Monday, May 26, 2008

Unsustainable

I have just filled my car with petrol. Given that it was essentially running of fumes, this meant I bought a full tank. Which cost £47.19.

I'll say that again, since it is outrageous enough to require repetition: £47.19.

Now, a tank of petrol will last me exactly a week, which means that, at the current price, it will cost me £2,453.88 in petrol over the next year, assuming the price of oil doesn't go up (yeah, right), and assuming the government doesn't raise fuel duty (yeah, right).

£2,453.88 per year.

And note that my car is relatively fuel-efficient (albeit being ten years old, so not the most efficient car on the road), and my commute is fairly light.

Furthermore, since rises in the price of fuel push the price of everything else up as well (since it all needs delivered to the supermarket), this means a higher weekly shopping bill. And gas and electricity have been going up, fast...

This is, quite simply, unsustainable. Something must be done. And yet... petrol will never again be as cheap as it is right now. Houston, I think we have a problem.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are having the same problem over here, but your petrol is far more expensive. Ours has jumped from $2.79 a gallon to almost $4 a gallon. When I first bought my car 5 years ago, it cost me $23 to fill it up, now it costs me $45. But what you just paid is about $85 so I should think myself lucky!

And yes, I noticed my shopping bill has gone up too, I am spending about $20 a week more. The state of the economy is pretty poor. Yet we love spending billions on this lovely war!! Stupid politics.

Captain Ric said...

Yay the lovely war!

Can't really think of anything else intelligent to say about this right now.

Maybe later ...

Steph/ven said...

Actually, this time I don't think it's the war that's to blame. I don't even think it's particularly George's fault - we're reaping the consequences of unchecked greed and financial mismanagement earlier in the decade.

That, and there are a bunch of panicky speculators buying oil futures at extremely inflated prices, pushing the price up for the rest of us.

Steph/ven said...

Which shouldn't be read as me letting George off the hook, of course. Our glorious leader is clearly to blame for this, and everything else.

In fact, he's even to blame for me having to eat my breakfast out of a sandwich box this morning because I ran out of washing up liquid and Tesco were closed last night.

Anonymous said...

I think George is to blame for everything too, but now that we are adding that you had to eat your breakfast out of a sandwich box, well, I think he is even more of a monster than ever!! The horror of it! I feel quite sad picturing you eating your cereal and milk out of a sarnie box, it conjures up such a pitiful picture.

Anyway, back to the cost of things. What sickens me is the amount of money being spent on a war when the country is suffering (not to mention everyone dying from said war). Yes, you are right about mismanagement but when our country has the biggest deficit of all history, and we continue to spend money on a war that can never be won, it makes me very angry. Oh, and illegal immigrants claiming welfare too and the welfare people like my friend Bunny knowing that their "client" is illegal but unable to report them because they are not allowed. Money going down the drain and out of our pockets!!!

Steph/ven said...

Incidentally, having checked, apparently the average price of petrol this time last year was 94.9 pence per litre, as opposed to 114.9 pence per litre now. That represents a 21% rise over the course of the year, or an increase of £400 in the cost of petrol for me for the year.

And yet the government tell us that inflation is currently sitting at 3.1%.

Hmm, say I...

Steph/ven said...

Molly, why are the benefit people not allowed to report illegal aliens claiming welfare? That seems like a very obvious loophole to close.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why they are not allowed to report them, it is bizarre. Bunny is so jaded about immigrants now and she was one herself! She said that people come in with fake social security numbers, they work on one social security number and claim welfare on another, or they are totally illegal and have bought a stolen social security number but for some reason, they can't do anything about it. In extreme cases they deny the welfare but there are so many people here in America living off the government who shouldn't be. I am not bashing illegal immigrants, I was one once but I made good and did everything right and I never got welfare and I paid taxes. If you want to come to this country to better yourself then do something about it instead of draining the resources and claiming money you are not entitled to!

There, that is my rant for the day!

Anonymous said...

I just read that the missing Pushing Daisies episode will be made available online to you at the end of the 8th episode that they are showing in England. Are you still watching it?

Steph/ven said...

Yes, but the story has moved on since then - I don't know if I can be bothered going back and watching the missing part.