The protest is about fuel tax - which actually hasn't been this low since 1991. I think the aim is to force the government to back down from a 2p increase in fuel duty which is planned for 1 April 2008. In fact this small increase (the first in years) still means that fuel duty has not increased in line with inflation since the government backed down to the fuel protesters in 2000.

As usual they ignore climate change, and that high fuel prices are due to fuel scarcity and global inflation, certainly not due to the government raising fuel duty too high. They do not demand tax breaks to make fuel efficient vehicles cheaper, or more investment in sustainable alternatives. They just want the impossible - cheap fuel in a fuel scarce world.

Inevitably the protests will be just empty threats, tiny and not well supported (as in previous years). However the media usually give them disproportionate and hysterical media coverage beforehand which could prompt panic buying of fuel.

Please look at the Campaign for Better Transport briefing on fuel duty to get some of the facts behind the protests:  http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/campaigns/roads/facts.

You can find out about the protests here:  http://www.transaction-2007.com/

If you register with them, you can then email the organiser  chris@transaction-2007.com with your user name and ask to be sent a text to say where the protests will be held. Tell them where you are based as the protests are organised regionally and you should get a tip off if you plan your own protest.