Economic and political warfare in Britain

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The fuel tax blockade in Britain has escalated conflict between activists
and the government. It casts a modern light on the marxist argument that
the state consists ultimately of force, which will be used by one class
over another.

Both sides want to avoid the class nature of this conflict being explicit.
But both sides are skirmishing for position and tactics to enforce their
will in the coming weeks.

Below, from the FT, the report of the government committee, in which trade
unions played a key role. It was released rather quietly, yesterday.

Then, after, from today's Observer, a report on how the activists,
reactionary in class terms, but oppressed by conflicting economic forces,
and militant, are planning to attack the national electricity and food
supply system.

Physical force may become overt next time round, economic warfare turning
to political warfare. Note also, once again, the theme of leaderless
resistance in the age of the network.

Chris Burford

London


Fuel Supply Task Force announces plans:


Jack Straw, UK home secretary, has joined forces with oil companies, unions
and the police to prevent further protests against the taxation levied on
fuel by signing a memorandum of understanding.

The document was drawn up by the Fuel Supply Task Force, a body set up by
Tony Blair, UK prime minister, following protests earlier this month when
the country almost came to a standstill as protestors picketed oil
refineries. It commits the parties to work together to ensure normal fuel
supplies and prevent a recurrence of September's events. "The idea of the
Memorandum of Understanding is to ensure that every signatory the oil
companies, central government, the devolved administrations, the police and
trade unions is involved in taking the necessary contingency action against
possible future disruption," Mr Straw said.

He added that while there were no guarantees fuel supplies would not be
affected in the future, the memorandum would at least minimise the risk of
the country being panicked by empty fuel pumps again.

"The events of the past month have vividly demonstrated the importance of
oil suplies to our society and ecomony. It is not possible to eliminate all
risk to oil supplies. Our aim has been a pactical one of reducing the
risk," Mr Straw said.

"We have a great interest in maintaining continuity of oil supplies to all
our customers and, like other signatories, will do all we can to minimise
future disruption," Malcolm Brinded, chairman of Shell UK, said.

Bill Morris, president of the Trade Union Congress, said: "We are pleased
to support this MoU and its aim of maintaining continuity of supply and the
safety of all those concerned as well as safeguarding the essential life
and services of the nation."

Protestors have threatened further action if fuel taxes are not cut by
November 13.


_______

Fuel protesters leak plans


Fuel protest leaders plot to cut power supply in next blockade

A new blockade may bring clashes with police who will scrap the 'softly
softly' approach :

Special report: the petrol war

Paul Harris and Nick Paton Walsh
Sunday October 1, 2000
The Observer

Militant farmers and road hauliers plan a massive escalation in the battle
over fuel prices - blacking out power supplies, halting food distribution
to supermarkets and blockading railway lines.

Fuel protest leaders have given the Government until 13 November to cut
petrol and diesel taxes or they say they will renew action that caused
disruption last month.

An Observer investigation has established that protesters may launch a
co-ordinated attack on the national grid. Farmers and their sympathisers
intend to strain the power network by causing short periods of high demand.

A leading militant farmer revealed that the protesters intend to
synchronise their watches one Monday morning this or next month, using the
7am broadcast of the BBC news. At 9am, they will turn off the electricity
mains in their buildings and then, with the power off, turn every appliance
on. At 9.15am they will switch their mains supply on again for 30 seconds.

'We'll switch our mains on for three 30-second periods, sending a power
surge through the national grid,' said a senior militant farmer. 'We've
been discussing it for 12 months. By that time of day, farmers will have
done their milking and kids will be in school. Hospitals have their own
generators these days, so they won't be inconvenienced,' he said. 'It's so
simple. Farmers and allied industries could stop the country dead without
leaving their homes.'

A national grid spokesman responded: 'We can never guarantee supply at
every occasion, but we are well used to dealing with sudden increases in
demand.'

Another target will be food supplies. Rhys Parry, the influential South
Wales organiser for the Farmers For Action group, said distribution centres
for leading supermarket chains could be targeted by blockades similar to
the ones which froze the fuel distribution network. Less than 100 such
depots supply food nationwide to Safeway, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda,
Somerfield and Kwik Save. Parry estimated that many supermarket shelves
could be cleared within two days, as most stores have only a day or two of
stock on site and blockades could trigger panic buying of food by the public.

Though such a widespread protest would require much larger organisation
than the fuel blockades, Parry believes the scheme could work. 'We would
not want to trigger a food shortage, but we could hit the supermarkets on a
national level,' he said.

Other options include a rail blockade. Protesters would form human chains
across lines, forcing national rail cancellations and causing widespread
disruption. 'If you just put some bodies on the track and ring ahead to
tell the railways what you are doing, you can easily stop the trains,' said
one farmer in North Wales who was a key figure in triggering the fuel protests.

One senior activist from the road haulier protesters said: 'We could take a
holiday for three days - and simply not drive our lorries. They can't force
us to.'

Fuel refineries and depots will still be at the core of the protests. The
Government, oil firms and some transport firms have agreed to make delivery
of fuel a vital service, but any new legislation to guarantee supplies, in
the same way as water and electricity, is unlikely to be in place before
the 60-day deadline expires. 'Fuel is certainly still the most vulnerable
target,' said Professor Paul Wilkinson, a terrorism and direct action
specialist at the University of St Andrews.

Tanker drivers might still be reluctant to cross unofficial pickets manned
by their colleagues in the haulage business, and the fact that fuel is
moved by road makes tanker deliveries leaving the depots at risk from go-slows.

The plans could cause bitter confrontation with the police. 'Quite a small
number of people with some bright ideas can do an awful lot of disruption,'
Wilkinson said.

The disclosures come after a week in which the Government has refused to
soften its position on fuel tax. Chancellor Gordon Brown still has the
option of scheduling cuts to fuel tax in his pre-budget speech and
appeasing protes tors before the deadline passes. In his Brighton
conference speech, Brown gave few signs he would grant any concessions. The
speech outraged fuel protesters. 'He and Tony Blair totally missed the
point. If they don't do something about the fuel tax, it is going to be a
very hard winter for them,' said Clive Swan, a farmer near Mold in North Wales.

Relying on their vast network of mobile phones and personal contacts, they
aim to strike quickly and effectively across the country if no concessions
are made. 'I can have 500 farmers out in two hours,' said Swan. 'We come
from nowhere, do what's got to be done, and then disappear. We make a
virtue out of our lack of structure,' Swan said.

The protesters intend to discuss these proposals at a series of informal
meetings over the next month, in the North Wales hills where the September
protests began.

The Transport Minister, Lord Macdonald, said yesterday that the Army may be
used to drive petrol tankers in any future crisis, and government sources
stressed that steps are being taken to improve intelligence on the
protesters' activities and ensure better communication between different
police forces.

The police will also try to crack down swiftly on anyone blocking roads and
abandon the 'softly-softly' approach they adopted last time. At blockades
of refineries the police will offer to escort tankers through the picket
lines as soon as the protesters arrive.