Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – petrol prices

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 30th, 2018 - 43 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, energy, making shit up, national, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges, social media lolz, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

For a while Simon Bridges has been trying to create a narrative about petrol prices.

But not in Auckland where a healthy dose of competition is keeping prices down.

And not according to BP.  From Hamish Rutherford at Stuff three days ago:

BP said the latest increase was “predominantly due to an increase in the cost of product, coupled with the recent exchange rate weakening”.

A spokeswoman for Z Energy said the price of crude oil had risen around US$5 (NZ$7.47) and was now trading at more than US$75.

“While the Kiwi [dollar] is up slightly in the last few days, it is down 6cents [against the US$) in the last couple of months and has been a big driver of price increases recently.”

I suspect this is going to become a regular post …

 

43 comments on “Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – petrol prices ”

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  1. ankerawshark 1
    30 August 2018 at 10:25 am

    Like you Mickey I ALMOST feel sorry for him. But maybe more so for his wife and kids who he said around the time of not hating Jacinda’s baby words to the effect of “I go to parliament to get away from them (i.e. the kids)…….

    In support of this man who is likely suffering I think a campaign “#lets keep Simon” could have some merit.

  2. You_Fool 2
    30 August 2018 at 10:28 am

    I am sort of curious where that Gull is…. our local stations in the noth-west of auckland are $2.30 something…

    Edit: That’s not to imply Bridges is not talking out his arse…

    In an aside, I like how a lot of National supporters I know are “sick and tired of politicians lying to make themselves look good” but it always seem like it is National party politicians that do this sort of thing…

    • dukeofurl 2.1
      30 August 2018 at 10:31 am

      Likely Takanini or East Tamaki area. Plus the picture might be an unmanned station where prices are a bit less than those with a store

      Well of course they werent shy about charging more for their RONs either
      https://www.interest.co.nz/news/62545/govt-hike-petrol-taxes-and-road-user-charges-9-cents-over-three-years-pay-roads-national

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2
      30 August 2018 at 12:08 pm

      Authoritarian followers believe their leaders and will defend them no matter what.

      • NZJester 2.2.1
        30 August 2018 at 5:23 pm

        Yep, they will support Salty Simon no matter what nutty things he says that are easy to disprove as long as he has his title of Chief Looser National Party Leader. As soon as one of the other National members successfully puts a knife in his back, it will be “Simon Who?” from the same people who are defending him.

    • Andre 2.3
      30 August 2018 at 12:30 pm

      Looks to me like the one that’s just opened in Glen Eden. Just across the road from the author’s office. When Gull open a new one, the price there seems to be extra-low for the first few weeks, presumably to get people used to buying there. They did that at the Titirangi one, and now it’s nudged back up to be a bit closer to the average around here.

      • mickysavage 2.3.1
        30 August 2018 at 1:53 pm

        Right you are and the price is a bit lower than in some other places but this shows the problem of Bridges making definitive statements.

        Cardlink suggests Auckland fuel prices vary from 2.06 (Gull) to $2.25 (Challenge)

        http://www.pricewatch.co.nz/

        • alwyn 2.3.1.1
          30 August 2018 at 2:25 pm

          Do Gull still sell fuel that contains ethanol?
          There aren’t any Gull stations in Wellington so I can’t just look at one.
          If they do then they aren’t selling the same quality of fuel as the others.
          Here is an old article but the information will still be valid for comparing fuel including ethanol with fuel that is all motor spirit.
          You simply don’t get the same bang for your buck.
          http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/7296668/AA-comparison-test-clips-Gull-biofuel-claims

          • lprent 2.3.1.1.1
            30 August 2018 at 3:17 pm

            Huh!… What makes you think that those would be the lower spec fuels. Even a minimal amount of knowledge would tell you that the calorific value of ethanol as a fuel is higher – not lower. This is why almost all performance cars use ethanol in their fuel mix.

            Yes – Gull sell biofuels – in their high performance fuels. See https://gull.nz/fuel/

            What makes the difference is the vehicle and its tuning just as much as the fuel.

            The test that you are referring to was completely flawed at so many levels that the person who did it should simply fire themselves for salesman stupidity

            Doing a test on a single vehicle and getting a ~6% difference could simply mean that particular vehicle didn’t like that fuel. (or the driver didn’t).

            Not all vehicles operate the same with various fuels. For instance, the fuel that my partners vehicle likes (and makes it peppy) is the same one that makes my car feel sluggish. Which is why we tend to fill up at different petrol stations.

            To be effective as a test, then several different vehicles and different fuels and test statistically.

            Basically this is a Mike Hosking style of test. Someone played with their genitals and came up with an opinion based on pure stupid bigotry…

            • gsays 2.3.1.1.1.1
              30 August 2018 at 4:51 pm

              To further cloud the issue, I have been told to not use petrol with higher ethanol, especially in vehicles that may sit around a while without being used, e.g. motorbike, lawn mower, because of the potential for condensation in the tank.

            • alwyn 2.3.1.1.1.2
              30 August 2018 at 5:15 pm

              Really?
              ” the calorific value of ethanol as a fuel is higher”.
              Google tells me it ain’t so.
              Ethanol has a gross calorific value of 30 MJ/kg and a density of 0.789.
              Therefore we get about 23.7 MJ/litre.
              Petrol has a value of about 45 MJ/kg. With a density of about 0.75 we get a value of around 33.3 MJ/litre.
              http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/chemistry/3_11/3_11_4.html

              Now you may get more power from the engine running on ethanol, since the octane rating will probably be higher, but you will get a lower range from a given quantity of fuel. Since we are discussing the cost of fuel for a normal user it is the km/litre that matters and that is higher for petrol than for ethanol or an ethanol blend.
              Of course if you are a true petrolhead and run a Bugatti Veyron with a 1000 hp engine I guess the cost of the fuel doesn’t worry you.

              Where do you get your numbers from?

              • In Vino …
                30 August 2018 at 9:34 pm

                Alwyn, I rush to agree with you for the first time. I nurse a beloved old VW Kombi 1600cc Camper van. Ethanol in petrol lowers performance. I avoid it, because it may suit more modern engines, but it certainly does not suit my Kombi. (Low-compression workhorse engine from a bygone era..)

    • Kevin 2.4
      30 August 2018 at 12:34 pm

      2:07 At Gull self-serve in Napier this morning. 2:02 earlier in the week.

    • Annie Cass 2.5
      30 August 2018 at 6:47 pm

      Looks like Glen Eden, West Coast Road.

  3. Tricledrown 3
    30 August 2018 at 10:52 am

    The boy who cried wolf.
    Petrol and barking at cars.
    Irony.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    30 August 2018 at 12:07 pm

    For a while Simon Bridges has been trying to create a narrative about petrol prices.

    He’s working on the idea that nobody will question what he says and simply take it as gospel. Thing is, a lot of people will. Just look a National’s support despite all their lies.

    • Macro 4.1
      30 August 2018 at 12:44 pm

      He’s working on the idea that nobody will question what he says and simply take it as gospel.
      Exactly. It works for the Agent Orange in the WH too- On Hurricane Maria – almost 3,000 dead (way more than Hurricane Katrina) and the Island effectively without power for almost 11 months, and he says, “We did a fantastic job”, and the Trumpkins love him.

  5. Hooch 5
    30 August 2018 at 12:59 pm

    Perhaps Simon would like to compare other stats with Australia. Off the top of my head how about we start with minimum wage and gst. Is he prepared to come out and level that playing field?

    • tc 5.1
      30 August 2018 at 1:38 pm

      Plucking a number like fuel where Oz has a component of its use coming from bass straight shows what a lack of diligence Bridges is exercising.

      • alwyn 5.1.1
        30 August 2018 at 2:07 pm

        Are you suggesting that Australian prices are lower because they produce it themselves?
        If you are then shouldn’t you be calling on this benighted Government we have to abandon their ridiculous ban on Oil Exploration?
        Of course fuel prices don’t matter to our Lords and Masters/Mistresses in the Cabinet. Their cars, and the fuel they consume, are paid for by the taxpayer.

        • Simbit 5.1.1.1
          30 August 2018 at 4:01 pm

          Find oil, get used to overt and covert US imperialism. Not judging, just an observation…

      • dukeofurl 5.1.2
        30 August 2018 at 4:36 pm

        Bass Strait Oil has a resource rent tax applied to make it international market prices, so its not ‘cheaper’
        https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Petroleum-resource-rent-tax/

        NZ doesnt quite have a large amount of ‘crude’ from the current wells, but the biggest product is ‘condensate’ which is still very useful in refineries.

        But still we produce about 20% of our oil usage when you account for the uses of condensate

        • Exkiwiforces 5.1.2.1
          30 August 2018 at 7:41 pm

          Most of Australia’s POL products actually now comes from the Singapore oil refiners as the are only two or three left in Oz, one in Brisbane and the other two in the Melbourne/ Geelong area. Darwin has the most expensive fuel prices in Oz for a capital city with Sydney or Melbourne the less expensive and for regional and the bush is quite eye watering eg more expensive than NZ or the Uk as an example.

    • dukeofurl 5.2
      30 August 2018 at 4:42 pm

      The new national minimum wage is $719.20 per week, for a 38-hour week, or $18.93 per hour.
      https://www.business.gov.au/people/hiring/pay-and-conditions/paying-your-employees

      Australia National award rates for many jobs are much higher

  6. AB 6
    30 August 2018 at 2:05 pm

    National serves the interests of people for whom a few cents per litre either way in the price of petrol goes completely un-noticed.
    He is just being a cynical sleaze-ball – pretending to understand the daily stress of the financially fragile in order to get them to vote against their own interests (i.e. for National). But because he’s bullshitting about even caring in the first place, he messes up and gets the facts wrong.
    What putrescent part of the woodwork do these guys crawl out from?

    • woodart 6.1
      30 August 2018 at 2:33 pm

      the damp soft smelly rotting part of the woodwork, thats hidden away from hard questions and bright light. their consciences arent properly developed, and their morals are movable. the nat spruikers that show up here cant answer the difficult questions and are prone to deflecting subjects.

  7. Observer Tokoroa 7
    30 August 2018 at 2:41 pm

    A brief History of Simon

    Simon Bridges emerged from a distressingly incompetent political scene headed by Sir John Key, Sir Billy English and Ms Paula Bennett.

    John Key had an internal crooked crew, built around dishonesty that produced and encouraged false information and blatantly ignored the colossal failures of his strange policies on Infrastructure, Housing, Education, Assets, Immigration and Equity.

    Simon has felt himself compelled to carry on the demonic devastation he inherited.

    He feels comfortable distorting the truth. Otherwise known as “being a liar”. He receives encouragement to maintain his pathway into deceit by, the dead end Herald and its sick Columnists. Backed by ZB sluggards. They support only the Wealthy! No one else.

    Capitalism is failing around the globe. Because wealth always ends up in the hands of fewer and fewer. As Simon and the Herald well know – but which they ignore, Simon and the Herald hand out Poverty and Homelessness. never forget that.

    The majority of normal people are tired of that. Hence the prediction about stupid Simons’ brief incoherent strut across the stage.

  8. AsleepWhileWalking 8
    30 August 2018 at 3:25 pm

    Well I like Simon + think he should stay indefinitely.

    • veutoviper 8.1
      30 August 2018 at 3:30 pm

      I don’t like him + think he should stay indefinitely.

    • Incognito 8.2
      30 August 2018 at 3:44 pm

      Depends who’ll be the next Leader of the Opposition. Whether we like them or not, we do need a well-functioning Opposition; the current lot is an embarrassment.

    • Stuart Munro 8.3
      30 August 2018 at 4:23 pm

      Not for me.

      Our model of government functions best when it gets incisive and rigorous critique from opposition parties. Lazy lying Gnats just don’t cut the mustard.

      In principle – God knows I’ve rarely seen it apart from the odd Green effort.

  9. phil 9
    30 August 2018 at 4:54 pm

    And why is the NZ dollar down? – because of the weakening economy caused by the government!

    • Incognito 9.1
      30 August 2018 at 6:02 pm

      Here on TS we don’t usually get such high-level comments as they tend to be reserved to Twitter. Thank you gracing us with your nous, it’s truly priceless.

  10. Naki man 10
    30 August 2018 at 5:53 pm

    When a tank of petrol costs more than my annual dental check up we should be complaining about getting ripped off with petrol taxes.

    • Incognito 10.1
      30 August 2018 at 6:05 pm

      It’s a disgrace! The Government is ripping us off to benefit its shareholders, the greedy bunch they are. They should all be fired on the spot for gross negligence.

    • Gabby 10.2
      30 August 2018 at 8:14 pm

      If checking both your teeth costs a full tank of petrol you should change vets nasti man.

  11. Timeforacupoftea 11
    30 August 2018 at 7:48 pm

    Bloody Hell !
    You have cheap fuel in Auckland.
    Once again we in the South are subsidising Aucklands public transport dreams by paying around $2.40 per litre in Otago.
    We apparently have come through a mild winter down here and have still paid $500 + for our Electricity.

    Taxcinda is certainly sprinkling her fairy dust down here in the South plus giving the South Dunedin Curran the big shift.

    I say it is past time that the South Island breaks free of the North Island and forms a new government.

  12. JustMe 12
    30 August 2018 at 7:58 pm

    The price of fuel obviously was not a concern for Simon Bridges whilst he was being driven around NZ on the NZ taxpayer purse. The fact those vehicles i.e limos with probably bum warming seats(something John Key enjoyed spending over $64million of NZ taxpayer money on) used fuel that he used to get from A to B didn’t cross his mind. The NZ taxpayers paid for his jaunts i.e travel and accommodation costs etc.
    The fact a majority of NZ taxpayers who paid for his transport costs are low income NZers didn’t cross his mind.
    The fact that even when GST increased during a National government and there was not a peep of concern of the increased fuel costs for low income NZers even back then did not even cross Simon Bridges’ mind.
    Why is it that every time Simon Bridges opens his mouth his words are so full of hypocrisy that one wonders what is the point of listening to any member of the NZ National Party???!!!! They all seem to be tainted with the same brush of blaming everyone else but themselves.
    I suggest Simon Bridges and the rest of the NZ National Party MPs stand at the rear end of a bull because all we seem to get from them(National)is the usual bullshit and bullocks that they are doing so wonderfully at on a daily basis.
    I guess we will never see accountability and responsibility for their actions being made public by ANY National MPs as they deem themselves as being so perfect and above all others i.e low income NZers who pay their(MPs from all political parties) wages, perks of the jobs which includes transport, accommodation, meals(that is why we will never see a starving and living in the streets National politician),etc,etc,etc.

  13. Ad 13
    30 August 2018 at 9:22 pm

    Tax is the right platform for Simon Bridges; totally on-brand.

    The facts won’t matter much.

    NZ petrol will go up because our dollar is tanking, and the US $Barrell price is grinding up again. This scale of increase is not in the governments’ control – also adding to a reliable platform for Bridges.

    This line should have electoral payoff for him in time.