To think we are being lined up for something?

I think many people would try and do the responsible thing/ follow Government advice if we had another pandemic.

Of course they would

They definitely will not. Most people are cross about how covid was dealt with and have zero trust in the government and pharmaceutical companies now. Many of us think the people still wearing masks after we now know they are completely ineffective are completely brainwashed. There is no hope for some people but many millions thankful have woken up.

I hate this bloody scaremongering, it always causes panic buying.

Also bottled water doesn’t last that long even unopened so that’s a total waste of money to buy ahead!

Honestly I think this is just politics the Govt signalling this as their main election message will be Tories are best for security (spoiler alert, as if). It’s just electioneering. They’ve presumably suggested this to supermarkets who have changed their supply plans.

We're all doomed. Doomed, I tell ye....

Having the preparation warnings and oddly timed election might indicate something particular to the UK.
Brexit is coming up with new trade barriers. It seems most likely if it is anything.
Sweden is getting a similar message, but they have Russia next door upto all sorts (cyber attacks etc).

I said it on another thread, there must be a reason the government issued "preppers' guidance" very recently; we're distracted by the election, but they need to be able to say "we did tell you to do your prepping". Also, as we were nudged, nudged and nudged again during the plandemic (sorry, pandemic, I can't spell), the government is probably checking that the "nudge" unit still works, and if people still respond to it; or if they are now thinking "it's just the government crying wolf again".

There was "panic buying" of a certain valuable commodity about two and a half years ago, because a certain big company said something silly that made people panic, and buy it in massive quantities. Most people have probably forgotten all about it, but I haven't. (I'm not going to say what it was, in case I cause another panic!) That panic had the government's fingerprints all over it, as far as I'm concerned.

There's masses of self interest in panic buying as the Tories have a lot of shares in supermarkets and in the production

Plus there's also the agenda to push of "we're going to war you can't trust Labour to not get in bed with the Russians'

Absolute bollocks obviously

Some people aren’t happy unless we’re all doomed 🙄

Imminent alien invasion

There were a few things on twitter yesterday saying there was a reason that would be revealed. One saying we are already at war with Russia - Andrew Bigden (?) MP was saying we’ve been lobbing bombs at Russia - it’s just not been declared. Apparently Rishi says he does not want to be a war time prime minister but he was being forced into it by his generals. Didn’t pay much heed to it but reading OPs post made me think of it

This!

We don't really take Russia seriously but they do threaten to bomb us all the time. It will depend on how much we help bomb them or how far Russia thinks we can go. I never thought it would go this far but it may as well be Britain attacking Russia here and there

We are far too patient with some of these people.
I am very with people who are hesitant about the vaccine, as it is scary to have something you do not understand injected into you.
That said, I have friends who were working on the vaccine, my sister working in ICU (a good friend also) and seeing horrors.
People calling them liars and accusing them of conspiracies (by implication) deserve not more leeway than any other comparable slanders or libels.

I mean… war in Russia, war in the Middle East, solar flares, China sabre-rattling, water contamination issues in the UK, heavy rain leading to crop issues here - I’m battling to see the mystery tbh.

Probably because of a bank holiday weekend coming up, I'm expecting Waitrose and M& S food to be busy today

I sometimes wonder how many shares Rishi’s family, and other MPs’, own in supermarkets, and whether there’s any self interest in encouraging panic buying.

You see, I don't agree. I think people might say, oh, I'd never do that again, if you asked them now - but if war was declared, say, they would by and large get on with following the various advice.

Also, nothing predicts behaviour more than past behaviour. Covid was unusual in that the mortality was very low for many groups and especially for children. If we had an outbreak of flu, say, where the clinical risk profile was evolving but the mortality was higher, or children were unduly affected, I think people would be careful to follow guidelines, mostly.

This.

None of this is new. It's always been part of the national emergency plan. Someone posted on another thread that the Irish government issues this sort of advice at the start of every winter. The Scandinavians send booklets to every household and people do what is asked and take it in their stride.

Here people either take it as a sign that the nukes are imminent and the government has only just thought about doing anything, but it's pointless anyway or its groundless scaremongering, best ignored. Bizarre.

Who doesn’t already have matches, candles and batteries at home? Aren’t they just standard things to have?

Surely the reason supermarkets are ordering increased stock now is because of the government’s “prepare for a disaster and stockpile your stuff” announcement just now? Because without a doubt that will lead to some stockpiling especially from all the conspiracy theorists left over from covid.

@BeverForget Solar flares could be a possibility too.

Ooh, goody.. does this mean we’re going to see the “preppers” thread back again?

And have the summer off.
Did the same when I was made redundant years ago.