.Blair tells oil firms to resume deliveries .Police promise to protect tanker drivers .90% of petrol stations out of fuel .Buses, trains and schools affected .NHS faces crisis, operations cancelled Special report: The petrol war Patrick Wintour Wednesday September 13, 2000 Tony Blair was at the centre of an extraordinary attempt to prevent the British economy collapsing into total paralysis last night when he made a series of personal pleas to oil bosses to instruct their tanker drivers to restore exhausted supplies to the country's petrol stations. But with Britain's car- and road-based economy less than 48 hours from total shutdown, endangering hospital operations and food supplies, there was no immediate sign that the majority of tanker drivers would respond. Mr Blair promised the oil companies that the police would provide complete protection to drivers, including escorts. The tanker drivers, many of them sympathetic to the road hauliers' complaints, say they are too frightened to drive out of the refineries and oil depots. But, giving the first indication that the police will get tough with the protesters, an order was served on 20 pickets last night to leave private property to stop blocking refineries in Colwick, Nottinghamshire. The Police Superintendents' Association said officers would have no choice but to make sure that tankers were able to leave depots and deliver their fuel if oil companies decided to send them out. A spokeswoman for BP said the company planned to move petrol once "assurances" had been given about drivers' safety. It was "speculation" to say that drivers might refuse to cross the protest lines, and might take strike action if forced to do so. Last night tankers taking petrol to empty filling stations left Purfleet refinery, in Essex: the first sign that the crisis might be easing. A police officer sat beside the driver of each tanker and police cars drove alongside as an escort. In Downing Street the government's civil contingencies committee was monitoring movements. By the time Mr Blair spoke, the petrol companies were predicting that 90% of their stations would have run out of fuel by this morning. The monumental scale of the crisis yesterday hit the transport system, the health service, food supplies, schools and businesses. A dramatic day started with the Prime Minister abandoning a visit to Yorkshire and rushing back to Downing Street to take personal charge of a round of crisis meetings. Despite further panic buying and continuing public support for the protests, Mr Blair gave an early evening press conference vowing that he would not buckle. He insisted that the government could not change tax policy between budgets in response "to blockades, illegal pickets and direct action". "Legitimate protest is one thing. Trying to bring the country to a halt is quite another," he said. Raising already impossibly high stakes, Mr Blair said: "Were we to yield to that pressure it would run counter to every democratic principle this country believes in, and what is more, if the government was to decide its policy on taxes in response to such behaviour, the credibility of economic policy vital to any country would be severely damaged. "I will simply not allow that to happen." In a frantic attempt to prevent Britain descending into total chaos, Mr Blair spent the afternoon on the phone urging the chairmen and chief executives of the five big oil companies to force their tanker drivers to recommence supplies. There has been suspicion in the government for some time that the oil companies have been sitting on their hands, either because they would like to see fuel duty cut or because their employees are sympathetic towards the road hauliers. Ministers acknowledge that they have been urging greater coordination between the oil companies and the police for 48 hours, with little sign that the drivers are willing to break the blockades and restore the deliveries of non-essential supplies. After his round of phone calls to the oil bosses, Mr Blair said: "We have made the necessary emergency order of council. The oil companies are agreed that they must move supplies." The police had agreed to do "all that is necessary" to protect against intimidation. "The main union concerned has issued a strong statement urging members to work normally. "Everything is now in place to get the tankers moving. We hope in the next 24 hours to have the situation on the way back to normal. It will take longer than that to be fully back to normal." If there is no significant breakthrough, Mr Blair will be forced to invoke emergency powers and send in the army to take over the distribution of petrol. Exposing the deep fears in the cabinet about the political implications of this crisis, the Education Secretary, David Blunkett, became the first minister to draw open parallels with the Winter of Discontent of 1979-80, saying: "We are all bound by our history and remember the 'Crisis? What crisis'." At a round of meetings of the civil contingency committee yesterday, plans were laid for designating 150 petrol stations around the country for the exclusive supply of petrol to the emergency services. Meetings were held at the Department of Trade and Industry with the petrol retailers to organise supplies. The only sign of a political concession by Mr Blair were some hints that he would be willing to cut petrol duty in the Budget, or the pre-budget report in November. He said: "The proper time to make proper budget judgments is at the time of the budget, when the year can be looked at as a whole." Mr Blair was hoping that a strong plea to the tanker drivers from Bill Morris, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, would have some influence on the tanker drivers. Mr Morris warned the drivers that they had to go back to work, saying: "The campaign has crossed the line from democracy and into anarchy." Other union leaders called on the pickets to be hauled in front of the courts, just as striking miners were in the 80s. However, many of the drivers are not members of the TGWU, and even more are unlikely to be moved by Mr Morris's instructions. _______________________________________________ Crashlist resources: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/crashlist
