Fuel protests heads up!

[stotRE]

http://headlines.virgin.net/story/HHH/A53326731126282835A00

Fuel protests threatened for this wednesday.

And a go slow on the M4 is planned for friday

http://www.lesstaxonfuel.co.uk/News.htm

Also there are plans for protests in France and Spain in support of Britain.

 

[familne]

Don't see what this has to do with bushcraft?

Personally, anything which curbs energy consumption is a good thing.

 

[bambodoggy]

Also there are plans for protests in France and Spain in support of Britain.

Are they sure? The French never seem to support us in anything!

 

[anthonyyy]

What on earth does this have to do with bushcraft?

“In support of Britain”

Protests for or against what or whom?
Against higher fuel prices? They want lower taxes which will increase demand and use up oil reserves quicker thus increasing pre-tax prices.

I would have thought that genuine bushcrafters would have been in favour of conservation of scarce resorces.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I would have thought that genuine bushcrafters would have been in favour of conservation of scarce resorces.

We honestly do buddy,
But in the interim, we mostly have jobs to get to, to pay the other bills of our family existance in the modern world.

Ogri the trog

 

[Eric_Methven]

It has nothing to do with bushcraft. That's why it's in the off topic section. However it is interesting and relevant. I have to drive a long way this weekend to the Scottish Meet up in the Trossachs. With diesel costing 98.9p a litre it's no longer cheap. If there is a protest coming soon there's a very real chance of disruption and even higher prices at the pumps. So, this afternoon I will drive to my local supermarket and fill up two jerrycans with diesel - just in case. I'll also get some petrol for my chainsaw.

As a bushcrafter I am greatly in favour of conserving our planet's resources, and I do practice good management and conservation skills whenever I'm working. But I also need a big van to run my woodcraft and coppicing business and have little choice in needing to consume diesel.

Five years ago I started making bio-diesel from recycled chip fat. It worked well and my van ran quite happily on it. I was then warned by a friendly police officer that making it without a licence was illegal. And in any case if I got a licence I would be lible to pay duty on it in any case. That totally defeated the objective, so I just buy pertrolium diesel now.

The problem lies with the government being too scared, or influenced by the rich oil companies who, it seems, will squeeze every ounce of profit from the black stuff until there is no more and then say 'tough $h1t'. We all know that the internal combustion engine is as old as the hills and needs to be replaced with one of the many alternative energy sources, but I doub't that'll happen before some country declares war on another to get their oil and kicks off WW3. Then we'll need our bushcraft skills!!!

Sorry 'bout the rant. It's a subject close to my wallet.

Eric

 

[anthonyyy]

It has nothing to do with bushcraft. That's why it's in the off topic section.

Fair point.

 

[arctic hobo]

It's a bit of a moral question if you ask me. The fuel prices have gone up because of the devastation in New Orleans and the Gulf of something or other that means the oil rigs aren't producing. Now unless we think that the US aren't doing all they can to get the area back to normal, we will just have to hold on tight until it all resumes. Maybe we might even send aid to help them...?
Thing is, there's no sense in reducing the tax on the petrol - and politically, it makes no sense either. Can you imagine the scene post "oil-crisis" when the government announce the increase again? The only way to implement it would be to have a tax that meant prices did not exceed say 91p. But in the future this would cause big problems when oil prices rise.
Yes it's expensive, and yes it affects haulage companies etc., but look at it this way - it's inevitable, it happened for a sad reason that each of us can donate to help out, and it's a taster of days to come when the damn' stuff does run out.



PS Yes I am biased: I don't drive and I'm also happy that high oil prices make Norway rich

 

[shinobi]

Don't see what this has to do with bushcraft?

That's why it's been posted in the "Off-topic" section.
Edit- Ooops, already been mentioned. Sorry.

 

[innocent bystander]

What gets me is that America get's hit, the price per drum goes up. OPEC compensate by giving half a billion barrels away, and the price goes up anyway regardless. Exxon must be rubbing there hands together. ( even if they have a facility in Baton Rouge)...

 

[stotRE]

I know that its a touchy subject but forwarned is forarmed.
Wouldn't want any of my fellow bushcrafters to be caught off guard .

I am looking into making my own biodiesel but as Eric_methven said you still have to pay duty on it.
But then again what the eyes don't see the heart dosen't grieve for .

If your interested check this link out

http://www.wasteoil.co.uk/biodiesel.cfm

P.S. i don't work for these by the way,i'm a self employed timberframer.

 

[Rebel]

Five years ago I started making bio-diesel from recycled chip fat. It worked well and my van ran quite happily on it. I was then warned by a friendly police officer that making it without a licence was illegal. And in any case if I got a licence I would be lible to pay duty on it in any case. That totally defeated the objective, so I just buy pertrolium diesel now.

Eric

I run a diesel van too and I would love to be able to buy bio-diesel, but it seems none of our politicians are interested in it. During the election campaign I even talked to a green party candidate about it and to my amazement he'd never heard of it before. In fact I think he thought I was some kind of idiot but I insisted he type the word "biodiesel" into Google when he got home.

http://www.biodiesel.co.uk/

The amazing thing about this fuel is that all diesel engines could be running on it now without any modification. Pure biodiesel requires the minor modification of replacing a few rubber hoses or cut with regular diesel it requires no modification at all. The pumps, tankers and everything else could be used just as they are.

This is a totally renewable energy source that can reuse old vegetable oil that is currently being poured into landfills. Poor countries could even produce low grade oil for more wealthy nations to use a fuel and help their economies.

So why aren't the rich Western nations developing this fuel? I can only guess that the fuel companies don't want to see it replacing fossil fuel in the foreseeable future.

 

[Rebel]

Here's some more biodiesel links to get you convinced.

http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/gettingstarted/

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

 

[R-Bowskill]

Given that every time you change the form an energy is in you loose about 10% it makes more sense to not bother making biodiesel and drink the old chip fat then use that to give you the energy for your journey, either on foot or by bike, that way you avoid having to pay duty on it or the risk of prosecution for making it without a license. You don't have to worry about putting on weight as the extra excercise will burn off the calories and if you doubt the ability to move large loads by manpower just look at what the Viet cong moved by bike along the Ho Chi Mihn trail, or closer to home the building of the pyrramids and stonehenge.

My biofuel is called food.

 

[Povarian]

What gets me is that America get's hit, the price per drum goes up. OPEC compensate by giving half a billion barrels away, and the price goes up anyway regardless. Exxon must be rubbing there hands together. ( even if they have a facility in Baton Rouge)...

Granted the companies are doing well from this, but the prices were rising fast before Katrina hit.

Whenever peak oil hits is irrelevant really, since this year saw global demand outstrip supply in the summer months which are traditionally the cheap/surplus season. Demand from China and India coupled with a lack of new production capacity is going to force prices to continue to rise.

So what we need is a shift in Government thinking to adjust our society to be less depenant on the black stuff. [I think I just heard an oinker fly by] As has been pointed out, reducing taxes leads to an increase in the raw price, but that reasoning doesn't help someone whose trucking business is struggling to survive. For once I think the powers that be are right not to cut the tax , despite doing it for the wrong reasons [doesn't seem to be a coherent plan with investment in alternatives], but I can understand the protesters viewpoint as well. Unfortunately "demand destruction" means a non-trivial number of companies will fold too.

As for me, the fuel increases hurt an already stretched budget, so I'm topping off and filling a couple of cans tonight.

 

[Eric_Methven]

I am looking into making my own biodiesel but as Eric_Methven said you still have to pay duty on it.
But then again what the eyes don't see the heart dosen't grieve for .

It's a dead giveaway Stu. Your exhaust will smell of fish and chips.

Eric

 

[stotRE]

It's a dead giveaway Stu. Your exhaust will smell of fish and chips.

Eric

DOAH!!!
Its a shame that people who want to try and do their bit for the planet end up paying for it.

Ummh.......fish and chips.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Just after Y2K I took the camper van up to a campsite near Edinburgh. Now on a friday and saturday evening the local fish and chip van used to visit the campsite to save the campers from cooking a meal, and it was very popular.

We arrived, burning our home made bio-diesel, at around four thirty and drove slowly round the perimiter track until we found our pitch. By the time we had reversed onto the pitch and erected the awning, we were somewhat surprised to see dozens of people walking around sniffing the air and looking like they'd lost something.

I asked one of them what was up and he replied that they couldn't find the fish and chip van. He said it must be somewhere on the campsite as everyone could smell it.

I 'd left the engine running all the time as I adjusted the awning so the smell was pretty strong by then. Anyway, I said nothing and switched the engine off.

I said I couldn't smell anything and suggested that it might be mass halucination and the chap just went away looking bemused.

The wife and I just wet ourselves laughing.

Eric

 

[arctic hobo]

Given that every time you change the form an energy is in you loose about 10% it makes more sense to not bother making biodiesel and drink the old chip fat then use that to give you the energy for your journey, either on foot or by bike, that way you avoid having to pay duty on it or the risk of prosecution for making it without a license. You don't have to worry about putting on weight as the extra excercise will burn off the calories and if you doubt the ability to move large loads by manpower just look at what the Viet cong moved by bike along the Ho Chi Mihn trail, or closer to home the building of the pyrramids and stonehenge.

My biofuel is called food.

*Applause* Very well said sir. I might add that the greatest long distance runner in the world is not a horse, or a wolf, or a leopard - it's the human being

 

[stotRE]

Carrying a chopsaw,nail gun and a couple of bags of tools on a bicycle would make for quite a sight
Unfortunatly at the minute i live in a world of deadlines and competition and my van is an integral part of my business.

But having said that i have the tools and the knowledge to build a timber frame house from hewing the tree to driving the trunnels.

My clients just wouldn't have the patience