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Nick Robinson, Fuel Protests: Governing the Ungovernable?, Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 56, Issue 3, 1 July 2003, Pages 423–440, https://doi.org/10.1093/parlij/gsg098
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Abstract
In September 2000 the Blair government was confronted with an almost unprecedented political crisis as a blockade of fuel refineries and depots brought the country to a virtual standstill. At one level, it seemed totally unprepared for the fuel protests, with its crisis management strategies, which centred on a combination of public discourse and crisis management committees, appearing to lack strategic planning. However, its freedom of action was heavily constrained by a number of facts: the protests only lasted a week and enjoyed considerable public support; the tanker drivers' appeared reluctant to drive through the ‘blockades’; the police and oil companies appeared reluctant to clear the protest sites; the public engaged in widespread ‘panic buying’ of fuel. Such factors made management of the protests extremely difficult, so explaining the apparent indecision of the Labour government during the crisis.
