Power of the pumps
- 24 Jun 08, 01:14 PM
From time to time, intriguing polls make their way into my inbox. Today, the AA has sent me the results of a poll of their members. Two-thirds of them say that they'll vote for a different government if the price of petrol rises above 125p. And almost half, 49%, say that the government is most responsible for the rise in the price at the pumps.
No wonder Gordon Brown made the effort to go to Jeddah at the weekend. He was rewarded with a small increase in the supply of Saudi oil, and some of the best news coverage that he's had in weeks.
No wonder too, that David Cameron hinted, at his news conference yesterday, that the Tories would find a way to, in his words, share the pain between the government and the driver the next time fuel prices rise. He hasn't spelt out what this means. Perhaps it means that he will plan a petrol fund, paid for from duty rises that then can be paid back to the tax payer in the form of tax cuts if the price falls later on.
PS.My story on Alistair Darling's fate caused a flurry yesterday, and a flurry of different newspaper interpretations. Read the Guardian or the Sun and the chancellor is safe in his job.
Read the Telegraph and you're told he's not.
Read the Times and you're told that the Downing Street machine has not quite managed to put to bed rumours of Mr Darling's demise.
