This has nothing to do with computers, but the fuel crisis is something that affects everyone at the moment. Here are some thoughts, in a Jerry Springer stylee.
Britain is a net oil exporter - we produce more oil than we use. Blaming OPEC doesn't seem particularly relevant or helpful.
Talk of 'illegal blockades' and using emergency powers seems to be at odds with images of calm, non-violent protesters chatting to police and sharing tea with tanker drivers.
For a government to decry 'rip-off Britain' and then impose some of the highest fuel taxes in Europe seems a tad hypocritical.
The environmental argument is all but irrelevant while the UK's public transport systems are largely chaotic, over-priced and unreliable (and Stephen Byers' comments that cutting fuel tax would reduce spending on health and education has some concerning implications).
Farmers don't pay tax on 'pink diesel', so why are they protesting?
Is direct action ever justified? Compare with miners, poll tax, etc.
What happens next? Do the tanker drivers go on strike in sympathy? Does the whole thing blow over in a few days? Will any government have the balls to raise fuel taxes in future?
What do you think?

We'll have to see what happens come the interim budget in November. Somebody pointed out that if the government don't concede them Christmas is just around the corner - if we don't get deliveries courtesy of our friends the truckers then Christmas may well be cancelled.
Something else somebody told me is that every person in Britain is only three square meals away from anarchy -- deny people their dinner for three days and they'll take to the street with pitchforks and shotguns. If the blockade hadn't dissolved today then that was what we were heading for.

>> Every person in Britain is only three square meals away from anarchy
That's a really famous quote. So famous that I can't remember who first said it. It's true, though, and shops local to us have already started rationing bread (2 loaves per person) and milk (1 bottle per person).
A friend of mine living in London said yesterday "Oh, is that petrol thing having an effect, then? It doesn't affect me, because I'm in London". I asked what would happen when their local shops ran out of supplies because the lorries delivering stock had no fuel. "Simple, we'll go to the cafe". Erm...

Being a dull person, I tried to find the source of that quote about meals and anarchy. I didn't succeed but I did find the following, allegedly what Tony Benn asks every new politician he meets. It's something that Gordon Brown and Tony Blair should be asking themselves:
"What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests to you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? How do we get rid of you?" (from 'The Independent Mind' Lecture, 1993)