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'Nice' graph showing the rise in fuel prices over the last 9 years
iank - 23/5/08 at 12:17 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7416332.stm

mookaloid - 23/5/08 at 12:19 PM

mr henderson - 23/5/08 at 12:24 PM

This is typical of the graphs used on the BBC business news, especially when they want to sensationalise something (which is the only reason they feature any business news anyway)

Thing is, the graph doesn't start at zero. It is therefore useless as a pictorial representation of what has happened to fuel prices. But if it did start at zero it wouldn't be so shocking, and therefore they wouldn't bother showing it.

iank - 23/5/08 at 12:30 PM

I'm quite aware of the way the graph is drawn and it's completely normal to do it that way when you are showing rates of change rather than absolute change. Yes sometimes people, particularly politicians, abuse it, but in this case I think it's valid.

Diesel is still going up at 3p per week so I don't think that graph is nearly sensational enough. Imagine it being drawing it only over the last 6 months.

02GF74 - 23/5/08 at 12:36 PM

the dail y mail newspaper had table shjowing prices of crude and price of pertrol per litre.

In the time the price per litre doubles, the price of crude went up by 5 times.

D Beddows - 23/5/08 at 12:46 PM

The other thing is that the graph mirrors the increased revenue received by the treasury in taxes. Now, seeing as I'm supposedly paying tax to the government so they can spend it on my behalf to make the country a better place (I know, I know ) what I want to know is what improvements exactly will we be getting for all this extra tax (specifically VAT) we're paying?

[Edited on 23/5/08 by D Beddows]

smart51 - 23/5/08 at 12:46 PM

I made a nice picture showing the graph as it should be if you wanted the truth but the forum won't allow pictures to be posted to replies in this section. Shame. It is still a big change in prices though.

I heard a programme on peak oil on Thursday. What is said was that world production of light oil suitable for fuel would stagnate in about 2011 to 2013 and would then start to decline. Not too long after that, the total quantity of world oil would stagnate, the good stuff and the heavier oils. The "expert" said that the price of crude will go up on each of these occasions. You think its bad now...

jollygreengiant - 23/5/08 at 02:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51
I made a nice picture showing the graph as it should be if you wanted the truth but the forum won't allow pictures to be posted to replies in this section. Shame. It is still a big change in prices though.


Simple, ................. Start a thread with the picture in it and then post a reply in this thread with the picture thread as a link.

gingerprince - 23/5/08 at 02:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by iank
I'm quite aware of the way the graph is drawn and it's completely normal to do it that way when you are showing rates of change rather than absolute change.


Technically to do that correctly it should be on a logarythmic scale so you can see the %age variation over time. However that would look a lot flatter and therefore again less sensational!

Stuart_B - 23/5/08 at 03:55 PM

i would like it to start going the other way the petrol going down in price as it is summer i will be bruning 100 litres of a petrol a weekend.

and then i will be start to learn to drive.

i need to get a job, and fast.

stuart

BenB - 23/5/08 at 04:36 PM

Certainly when I think back it doesn't seem that long ago that prices were 89p a litre for U/L.....

If the government wanted to be fair they'd stop the VAT double wamy on fuel. They're already taxing on duty, to piggy back on rising crude prices just seems plain mean.....

short track 123 - 23/5/08 at 04:41 PM

Last date shown is 22ed

I've just payed 2p more and its only the 23d