[quote][size=18]Brown blames Opec for fuel crisis[/size]

Chancellor Gordon Brown has pointed the finger of blame at oil cartel Opec for the petrol crisis but has ruled out tax cuts to ease forecourt prices.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, the Chancellor said Opec has failed to respond quickly enough to the surging demand for oil from China.

He called on Opec to increase supplies and relieve pressure on prices.

But he refused to say whether he would freeze the duty on fuel in the UK in this autumn's pre-Budget report.

Dismissing the idea of government intervention to cut prices at the pump, Mr Brown said that the current price spike was a global problem.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4234788.stm]BBC News[/url]

Hmmm...

A politician trying to get out of his own mess by blaming others.

Its not opecs fault that petrol is over a pound a litre!

Its the tax, and the lack of capability to refine crude to the required distillates.