The fight goes on
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It's hardly a surprise that Tony Blair is still at Number Ica, even, if most hauliers were set to vote against him. But that's not to say there hasn't been any change of relevance to our sector since then. The long-predicted disappearance of Gus Macdonald, who becomes Minister for the Cabinet Office, will be seen as a shame by many because, better than most, Macdonald seemed to have a genuine understanding of the problems faced by this industry, coupled with a willingness to do something about some of them.
All the more disappointing, then, that Macdonald failed to persuade the Treasury to do anything more about fuel duty than provide a grandiose gesture of minimum acceptable impact just before an election.
Whether his successor, Stephen Byers, who takes over the new-look Department of "Transport, Local Government and the Regions", will prove any more haulier-friendly—or be any more able to influence the Treasury—remains to be seen.
For now, it's just more of the same: hauliers are still hard-pressed to make a living; fuel duty in Britain remains at a level closer to extortion than taxation; and politicians still don't give a damn about the fortunes of the electorate once the election's over. Go ahead, Mr Byers, prove our cynicism is misplaced.
Disappointing though it may be for hauliers to see Labour in for a second term, the fight against high fuel duty must go on, even if we have to wait another four years for another pre-election gesture. Because without that fight, we won't keep fuel on the political agenda; and without fuel being on that agenda, we won't get even the gesture next time around.