UPDATE (11/7/22): Next Target Suggested: The Fuel Protests - Acting Locally With Residents and Workers... in a Town Called (Shepton) Mallet

The Protest At Shepton Mallet
Tesco Petrol Station
Photo courtesy of Chris Elliott

UPDATE (11/7/22): Target for second fuel protest suggested by organiser Chris Elliott. 

Mr Elliott said on his Wells Facebook group that "Wells you could be next". He reiterated his point made in the interview with us that this was nothing to do with Tesco.

Keep 'em peeled...

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Somerset Independents puts residents first. We encourage residents to stand up for themselves. And Somerset's residents say that they have had enough of the cost of fuel, on top of the huge increases in the cost of living. 

So we were delighted to see a group of Somerset residents take the initiative and organise a protest about the cost of fuel in Shepton Mallet yesterday, to co-ordinate with the national protests.

Our Leader Andrew Pope spoke to Christopher Elliott, part-time bus driver and organiser of the protest at the Tesco Petrol Station in Shepton Mallet. 

Chris Elliott on ITV News West Country
Protesting in Shepton Mallet

 

Here is some of what Mr Elliott said when Andrew asked him some questions about the protest:

Why did you feel that you had to organise this protest?

Obviously like a lot of people, I have to visit a fuel station once a week and I've seen the costs spiral in the last weeks and months and there is less disposable income now as well.

Why did you feel that you specifically had to organise it?

The reason being is obviously there was nationwide protests that I couldn't make, and there was nothing local to me that I could attend with my job being in the morning and the afternoon so I decided to organise something myself and something that I could support locally. So I could protest locally, that was the main reason for doing it really.

So you're local to Shepton?

Yes. I live in Shepton and I work local in Shepton as well. I run a couple of community pages as well and I used that format to organise the event.

So why did you specifically choose to do a protest at Shepton Mallet Tesco Petrol Station?

The only reason was because it was local to me. It wasn't targeted at Tesco's itself.  It was the nearest garage.

What are your goals for the protest?

Obviously it would be to lower the price of fuel. And I don't expect that to happen overnight. On a national level I want to show the Government and the oil companies that the normal working person in this country are not happy paying what they're paying at the moment. There's no reason for them to be charging what they're charging.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that he will consider a bigger fuel duty cut. Do you believe him?

No, not really. I'd like to see it, even if it's a temporary cut. I also believe we need a watchdog like OFGEM monitoring the oil companies and these fuel stations to make sure they pass on any cuts. But no I don't believe it at the moment, to be honest.

Would you do another protest?

If you'd asked me yesterday morning, I would have said no. But everybody at the protest asked: "When was the next one?" So quite possible.

So you've got them railed up now?

Yes I think what the protesters need to do is that they need to take a step back, learn from what happened yesterday and maybe regroup and maybe all come together on one protest. I'm not sure what that will be, whether that would be blocking an oil refinery, I don't know, but I think something bigger needs to happen and step up the pressure.

 

Get in touch at the contact details at the link here and tell us what you think. 

Do you agree or disagree with the fuel protests, and why?

What do you think about the cost of fuel?

What do you think about the cost of living?

Tell us by getting in touch. Or by using the Contact Form on this website (on the left-hand-side).

Who Are Somerset Independents?

We stand up for Somerset residents and we encourage them to stand up for themselves.

Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.

We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.

Safe Standing: Stand Up If You Love Your Football Team? You Might Be Able To Soon...

"Passionate Paula" Isn't Safe Standing There!

Somerset Independents puts residents first. We stand up for residents. That includes football fans in Somerset.

So we are delighted to literally stand up for football fans in supporting the campaign for "safe standing" at Somerset's football stadia in the top two divisions of English football.

But wait...you say... Somerset does not have any teams in the top two divisions of English football.

That's right, not at the moment.

Many fans in Somerset will travel to grounds in and around Somerset. But they will not find football in the Premier League or The Championship in Somerset.

Yeovil FC are the highest Somerset club. They are in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.

But in the counties around Somerset, there are teams in the top two tiers, so Somerset football fans will travel to the following grounds:

• Bristol City
• Cardiff City (in Wales but they play in the English leagues)
• Swansea City (as per Cardiff)
• Bournemouth
• Southampton
• Reading
  

Plus there are other teams who have been in the top two tiers, such as Swindon Town and Portsmouth.

We say: "Stand up if you love your club". So if you travel to these grounds, soon you may be able to stand at the match.

[Of course, outside the top two tiers, the rules on all seater stadia do not apply. So fans may be free to stand in some areas.]

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope says:

Andrew Pope at St. Mary's Stadium in 2018

 

"I've been campaigning for Safe Standing for years. Jon Darch, who runs the Safe Standing Roadshow, kindly brought it to Southampton when I started the campaign there. That campaign is continuing, because the Saints owners do not give fans what they want, which is to stand up and be safe. They didn't bother applying for the pilot and are now delaying further. I invited them to Jon's demonstration of rail seats. They did not turn up.

Meanwhile, similar campaigns are going ahead across England and Wales. Jon has led the campaign at his beloved Bristol City and other fans groups have been successful, including those involved in the recent pilot. Others like Wolves have led the way.

I think it was ten years ago that I first saw rail seats, when I went to a fans conference in London in 2012. It is wrong that it has taken so long to give fans what they deserve and what they want. But sadly, that is how football fans are treated by the football businesses - they are not clubs anymore, really. 

These owners take their money, use their support to build their assets to sell on, but do not listen to them.

It's wrong in my eyes, as I learned from being an Enfield FC supporter when my boyhood club was destroyed by a dodgy property developer and dodgy councillors on Enfield Borough Council.

That process seems to be repeating itself at Enfield's old non-league rivals Yeovil FC, despite my warnings and those of the Glovers Trust. Councils and councillors cannot be trusted to protect football clubs.

I have provided my advice and support to the Glovers Trust because I care about all football supporters (yes, even Pompey supporters!), who are the true custodians of proper football clubs.

Fans are the custodians, not the owners of the football businesses that now seem to be the targets of those who want to sportswash their image, such as Saudi Arabia (Newcastle), Abu Dhabi (Man City) and Russia (Chelsea)."

Who Are Somerset Independents?

We stand up for Somerset residents. We listen and act on the issues that matter to Somerset - not London.

Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.

We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.

UPDATE (22/8/22): Everybody's on Strike! The Wage-Price Spiral of Inflation Continues Or Is It All Due to The Greedy Bosses?

 

One of our Official emblems

UPDATE (22/8/22)

Yesterday, workers at the largest container port in the UK went on strike for 8 days.

Today, barristers have voted to go on all-out strike.

Who will go on strike next?

These latest strikes are despite Conservative MPs voting in July to allow agency workers to undermine strikers.

UPDATE (5/8/22)

We published the below a month ago now. It's time for an update from the RMT union. They - and other union bosses such as Sharon Graham of Unite - claim that it is bosses that are responsible for inflation. 

In a TV interview on the Jeremy Vine show, Eddie Dempsey of the RMT had a bruising discussion with former Tory MP and Cabinet Minister Ann Widdecombe. Mr Dempsey claimed that bosses are making huge profits at a time when people are struggling and the suffering includes low-paid workers. Ms Widdecombe argued that pay increases will lead to price increases - the spiral that we have described before.

Andrew Pope responds:

"When I was a union representative and negotiator, I argued the same as Mr Dempsey. It was all the bosses' fault. They were making profits for shareholders who were doing well. Those on high pay, such as company directors of large corporations, were also doing well. 

Meanwhile the low-paid were struggling. I have a lot of sympathy for his argument, but as I have already said in public, it is logical that there will be a spiral of prices increasing and wages increasing to keep pace with prices. That is what is happening, and union leaders try to pretend that their wage demands do not have an impact.

Both Mr Dempsey and Ms Widdecombe are right in some ways. Above inflation increases do have an impact on prices. Those pay increases have to be covered somehow.

The political question that arises then is HOW those pay increases are to be covered, particularly when other costs of production are also rising at the same time.

They could be covered by cutting the pay of those on high pay and limiting shareholder profits.

Or they could be covered by increasing prices. Or a bit of both.

It all comes down to what the companies do and what they think they can get away with. The company bosses are in a much more powerful position than the low-paid and the power of the unions is usually weak.

So prices go up. And we all suffer while the process is repeated. Yes it is a spiral."

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UPDATE (6/7/22)

Gareth Reynolds, Solicitor and Director of Bartlett, Gooding & Weelen Solicitors based in Cheddar, told us:

"I cannot speak for other Directors but I do have considerable sympathy for the Barristers who are on strike.  If junior members of the profession are not adequately remunerated then it will be very difficult to recruit new members."

 

UPDATE (5/7/22)

Yesterday morning, we published the below article on strikes and inflation, leading to a wage-price spiral of inflation.

Since then, late last night, ITV News has published an article saying that "Most firms expect prices to rise in the next few months amid high inflation and skills shortages."

And the Unite union General Secretary has gone to the media to boast of an "inflation-busting" 15.25% pay rise at Interface Europe, not in Somerset but in Craigavon. 

This begs the questions:

Who will get the increases and who won't, in the private sector and in the public sector?

Which firms will go bust trying to pay more to their staff and then increasing prices? 

Which firms will be able to absorb pay increases to those on lower pay by reducing the pay of those on higher pay, meaning that they do not charge higher prices?

If the survey from the British Chambers of Commerce is to be believed, and looking at more strikes happening, the wage-price spiral has already begun. Where it ends, who knows?

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Somerset Independents puts residents and workers first. This does not mean that we blindly support all workers in any dispute. We also support good businesses and employers in Somerset. 

Each dispute has to be looked at carefully. In some disputes, employers or employees - or both - can be in the way of resolution. That is why there are ways that disputes can be resolved.

To go on strike should be a last resort for any worker.

It is vitally important that everybody understands the reasons for a dispute and for a strike.

So as we did with the threatened bin strikes, the train strikes, and the Clark's dispute, we will endeavour to present the different views from the disputing parties and those affected by the dispute.

Then residents and workers of Somerset can make up their own minds.

And then they tell us what they think.

In a democracy, that is how we think things should be done.

The Cost of Living Crisis and Inflation

Andrew Pope, Leader of Somerset Independents, says:

Andrew Pope

"Last year, I anticipated that inflation would increase and I said in public that I worried that it might go over 10%. The Bank of England is now warning that it might reach 11% soon.

I also thought that this would feed in to pressure to increase wages. It is only natural that workers will want their pay packets increased when they feel the pinch when spending their money.

This is what is known as the wage-price spiral in economics. The increased prices mean higher wages which then have to be factored in by producers to maintain a surplus or profit. And it goes around again.

Like it or not, that is the nature of the system that we have.

The cost of living has increased. That is what inflation does. People across Somerset are feeling the pinch.

So we have had bin disputes affecting Somerset, train disputes affecting Somerset and now there is a barrister dispute affecting Somerset court cases.

Somerset Independents will try to give residents the information they need, so they can make up their own minds about the disputes."

Who are Somerset Independents?

Join Somerset's own campaign group and political party to celebrate Somerset's past, protect Somerset's present and prepare Somerset for the future.

We can be contacted at the link here and via Twitter @SomerInds, via Facebook at the Somerset Independents page and via email at somerinds [at] gmail.com.