IN response to Ken Pearson's letter last week, the only reason the French get concessions from the use of blockades is because they have a weak government.
Normally, holding the country to ransom is the weapon of terrorists or actions of hostile nations (e.g. Nazi U-boats in WWII), it is not part of a modern democracy. Is your claim more important than other people's jobs you put at risk, and lives of people in hospitals or old people who have fought in the war for your present prosperity?
I cannot understand how petrol price increase affects the profits of taxi and haulage companies, surely these companies pass the cost on to the consumer. If a taxi takes me four miles and costs £3, 40p of that is petrol, so how does a 6p rise in petrol price put the taxi man out of business, he can charge me £3.03! Of course, he can claim the petrol as a business expense anyway.
Where does this 62 per cent tax go, hmmm . . . public services (not Tony Blair's bank account).
This petty argument really is insignificant compared to the real poverty, famine, disease and war that affects most of the world's population. It makes me sick that people can be so selfish to feel aggrieved at paying more for their petrol. Find some real issue to campaign against there are plenty to choose from.
Mark Land
Park View
Chapel Street
Tavistock
markland2praline.fsnet.co.uk
SO the Labour Chancellor Gordon Brown has been blaming OPEC for high fuel prices. OPEC sold its oil for ten dollars a barrel and our generous chancellor sold it back to us with a 500 per cent mark-up because of his tax and then he has the nerve to castigate OPEC because the recent price per barrel is almost 30 dollars.
It seems we really do have a 'passing the buck' chancellor who blames everyone bar himself.
B Langman
Cornwall Street
Bere Alston