Apparently Shell made profits of only £46million PER DAY last year, a measley £17BILLION for the whole year. You wonder why they bother. I might donate something next time I fill up.

I wonder what H.M.Treasury's take was on that. plus the bit they add on at the pumps with duty and VAT!!

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.

Looking at the European figures we aren't the only country to suffer high fuel prices.

+ that release from the OFT last week telling us that petrol wasn't a rip-off will surely hit our pockets

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Lets be careful out there !

Not high fuel prices it would be better labelled a high fuel tax...

Historically fuel has always returned outstanding value for money.

In energy terms a litre of fuel measured against say human effort (which is what it would have to be without fuel) there is no comparison.

Most Governments see it as an easy earner for tax purposes and today the Country could not exist as it does without the duty and VAT raised on sales. The Size of the welfare state and public services such as the NHS depend upon the money raised by this tax.

The crux is going to come as the price of it escalates as they are running out of the easy to harvest stuff (EROEI). Already the price of the stuff is almost out of reach of a considerable number of people given the demographic element of the last 30 years or so and the easy access to motor vehicles which has meant people being able to work many miles away from where they live. (this wouldn't have been possible on the same scale it is today 50 years ago).

So some people become priced out or the Government reduces the tax take on it (something they have never shown any intention of doing seeing it as a cash cow to be exploited at all costs).

On the other hand many pension schemes will hold shell shares and would not be able to return (currently very paltry but that is another story) the annuities without the level of dividend paid by the likes of Shell.

This is why many pundits refer to the troubled times we live in today not so much as an economic crisis but an energy one too.

What happened since the days half a crown a gallon, fill up 8 gallons for a quid? 10 bob road tax, now you tell me, jeez I must be nearly skint by now.

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.

In the old days the NHS was a third of its present size and there no such thing as housing benefit, tax credits, pension credit, income support, council tax benefit ect.

Of course on the other hand there were a lot less people working to pay tax as well. Seems the more they can ship in the more we have to pay? How does that work then?

More people coming in, hospitals getting smaller or closing. No wonder so many mistakes are being made on the wards (if you get on one).

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Lets be careful out there !

New Labour lost control, they were in over their heads, we have millions we dont even know about, the payback is upon us. and the myth of ought for nought exploded lucky we have all this immigration into the Country to add to those we dont know about, who will sort it all out.

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.

Apparently:

Turns out we are paying £1 million a week to foreign parents in child benefit even though the children don't live here.

They come over and sign on here and get the money sent back to their own country. The child doesn't have to live here or even have to have visited the UK !!! They are mainly Polish because we pay more than they do in child benefit.

The even crazier thing is this doesn't apply throughout Europe. Only a few countries do it. Most of the EU say the child has to be living in the host country to get it. But naturally we are one of the few countries who will hand it out to anyone......

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Lets be careful out there !

Im confused. How did we get from Shell profits to Child Benefits via Housing/Council Tax benefit and the NHS all in one topic ?? No wonder I can't keep up with it all