I filled the car up with diesel this morning, £75 of my hard earned money for just over 50 litres, 147.9p per litre to be metric. My heart dropped a little and I am sure a tear rolled down my cheek.
Now despite my appearance I am not really that old, 33 in April in fact, and as my eldest says, “Dad, you are REALLY young compared to Mummy” and within my working life this wonderful country of ours ground to a halt at the PROSPECT of petrol reaching the fabled £1 per litre level.
Have successive governments created a monster pushing many people to the edge? I am in a fortunate position to claim a mileage rate from my company for the business miles I do in my car, so I pay for fuel on a credit card and pay off the balance in full at the start of the next month when my expenses are paid. What if I didn’t get to claim this mileage rate, would I need to put myself further into debt just to run the car? to get to work, to see clients, to take the family where they want to go?
My fear is there are many individuals and families doing this, right now as I type.
I know the protests in 2000 only temporarily halted the increase in the price of fuel but a freeze on prices now might just give those who need it, a bit of the breathing space they require in their monthly budget.
We live in democracy, right? So if enough of us speak up they have to listen, right? I wouldn’t even know where to start but I just have this feeling we need to do something.