massive rise in petrol and diesel prices at the pumps. Diesel has gone up from 1€20 to just under 1€50 per litre partly due to the price of oil but also a huge hike in tax imposed by the government.

[Fat Rat]

What a great way to make friends and influence people. Hopefully it's nobody you know in the Ambulance trying to get to the Hospital 

[hookie]

I've been on some of these types of protests and the police were present and being very helpful (unlike in the UK these days) in allowing certain traffic through and generally allowing people to get their points across. If an emergency vehicle did need to get through I couldn't foresee any problems. There is a long history of large civil turnouts here that are very much a part of French culture. Sometimes they change things and sometimes  not, but at least people have made their feelings known. The hike in diesel prices has been done to "persuade" people to buy petrol cars instead of diesels. Initially the plan was to reduce the price of petrol to help as well, but this hasn't happened. Seems that politicians are the same the world over.

[Hugo Magnus]

So, Mr Rat what form of civil disobedience would you advocate (if any)? We have all come to rely on oil and the government have you by the short and curlies. It's no good voting them out..... Oops just slipped into the politics trap

[Brockett]

Regrettably the people of the UK, having had a fairly benign ruling class for over a hundred years, have lost interest in "Politics", the means by which power is obtained and retained and "Policies" the actions of those in power to create laws and the arrangements for a civilised society.
Consequently modern UK Democracy is asking people who neither know nor care to elect other people to rule over them. Politicians, like kids on the boating lake in the local park,  do not care where the boat goes as long as they can steer for a bit. 

[Andy M]

No matter who you vote for the government always gets in.

I like the French approach. They'll let emergency vehicles through and if they are that way inclined the people in the queues will just view it as adding their support. It's the only thing to do when the entire "Elite" wants you off the road to make way for their limos, or lower fuel tax is packaged with some nut job who wants to turn back the clock to 1933 and issue everyone a book by their favourite dictator.

We should have direct democracy, pick policies not politicians. Then I could pick a mix of nationalist and socialist policies. I'm sure it would turn out better.

Andy

[Gassoon]

Cheers Mr Rocket - a good heads up for someone, I'm sure.

Am I the only one who, on seeing the thread title thought it had something to do with constipation in the form of a NHS statistic;  or possibly some sort of kitchen sink protest?   (ans: probably )

[Tusker]

what Brockett said

[kwackboy]

If the fuel prices don't do the job I recommend this 

[Joe Rocket]

If only the solution was that simple kwackboy......... 

[mrp192]

Mr Brockett, your last sentence is the perfect description of politicians of the current day. All about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

[Joe Rocket]

I'm really surprised how little French have prorested since the 'Rentrée' in September. Then again we are in the middle of the two week Toussaint holidays. The Railways found no resolution after their work three days, strike two days during May and June before the Summer holidays began. Christmas holidays to look forward to but it might all start up again.......... 

Can you see a common thread running through this?   

[MartinW]

Oui

[Brockett]

https://www.racfoundation.org/data/uk-pump-prices-over-time

UK prices at the pump are lower now than in some months in 2012 and 2013.

[kwackboy]

The way the prices are rising it won't be long before we are back to nearly £1.45p a litre.