Lessons from history on how to survive a fuel crisis

{"text":[[{"start":11.68,"text":"British prime ministers know the trouble that fuel shortages can bring. In September 2000, protesters blockaded refineries — causing one of the major crises of Tony Blair’s first term. "}],[{"start":26.96,"text":"Secretly, Blair’s government prepared for radical action. “It took us under 20 hours to get a rationing system in place for if we needed it,” said one person who was a minister at the time. “We wanted to keep it quiet, for obvious reasons. Once people knew about it there would have been panic.” "}],[{"start":45.69,"text":"Under the plan, there would have been a “few hundred” filling stations designated for the emergency services. Two ministers made a secret visit to Balmoral to obtain Queen Elizabeth II’s sign-off."}],[{"start":59.72,"text":"This week, as fuel deliveries from the Middle East have been disrupted, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has similarly decided that discretion is the wisest course. But there is a question whether past crises offer a guide for dealing with any potential supply difficulties."}],[{"start":78.21,"text":"“Out of use” signs have already appeared on some fuel pumps, as they did in September 2000. Pump prices have risen sharply, as they did during the 1973 oil shock."}],[{"start":91.25,"text":"The September 2000 protests were ended by a mix of factors: deliveries by military tankers, concessions to the protesters on fuel tax, and a change in public mood. An initially supportive public turned against the blockades, particularly after a senior NHS director warned that strikers would have “blood on their hands” if they did not relent."}],[{"start":115.44,"text":"However, John McTernan, a former adviser to Blair for part of his time as prime minister, said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be far tougher. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":126.12,"text":"He said the current crisis bore far more similarities to 1973-74. The key for any government facing such a crisis, he added, was to call up the “Blitz spirit” — the sense of unity experienced during the second world war."}],[{"start":144.01,"text":"“What was the fundamental Blitz spirit?” he asked. “We’re all in it together.”"}],[{"start":149.20999999999998,"text":"Britain suffered severe oil shortages in 1956-57, following Egypt’s closure of the Suez Canal, in 1973-74 and, for a few days, during the 2000 protests. "}],[{"start":164.7,"text":"Some filling stations also ran out of fuel briefly in September 2021 partly because of a shortage of tanker drivers after the Covid pandemic."}],[{"start":174.54999999999998,"text":"All the episodes prompted governments to seek extra powers to ensure emergency services would have access to fuel."}],[{"start":182.88,"text":"Fuel was rationed between December 1956 and May 1957 and ration books were issued in 1973 but never ultimately used. Even in the relatively minor 2021 disruption, ministers waived some restrictions on tanker drivers’ working hours to boost supply."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":202.76,"text":"Under the 1956 rationing, private motorists were allowed to travel just 200 miles a month, while businesses were allowed an extra 100 miles a month in petrol. Farmers, religious ministers and essential council workers were allowed 600 miles a month. Only doctors, vets, midwives and disabled drivers were exempt. "}],[{"start":228.54,"text":"However, Ben Ansell, professor of politics at the University of Oxford, said present-day governments faced higher expectations on averting disruption. "}],[{"start":239.67,"text":"“People aren’t willing to give governments the benefit of the doubt,” Ansell said. “It’s not a brilliant political situation for any government to be in.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":248.81,"text":"David Begg, a transport economist who was head of the Blair government’s Commission for Integrated Transport during the 2000 protests, said he would favour allowing the rising price of fuel to send signals to consumers to use more fuel-efficient cars or turn to alternatives such as public transport."}],[{"start":268.74,"text":"Ministers introduced demand-saving measures such as lower motorway speed limits in 1973-74. Starmer’s government has explicitly ruled out such demand-reduction measures for now. The 40 per cent petrol price increase over the past month is far smaller than the quadrupling of the price in a year following the Arab embargo."}],[{"start":292.98,"text":"The 1973 crisis combined with a strike by then-powerful coal miners’ unions to force Sir Edward Heath’s government to cut the working week to three days."}],[{"start":305.36,"text":"Begg said that, if there were government intervention now, it should be to moderate demand, such as making public transport free. “I would much rather you let the market work,” he said."}],[{"start":317.51,"text":"McTernan agreed with Begg on the need for efforts to manage energy demand, for example insulating houses better. But he doubted that the current political climate was ready for the message that everyone had to co-operate to navigate the problem."}],[{"start":333.05,"text":"“I think the political sell, psychologically, is much harder,” he said."}],[{"start":347.13,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1775180129_8932.mp3"}