So, what’s the plan?

So. A round of strike action by tanker drivers this weekend could spark long queues at filling stations as worried motorists brim their tanks. Will you be among them? The Government, as you’d expect, is urging motorists not to panic buy. That’s all very sensible.But, caught in the moment, it’s easy to weaken and join the queue, even if the gauge shows you’ve half a tank-ful of fuel aboard.

If you find yourself sat waiting in line, reflect on how badly this Government treats motorists. It has copped a huge windfall because the world price of oil has soared. They have gladly pocketed this extra cash. Then, mindful of the need to reduce CO2 emissions, they sweat the motorist into driving fewer miles by taxing fuel ever more heavily.

That would be fine - just about - if the govt spent the funds so gathered on providing a world-class public transport system so that we had a real alternative to driving, and superb roads for when we needed them. But we’re nowhere near. Go to almost anywhere else in Western Europe, take a train, bus or tram, and you’ll see the deficiencies in our own transport set-up painfully exposed. And a blast along an autobahn or autoroute confirms the picture.

So we drive because we have little choice. But, despite this, the Government insists in bearing down on the driver harder than in any other European country. With Gordon Brown’s Parliament showing so dismally in the opinion polls, you’d think that lopping, say, 2p per litre off fuel costs would be an obvious move to stop the rot. But there’s no sign of this happening.

What’s the idea in all this? I’m worried more by the govt's evident lack of a thought-through plan than I would be by a bad one. If you can see the method, not the madness, let me know.