Brian Green reports:  A group called Transaction 2007 is planning a nationwide legal protest against fuel prices this coming Saturday 15th December at 10:00am.

TransAction 2007 members, haulage contractors, motorists and farmers, met earlier this month to discuss, when and how protest action will be commenced.  The date was decided for action as the best possible, to enable those who would normally be working during the week to attend.

A website for Transaction 2007 with a forum has been set up to enable people to voice their opinions and suggest a way forward.  However, the group stress that they do not aim to bring about the mass panic of fuel buying again and that they have ‘adopted new tactics to make the Government listen and take stock of what we (the hauliers) and you (the general public) have to say’.

With fuel breaking well beyond the £1 barrier, PetrolPrices.com has had a huge rise in the number of emails from concerned motorists.  Despite being made aware of the huge resistance from motorists, the Government pushed ahead with a 2p duty increase, leaving the public frustrated and angry.

PetrolPrices.com expressed to the Transaction 2007 organisers that they may find public support for another fuel protest providing it was properly planned to be legal and orderly.

When pressed a spokesman, Chris Hunter, said:

“This will be a numbers game levied against legislation. I can comment no further.”

There were fears of a repetition of the protests of 2000 when blockades brought the country to a halt.

Andrew Hemming, of Farmers for Action, one of the groups at the heart of the fuel protest, told the Telegraph:

“It will be big, like in 2000. But we are not going to do anything illegal.”

Transaction 2007  had previously claimed it was working in conjunction with the Road Haulage Association and referred to “all 10,000 RHA/Transaction 2007 members“, this has prompted the RHA to distance itself from Transaction 2007 by saying:

“The Road Haulage Association feels it necessary to make a number of urgent points concerning the Association and the pressure group calling itself ‘Transaction 2007′.

“The RHA is not ‘in association with’ the pressure group, although this assertion is made on its website.  The expressions used such as ‘RHA/Transaction 2007 members’ are highly misleading, implying a relationship which does not exist.

“The RHA has never been involved in negotiations with ‘Transaction 2007′ but has, as a matter of courtesy, held discussions with RHA members who are also part of the pressure group.  The RHA will always support members who wish to protest legally where members have expressed that wish through the RHA regional organisation.”

Following talks on 4th December on the fuel-duty hikes and the prospect of protest action, after which protest action was confirmed, Transaction 2007  distanced itself from the media and founder Mike Presneill said:

“All updates will now come from the Transaction 2007  website.”

He also declined to comment on the statement released by the Road Haulage Association denying any relationship with Transaction 2007.

This action is to be initiated with planned protests outside refineries or storage depots across the country and anyone wishing to support action is requested to recognise the importance of legal protesting.

Isle of Wight Community News: By Brian Green @Island Pulse