Sudden generosity on taxes, over which Brown does have direct control, could lead to interest rate rises – over which, thanks to his creditable decision to make the Bank of England independent, he now doesn’t. Nor can he yet be sure that the economy will continue to grow with the sustainability and speed with which it is growing at present. And he will have to pay for measures to erase the mistake of a 75p increase in the state pension.This government has proved especially adept at managing expectations. We can’t, therefore infer for certain that Jack Straw’s fairly robust defence of fuel duty yesterday isn’t disguising some imminent and quite dramatic reduction across the board in the duty.

Moreover, it’s improbable that final decisions on the exact details of the Chancellor’s package have yet been finalised. All over the country, Treasury officials and ministers are currently holding talks with hauliers’ leaders and others with an intensity that will make it difficult to claim that the Government isn’t at least listening to the protests.But such signs as there are suggest strongly that Brown, who recognises the real difficulties facing elements of the haulage industry, is more likely to concentrate what help he provides in that direction, rather than in big across the board cuts demanded by groups like Mr Handley’s, in a duty which the Treasury regards as environmentally and economically sound, as well as being much less the cause of pain at the pumps than is the international price of oil.The difficult path Gordon Brown has to tread is underlined by the fact that the Opposition would like to think that they are in a win-win situation, whatever Mr Brown does next week. If he makes too many concessions, they can claim that he has bowed to lawless protests. If he sets his face against the protesters, they can claim that this government doesn’t listen.But the Tories will need to be careful that they do not associate themselves too closely with the extra-parliamentary protests they so comprehensively used to condemn when they were union-led, and which could – and I venture to suggest, will – very suddenly haemorrhage support if they are seen to threaten life and limb.One of the problems with the protesters is that they are so disparate in the composition of their demands. Some hauliers have a case, which is recognised in government.

It would look less like a conduit for general government bashing if the protests reserved some of their fire for the oil companies, which have happily raised pump prices while making vast profits and lobbying for cuts in duty, and with whom some of the protesters seem to have enjoyed an unhealthily amicable relationship last time around.But that’s not the main point. Gordon Brown will no doubt show next week that he has listened to some of the complaints, notably of the haulage industry. But if, as is likely, it does not satisfy many of the protesters, they should realise that the Government has every democratic right to enforce the law. The chance to change the policy, if that’s what they want, is not when their arrogantly imposed 60-day deadline expires on 15 November, but when the electorate has the chance to vote in an alternative government, quite possibly in about six months’ time. That, Mr Handley, is what democracies are about.d.macintyre independent.co.uk
More from Donald Macintyre. It’s autumn again, and time to get the garden tidied up and ready for winter. Yes, November is a busy month in the garden, so here is a round-up of all the things you might need reminding about.

It’s autumn again, and time to get the garden tidied up and ready for winter. Yes, November is a busy month in the garden, so here is a round-up of all the things you might need reminding about.
A large tree was blown across my garden yesterday. What is the best way of getting rid of it? Before you chop it up and cart it away, think very carefully whether you might not be able to make use of it where it lies. Can you convert it into a woodland game for children, for example? Could you carve seats into it so that it makes a nice picnic area? Alternatively, would it make a nice caber? I’m assured by my Scottish friends that a caber does not have to be thrown very far – it is getting it to land upright on the far end that is the difficult bit. Incidentally, have you looked to make sure there is nobody pinioned beneath your fallen tree? It is always embarrassing to disclaim all knowledge of a missing relative and then to find later that you were responsible all along!What is the best way of preventing trees from being blown down by the autumn gales?The essential thing is to get rid of all the leaves. Bare trees offer much less resistance to wind and get blown down much less often. The best way to get rid of leaves from a tree is to envelope each tree in a vast black plastic bag and shake the leaves into the bag, which can then easily be taken away and emptied or burnt.

Always make sure, of course, that no friends or relatives are climbing your tree when you shake the leaves off, as taking people away in black plastic bags and dumping them is the sort of thing that is bound to attract the attention of the police sooner or later.I have several valuable statues in my garden. Should I bring them in for the winter?They should not be in your garden at all. It is increasingly common for burglars to take all kinds of statuary and ornaments from people’s gardens and then sell them to antique dealers and collectors. Indeed, I believe they often go round photographing such items in advance so they can show the pictures to prospective customers as a kind of sales catalogue. So if you do have any outdoor statues, take casts of them and put reproductions in your garden. You might as well sell the originals now, as there is no further use for them.I am convinced that only half the spring bulbs which I plant in the autumn actually come up in the spring. Is there a way of checking how successful your planting has been? Half the time I cannot even remember exactly where I put my bulbs…One should always put little coloured markers in the ground where one has planted bulbs – purple for crocus, yellow for daffodil and so on Each flower should have its own coloured stick.