I no longer commiserate with the UK as to the higher prices they pay for petrol. It is a totally different approach to issues. The UK pays higher prices at the pump because - and ONLY - because they are paying for more social services via petrol than we do in the US. They are NOT paying more for the petrol itself.

It is the same thing as if in the US we paid $15 for a loaf of bread- and dedicated the overage to health care. We could moan about the price of bread but it would be ridiculous to do so.