Europe fuel protests spread wider

I believe Iran's regime are behind the fuel problems in order to get back at U.S.A. This fanatic rgime goes arround the oil producing companies in the Persian Gulf and some South American Countries encouraging them to bring the west down to it's knees. The world is going to regeret allowing the so called Islamic Republic of Iran getting away with so called exportong their islamic fanatism to the rest of the world. This regime will bring about the third world war and god help the world if they do aquire Nuclear Weapons, They would not hesitate to use them.

i say make them spread worldwide, maybe people will start listening.

I hope people do start listening. Big up to the truckers for having a go at making a change though.

I don't think Iran is behind high oil prices. I think too much power has been given to the big oil companies to set fuel prices at whatever they fancy. Oil prices aren't rising as fast as petrol prices. And big oil execs just keep getting richer. And that's f*cked up.

the sting of these high fuel prices is affecting all, and with our economy weakening things are only going to get worse.

Americans need to get balls. Americans should study the Orange Revelution and the White Reveloution. The Orange was in Kiev recently and the Whit was in the Republic of Georgia recently. If we had the GUTS these people had we would have a different president and a different attitude. Wake up America. You can speak out and demonstrate peaefully but it must be in large numbers. This is what stopped the Viet Nam Fiasco.

"America should take note of these efforts."

Most Americans are far too apathetic to actually do anything about the rising cost of fuel. As long as the can drive their SUVs to the 24-hour Wal Mart and McDonalds, they're content to simply sit back and complain without taking action.

I like that people are making this a huge deal. It is a huge deal and governments around the world need to take notice of what is important to the people and not to their own agendas.

Though this is wishful thinking that they'll actually solve this simple problem. People might think that it's not simple. It's still within the simple stages. It's like a bad wound. You can fix it but it's going to be painful to do so.

Are the world governments willing to suffer to fix the problem they created?

leave it to the europeans. and i dont mean that offensively. its just that we've spent so much time talking about how annoyed we are and trying a few things to make a change...but nothing significant. and their media is covering it too....gotta love the BBC

In most Americans' minds the inconvenience of living with the changes is not as hard as the inconvenience of doing something about it.

I see Capitalism Gone Awry---monopolies now legal due to lack of action/honesty in courts---greed now running American business models---focus on BIG picture of issues less popular than focus on self---Americans very apathetic based on percentages of adults that vote---inability to base direction of country on historical evidence rather than emotion. I feel sorry for my wonderful country, and others, that wrestle with these issues. But time will create solutions whether positive or negative for the nations involved.
To those who think Americans won't drive smaller more efficient cars--a friend works in a Toyota dealership in Phoenix and most of the customers coming to the dealer want a Prius, but absolutely none are available. Hmmmm..

Buy a bike while it is still affordable!

Petrol isn't getting any cheaper....

Good luck everyone!

We are apathetic. We must rally in the streets.

Did you know that more than half of our oil comes from Mexico and Canda? Word.

Please explain further.

We should take a similar stance, but the US is too lazy. We sit and complain instead of getting up and demanding change. The sign of the times.

Can you imagine if the United States stopped buying gas for even one day in protest? What a bucket of money that would be!

While I respect the European's right to protest and their willingness to do so I am not sure what it is we American's are supposed to be learning from them. While personally I will gladly protest, I would not choose to do so over the price of fuel but rather over the lack of government initiative, both federal and local, to reduce the consumption of oil. Granted I am not a fisherman or trucker relying on fuel for a living. Also taxes are not nearly as high here in the US because the politicians know that the people will not stand for it. Personally I would rather see a gas tax hike to reduce consumption and raise money for alternative energy as long as the money truly went to that cause. I would hope that the European Commision would be willing to help fishermen in efforts to reduce the overall consumption of oil and I would hope the fishermen would be willing to take this rather than subsidies that only encourage the western world's addiction to oil.

These efforts should be taken into mind by Americans. Our prices might not be as high as the UK prices, but they're high for us. Folks need to start taking the streets and demanding what they want!

America's apathy will be the destruction of their land, not terrorism as the media wants you to think.

just ride your bike and carpool, it can solve a lot.
a) your health
b) your wallet
can anyone say "international ride your bike day?"

gee, i just love the way everyone, you and the media included, keep referring to our use of petrochemicals for transportation and other things as "an addiction."

from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction there are lots of uses of the word, but "oil" and "petro" don't appear on that page at all.

is my use of gasoline a "psychological crutch"? or is it a voluntary choice of using a specific tool to solve a specific problem [actualy, meet many different needs,] because the alternatives are less convenient, more expensive, messier or whatever?

i'm not addicted to oil OR gasoline. right now, it's just the cheapest solution for many things i want energy to do for me.

You are right addiction is not the right word. Blatant and disgusting disregard for the environment would be closer to the right words. Selfishness and shortsidedness would be more apt. Illogical refusal to suffer the slightest change to a lifestyle. I used addiction to say that despite the fact that people know they should conserve they can't seem to. However it seems to be more the case that they wont.

ah, Imaham, thank you for diagnosing my blatand and disgusting disregard for the environment which i have committed by selling my 20mpg car and replacing it with my newer 44 mpg car.

now, what would you like me to do next?

and as for the link to the european protests.... did anyone here note that the fishermen were protesting the high cost of diesel fuel, WHEN THE PRICE OF THEIR FISH HASN'T GONE UP IN 20 YEARS?????????????????????????

twenty fracking years!!!

you tell ME how THAT could happen! the price of fish in the US certainly isn't the same as it was 20 years ago........

maybe.... JUST MAYBE.... the european governments had JUST A LITTLE to do with the market price of fish???? MAYBE?????

by keeping the price low, it promotes overfishing because only volume can make up for low prices.

but the fishermens' unions weren't as powerful as those of the oil barons, .... oh, wait... oil prices are MARKET DRIVEN by supply and demand!!!! so they went UP over the past 20 years [yes, i noticed that, too...] but fish prices didn't?

unless you ask why fish prices stayed the same for 20 years, and share the answer, your "comments" are just so much blather.... ALL OF YOU!


@Juas... "Disregarding the price of fish, fuel prices have grown a 200% since 4 years ago. No price of fish is going to change that. Bam! - There goes your senseless comment.".......

blather!!! ... i asked why the price of fish hadn't changed in 20 years, and your insulting reply didn't in ANY way come near answering..... the question of WHY the price of fish hadn't changed in twenty goddamned years IS PART OF THE PROBLEM, and "disregarding it" is just plain myopic to the point of brainless.

:)

We americans should respond more aggressively to oil prices, and when our government finally decides that they are through with our shit they can taze us all to death,and treat us like peasants.

I dont know if you Europeans have been through the US lately,but I think that the country with the largest,and most powerful military in the world that thinks it can invade any country in the world for oil isnt gonna take any s#!& from its little consumers.They will probably retaliate dont you think.

Wasn't trying to accuse you personally plusaf. I still think the statement stands for most of America. Also what you say about the fish is interesting since it does seem central to the claim of the fisherman yet the BBC chose to run the article under the title of protesting oil, not fish prices. There is no mention of the government suppressing prices although it sounds like a plausible explanation.

@Imahan... thanks. that's all i meant! everyone seems to consider the BBC as open and complete and unbiased, yet by missing the possibility of any connection between striking fishermen and the price they get for their fish is.... well, kinda fishy in terms of "objective reporting."

it beats up on everyone and anyone remotely related to oil prices and completely omits the [critical thinking] that wonders about the other side of the coin....

ah, just maybe one more benefit of european governmental "help."

imnsho... :)

You must be a very secluded person plusaf, your vibe is very rigid for an person thats blogs like a man that got his nuts bitten off by a disgruntled spanish mackerel that jumped out of thin air and meticulously took your sympathy your sympathy with it.


Houston TX

I heard that gas is at $8 over there wait till that happens here. there will be riots to. worse than we have ever seen

I'm going to buy a bike. A little less convenient, a little more chance of showing up to work sweaty or drenched from rain, but hey, I've been wanting to lose some weight anyway.

Also: fun!

This is proof that the oil companies are gouging the whole world, and not just America. Supply the people with alternative transportation sources if you expect us to continue buying into the capitalist propaganda...

If we can't drive to work, we can't work...and if we can't work, we can't buy...

This should be an indication to the oil execs that the prices are maxing out...maybe it's their intention to keep pushing up the price just to see...what are we going to do about it..?