A much-hyped fuel protest that was supposed to bring traffic in London to a halt and force Prime Minister Tony Blair to make further tax cuts turned into farce yesterday, according to Associated Press reports.
About 300 demonstrators in Hyde Park were reduced to cheering wildly for a small convoy of three trucks, half a dozen sports utility vehicles and a single wagon of hay.
The Metropolitan Police stopped the rest of the vehicles outside the city center, but even then, the number of vehicles descending on the capital was a far cry from the thousands organizers had hoped for.
Police counted about 350 trucks, and estimated another 100 were on their way.
Some truckers told the AP that they were disappointed in the number of trucks that showed up, but said they heard more were on the way to join in the protest.
Organizers had hoped a show of force would send a powerful message to Blair that the 16 1/2-cent per gallon tax cut he announced last week didn't go far enough.
The slow-moving convoy began Friday in northeastern England, but many truckers dropped out when organizers publicly clashed over whether the convoy should proceed.
The demonstrators received widespread public support in September when they blockaded fuel refineries and staged go-slow rallies through city streets. Those protests were called off only after fuel supplies across the country had dried up. The demonstrators had warned that if the government did not reduce fuel taxes, they would be back on the streets in 60 days. Their self-imposed deadline expired Monday.
Last week, the British government announced that it would cut taxes on cars, trucks and some grades of fuel, but truckers weren’t satisfied. Blair has said he probably won’t make further concessions because further fuel tax cuts would jeopardize spending on pensions and health care.
In addition opinion polls show that while Britons still feel their fuel taxes the highest in Europe should come down, public support for the protests is lessening, AP reports.
About 300 demonstrators in Hyde Park were reduced to cheering wildly for a small convoy of three trucks, half a dozen sports utility vehicles and a single wagon of hay.
The Metropolitan Police stopped the rest of the vehicles outside the city center, but even then, the number of vehicles descending on the capital was a far cry from the thousands organizers had hoped for.
Police counted about 350 trucks, and estimated another 100 were on their way.
Some truckers told the AP that they were disappointed in the number of trucks that showed up, but said they heard more were on the way to join in the protest.
Organizers had hoped a show of force would send a powerful message to Blair that the 16 1/2-cent per gallon tax cut he announced last week didn't go far enough.
The slow-moving convoy began Friday in northeastern England, but many truckers dropped out when organizers publicly clashed over whether the convoy should proceed.
The demonstrators received widespread public support in September when they blockaded fuel refineries and staged go-slow rallies through city streets. Those protests were called off only after fuel supplies across the country had dried up. The demonstrators had warned that if the government did not reduce fuel taxes, they would be back on the streets in 60 days. Their self-imposed deadline expired Monday.
Last week, the British government announced that it would cut taxes on cars, trucks and some grades of fuel, but truckers weren’t satisfied. Blair has said he probably won’t make further concessions because further fuel tax cuts would jeopardize spending on pensions and health care.
In addition opinion polls show that while Britons still feel their fuel taxes the highest in Europe should come down, public support for the protests is lessening, AP reports.
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