Petrol Protest
...an example of grass roots democracy in action; an act of civil disobedience designed to force an out of touch government to take notice of the legitimate concerns of a significant section of the electorate (see Contemporary Review, November 2000 and February 2001). To others the protest appeared to be merely an outbreak of lawlessness reminiscent of the miners' disputes of 1972, 1973-74 and 1984-85 or the 'winter of discontent' of 1978-79; a simple issue of law and order. By organising what was termed a second 'Jarrow Crusade', a cavalcade of lorries from Tyneside to London, the organisers of the petrol protest attempted to make a connection with a historical tradition of resistance to oppression and injustice. Equally, by highlighting the law and order issue and the need for responsible government to ensure that supplies of petrol are available for the emergency and other vital services, the government soug ht to redefine the dispute into a simple matter of law and order. Of course, what is fascinating about this clash of rhetoric is that there appeared to be something of a role reversal with traditional battle lines being redrawn.
It would appear that we have alternative ways in which the protest has been represented both in the media and in popular culture. However, underpinning these alternative perspectives is a more fundamental and theoretical issue; that of on what grounds can disobedience to the law be justified. Clearly, at a practical level, the protest has had little impact on the linked issues of petrol taxation and transport policy in the United Kingdom. The significance of the activities of the petrol protest lies not at the practical level, but rather at the theoretical level. For if this sort of direct action can attract a significant degree of popular support, despite its illegal status, then it can come to represent resistance to economic...
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