- This topic has 13 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated September 14, 2005 at 7:34 pm by Anonymous.
-
AuthorPosts
-
September 13, 2005 at 3:38 pm #1036773
Anonymous
so petrols now over a quid a litre in britain, deisels actually more expensive than petrol (both of which are unprecidented), gordon brown is panicing, blockades and strikes are imminent, its all kicking off…
yet BP own the rights to hydrogen fuel cells, the only viable answer to the crisis, an engine which runs on hydrogen split from water, and which produces only water as waste. the only electricity need is that to split the hydrogen in the first place, which can be sourced sustainably.
what the fucks that all about?
September 13, 2005 at 3:39 pm #1067048USE wrote:what the fucks that all about?money
September 13, 2005 at 4:05 pm #1067051globalloon wrote:moneyand power 👿
September 13, 2005 at 5:00 pm #1067043I saw troops in carriers driving through Reading today toward Oxfordshire – the Army don’t have spare cash or resources to drive about these days unless theres a good reason for it
but BP will argue it has a duty to its shareholders to maximise profit by holding off the development of other sources as long as possible
many in high positions of corporations clearly do enjoy the power they hold over others and its not just about money
the average CEO earns so much they could invest a years salary on the stock market (or even directly in another business), live off the interest and never have to set foot in an office ever again, yet if you ever read business/accountancy magazines you read about people who have 6 directorships, do a 60 hour working week and keep on living like this..
corporate power and oil dependency is like heroin for those who don’t do drugs
people at street level don’t help themselves though…
how many party people are whinging that they can’t afford raving, just because they insisted on buying a high performance car to “impress the girls” and keep on ragging it at 80-100 mph all the way along the motorway?
September 13, 2005 at 5:11 pm #1067052you dont have to drive a flash car to get affected- theres queues for petrol everywhere down here, and its the indy buisnessmen, the plumbers and delivery blokes that will get proper fucked. they dont have the safety margin to cope. even people who drive to work in low paid jobs are screwed. last week i was in a factory and they blokes wouldnt shut up trying to work out exactly how much more skanked they are under new prices. £40 pound a week for petrol is a whole days wages.
i haven’t learnt to drive yet, and im torn cos i need to get about, but its blatantly more hassle than its worth…
September 13, 2005 at 5:22 pm #1067046i haven’t learnt to drive yet, and im torn cos i need to get about, but its blatantly more hassle than its worth…
I hear you — i HATE driving — i’m shit at it, it’s expensive, other people drive like maniacs, I feel like i’m constantly going to die on the road, and it makes me feel bad (about the environment and about being a slave to oil)
i use public transport when i can – but visiting family in remote parts of wales where there’s maybe one bus a day isn’t a viable alternative.
it’s a tricky onebring on battery powered transport of the future – safe, eco-freindly, and does the driving for you!!
September 13, 2005 at 5:28 pm #1067053yea, what i want is summat like asimov’s vision of the future – where transport is via suspended escalators and travelators that run like motorways with different speed bands next to one another. or something like the pneumatic system in futurama.
seriously tho, theres no reason why 98% of transport shouldnt be done by trains trams and busses. its just getting the train and bus companies to actually reinvest their profits thats a batard.
its only gonna get worse under strict capitalism, socialist reform is the only way forward, imo…
September 13, 2005 at 6:05 pm #1067044USE wrote:you dont have to drive a flash car to get affected- theres queues for petrol everywhere down here, and its the indy buisnessmen, the plumbers and delivery blokes that will get proper fucked.many of these business people are the same ones who vote Tory for “lower taxes” or “less regulation”, bemoan any investment in “public services” and believe in “market forces” and “private enterprise” rather than “big government”.
Now they are simply finding out that market forces mean the big fish get fed first, and are bleating….
Quote:they dont have the safety margin to cope.a vital part of business planning is ensuring you have a safety margin to cope with “challenges” such as increasing transport costs, a downturn in sales etc…. if they can’t do that then their business was on shaky ground anyway – and sadly a lot of small businesses are.
people are still going to need deliveries and trades despite the oil crisis. Those businesses which are providing a quality service and looking after their customers properly will be able to increase prices if need be……..
they made the choice to play the capitalist game, and there are winners and losers.
There isn’t much of a safety net for the fact that IT jobs (many of which don’t or needn’t involve much travelling) are being outsourced to the North of the UK or outside Britain; why should the situation be any different for other industries?
Quote:even people who drive to work in low paid jobs are screwed. last week i was in a factory and they blokes wouldnt shut up trying to work out exactly how much more skanked they are under new prices. £40 pound a week for petrol is a whole days wages.the ability to drive to work every day for a factory, shop or lower-level office job is a comparatively recent luxury – mostly encouraged in the late 70s by thatcho decreasing fuel taxes – this was paid for by reducing public services and selling off public infrastructure industries such as water, electricity, gas distribution and public transport to the private sector (which may be one reason why they aren’t investing in renewable energy as the return on investment is long-term rather than short term)
before then factories had “works buses” which picked up their staff in the mornings and took them back home. The bus was also used at weekends for social outings…
Quote:i haven’t learnt to drive yet, and im torn cos i need to get about, but its blatantly more hassle than its worth…I’m in the same situation too (made worse by the fact that I’ve mislaid my provisional license and don’t have a photocard).
realistically, how much do you need to get about and how much do you want to get about?
In Britain, despite high fuel prices, many people still enjoy a freedom of movement that was uncommon just 25+ years ago – but this was paid for in blood in other countries. Now the war or its consequences are simply coming home, and because of narrow-mindedness and short-termism in thje business community everyones learning stuff the hard way.
September 13, 2005 at 7:25 pm #1067050I cycled past the local petrol station on my bike and had a laugh this morning i must admit. It definatly demonstrates how much we rely on the stuff. I personally havn’t needed to get a car yet but i feel need to get my license soon anyway just for the possibility of renting a car to be able to get further than my trusty push bike (or friends) can take me.
September 13, 2005 at 7:30 pm #1067049i can’t afford to live in this city much longer
but if i move out to the sticks i don’t know if i could afford to get to work (no rural public transport, fuel available to the rich only)
car share is quite good, but still depends on someone driving
September 14, 2005 at 8:20 am #1067047General Lighting wrote:realistically, how much do you need to get about and how much do you want to get about?
In Britain, despite high fuel prices, many people still enjoy a freedom of movement that was uncommon just 25+ years ago – but this was paid for in blood in other countries. Now the war or its consequences are simply coming home, and because of narrow-mindedness and short-termism in thje business community everyones learning stuff the hard way.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently – about our accelereated pace of living and how to a large extent many people equate the idea of freedom with mobility.
I am certainly guilty of doing as much travelling and moving around as i possibly can – probably because it does make me feel independent and free, and also because I’d like to see as much of this beautiful planet while i still can.
The USA was a bit of a shocker in terms of car culture – and i thought i was dependent on my car! drive through off liscences, banks, chemists, fast food and more on the way. I’ve even had to queue in a line of cars to use a cashpoint as the bank didn’t have any for pedestrians – stooped over because they are designed for people to lean out of their windows! totally ridiculous.
maybe we should take a leaf out of our grandparents books – walking miles to go to work, to socialise, to go courting! it certainly makes for a healthier nation!
but until the public transport system is overhauled – prices reduced so that it is more affordable for everybody – we seem to be in a bit of a bind.I wish i had a time machine – or a reality re-arranger……..
September 14, 2005 at 11:33 am #1067054i have never seen cars as nesseccary for getting about, my bike and the rail network can get me to pretty much any where i want, and thats fine. i love the feeling of traveling by train or on a bike, its so much more liberating than sitting in a scummy car on a scummyt road with all the other idiots who think its a good idea.
the only reason i would want transport is that i need to do gigs, and ive done one or two on the train, while it seems like it should be doable, the lack of late trains, the insecurity of carrying several thousands of quids worth of stuff on the rail network (and the tube), and the hassle of not having somewhere sucure to put your stuff and act as a psychological base, means its unacceptably crap, and i think most would agree.
i used to have arguements with my mum, she used to commute 35 miles to london everyday in her car, sitting in traffic for hours at a time fucking our air up.i was always on at her to use the train. for day to day travel, its fine, but if you need to bring stuff to work, then trains are rubbish
on a sperate note, my dad is 67 and has never driven a car or got a lisence. for his last birthday he went off on his own and cycled 400 miles down france over a few weeks. he’s led a fuller life than most, so it is possible. just how willing are you to change your own life for the benefit of the rest of humanity?
September 14, 2005 at 7:28 pm #1067045USE wrote:i have never seen cars as nesseccary for getting about, my bike and the rail network can get me to pretty much any where i want, and thats fine. i love the feeling of traveling by train or on a bike, its so much more liberating than sitting in a scummy car on a scummyt road with all the other idiots who think its a good idea.the only reason i would want transport is that i need to do gigs, and ive done one or two on the train, while it seems like it should be doable, the lack of late trains, the insecurity of carrying several thousands of quids worth of stuff on the rail network (and the tube), and the hassle of not having somewhere sucure to put your stuff and act as a psychological base, means its unacceptably crap, and i think most would agree.
in the current climate of London where you can get jacked (particularly if you are carrying a camera or laptop) or killed just for being in the wrong “ends” this is totally understandable – although a sad indictment on modern society.
When I had more ambitions to work as a DJ or in the media I had to go through rough bits of SE London so used to keep a selection of dodgy old bags/rucksacks for concealing records or other portable equipment in [so I just looked like a normal college kid with books or sports kit] but in the post 7/7 world if you’re Asian this just attracts more unwanted attention; and its still hassle carrying heavy items on escalators.
the obvious political dilemma though is that free market types wouldn’t think these video projections (unless they were corporate presentations or something….) are a critical activity – merely a leisure activity which isn’t adding to the commercial market so no one is going to spend money on safety for that, I can see why peopel are forced into motor vehicles here. its a case of “pay before play” – and if you do get a car or van perhaps you could make use of the biodiesel plans that clever Scots chap posted here…
Quote:on a sperate note, my dad is 67 and has never driven a car or got a lisence. for his last birthday he went off on his own and cycled 400 miles down france over a few weeks. he’s led a fuller life than most, so it is possible. just how willing are you to change your own life for the benefit of the rest of humanity?My area, particularly towards and beyond the Oxfordshire border, is full of old people (again due to “market forces” as they have priced all the youths out of some areas). Many are quite well off and have high-performance motor cars – but there are plenty of older cyclists – I’ve noticed a big difference between the cyclists and the drivers, the ones on bikes look far happier and healthier.
It may be hard work at first but it does do you good as well as the environment.
Actually I can personnaly vouch for this; I feel I am physically far healthier since I took up cycling; I have managed to keep the build and fitness level of someone in their 20s (a slight weight gain equal to that of a small badger but thats more to do with the fact I cane less and eat more nowadays)
I’ve got quite a few of friends who drive but still prefer to ride their bikes whenever possible for this reason…
September 14, 2005 at 7:34 pm #1067042I saw a great documentary on the subject of the rising importance of Oil recently called The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.