Greenpeace's BP Garage Protest

[silverfox]

Just watching the news and saw Greenpeace has been closing BP garages in London with the slogan: Closed. Moving beyond petroleum.

Not sure what they hope to achieve but enjoyed the irony of the unemployed volunteers unloading the fence panels from a van, presumably running on petrol/diesel.

[TheArtfulDogger]

I think they are protesting about the speed at which BP are sorting out the spill in the gulf...

sandle wearing hippy freaks is all I can say (6)

[katie1997]

[quote name=Not sure what they hope to achieve but enjoyed the irony of the unemployed volunteers unloading the fence panels from a van, presumably running on petrol/diesel.]

one of the things they hope to achieve is awareness about future offshore drilling plans in the Arctic and yes, that is ironic, it would have been more effective if they'd used an electric car (GM Voltec anyone?)

let's see if this has changed public attitude and helped people link their daily energy use to its demand (i'm not holding my breath)

[RosieH]

I believe (from a sleepily-heard Today programme yesterday) that they were also protesting about BP's failure to live up to its commitment to seek alternatives to petrol.

[Brendan]

But they sell diesel at BP garages don't they?

[woofmarkthedog]

Bring back

"The Mule"

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nXzL3pwtjXw5xqszwfiCZdngrSg7xAnc7VSZPw1OVeKO8ONQ8pY0IBIqd--SFzQibRXBhKFsabd2F0OPujBFFCau_oKDpykrx_CMPPyVcg3BecbMddijO2Tq1T9O3errPy9g4Krn_BKa0Pq9uHzvW2UhupGvEeLgI7aUrRsx-Q

W**F

[RosieH]

I think they sell crisps and sweets too.

[katie1997]

petrol station (guilt) flowers - god help whoever receives these

charcoal bricks for the BBQ - very handy

er...stamps and possibly insurance too?

[woofmarkthedog]

I meant.....

"MULES"

http://www.mulesmoving.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/mules.218195751_std.JPG

W**F

[katie1997]

anyway,

*looks serious*

lets convert sugar to diesel...

*predicts*

when we are queuing up to buy advanced biofuels, they will no doubt protest about whatever crop types have been used, whether they are not-from-food crops and so on...

[RosieH]

Good, because what you posted before was more of a clog.

[katie1997]

RosieH Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Good, because what you posted before was more of a

> clog.

It was indeed a clog - a lovely high-heeled one.

[RosieH]

Although to be fair to Woof's fashion credentials, the style of clog was mulesque.

Am a right crotchety bitch today and no mistake. Off to BP to get me some sweets and crisps, and maybe some fizzy pop too. I bet cars could run for hundreds of miles on fizzy vimto.

[david_carnell]

They are idiots.

If they had done any research they would know that BP petrol stations have very little to do with the BP company they really wish to attack.

The petrol stations are franchises run independently by families or small-businessmen. People who can barely afford to lose a days takings due to some unwashed trustafarians .

Not only that but due to them being independent franchises, their owners cannot fight back against the bullying tactics of Greenpeace. In addition it targets the wrong end of the product anyway. The motorist simply drove along the road to a different petrol station - so the net impact on petrol consumption would have been zero.

[RosieH]

I don't think they're idiots David.

The points you make are all valid, but ultimately this was about a visible protest. And BP's UK head-office, wherever it may be, just won't have the same public resonance.

[katie1997]

Interesting points David.

People may have bought more petrol than usual at the other stations if they were worried about having less places to buy it from too.

[rich_s]

I agree with David,

Big Oil companies are forced by governments to sell petrol to joe public as a way of governments trying to absolve the guilt of selling all the natural resources of their country to fill their coffers and get re-elected.

They make bugger-all money from petrol stations, so blockading them is just going to make life even harder for the minimum wage employees, and yes the franchise owner who probably struggles mightily.

If you DO want to protest, then it's far more effective going to their HQ. Although it's not as if BP is collecting oil just to store it under their stairs. They drill it because we, as a society have a ridiculous addiction to it, and we want it cheaper. Our society's habits are not going to change if a BP or a Shell somehow was put out of business.

[Jeremy]

I basically agree with David too. Unfortunately activists can sometimes be ill-informed and naive, and for many of them, BP = petrol stations. These small franchises are a tiny, tiny part of the monolithic BP machine, they are not where the blame lies.

[Brendan]

Assuming that the people who organised this are intelligent enough to put their shoes on the right feet in less than 2 goes, which admittedly is a big ask for people, they probably know very well that the corner garage isn?t the heart and soul of BP?s evil empire. It is however the most publicly visible and therefore the best PR (if you can call what Greenpeace do PR) opportunity.

[RosieH]

Sactly Brendan.

Going to their HQ isn't remotely effective - joe public couldn't give a flying fig for some city types being picketed by some hippy types. But they do take notice if they can't get their petrol.

Is PR, pure and simple.

[expat]

but they can get their petrol - they just go to another garage

[Brendan]

And the poor buggers who own the garages get to suffer.

[Keef]

I agree with David.

Yes, that's right, I agree with David!

[RosieH]

Haha Keef, I think there should be bunting.

Joe public is inconvenienced on driving to a petrol station that is blockaded (or whatever they did) long enough to notice. Of course they can go somewhere else. But it's annoying to have to, so they they see it, and they experience it in person, in a way that they wouldn't if it was a small piece on the news about a head office in a town nowhere near them.

[Keef]

You're right of course, and it has gotten the publicity they want, so as a piece of PR, it's grand.

BUT

They are hurting the "little people". I am sure they would claim that these garage owners have blood on their hands too, as they always try to justify their bu!lshit like that, but at the end of the day, what they are doing will have little or no impact on BP, but will be a right pain for some small business owners.