Crisis What Crisis? Is my friend over doing the stockpiling and am I too? Continuation thread (2)

[RedToothBrush]

Continuation of the AIBU to think my friend is overdoing emergency stockpiling thread for discussion about the government advice to stockpile for an imminent emergency and what the heck that emergency might actually be.

I'm moving it over to chat from AIBU as it makes a bit more sense to be there at this point.

Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5576816-aibu-to-think-my-friend-is-overdoing-emergency-stockpiling?page=1

Spoiler: it's more of a perfect storm of lots of factors coming together to potentially form one great clusterfuck from economic woes, global energy shortages (mainly diesel), potential food shortages, war and madmen to crazy weather patterns rather than a clear identifiable singular thread.

This is a practical thread and a bit of a handhold thread to make sense of events and how they may affect you. This is not an end of the world thread.

We are however going through a period where various governments throughout Europe think there is an elevated risk of some kind of problem due to global instability and we should start to get our heads around the possibility of needing to be ready for anything.

Remember an emergency can range from a temporary unexpected event to a much longer crisis but the underlying principles generally stay the same.

So this is for everything from tips and considerations about what might be a good idea to do /save minimise potential risks to just straight old political bollocks talk about how things are developing.

This is the official government information and advice, if you want further details on what the actual recommendations are:
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/get-prepared-for-emergencies/

This does actually explicitly say to write a personalised plan for your household which everyone knows and understands and to talk about the issues you may face to help you be able mobilise for any situation which might arise. Which is exactly what this thread is ultimately for.

My mother tells me that in the 1963 snow (Boxing day to following March) people used to shop locally with their weeks wages. No credit, often no savings, and the local shopkeeper would make sure no one got greedy. Lorries still got through, cars weren’t able to go very far but most people worked locally. Life carried on.
It’s all so different now. Maybe it’ll be weather, and hopefully nothing damaging. I’d imagine it’ll be tech based - but then what? No online lessons, maybe no lesson prep, disrupted shopping as auto replenishment fails, no routing for deliveries, no WiFi for TV etc - too much to mention. No Mumsnet!!!!
As someone above pointed out, you’d be better off joining with others with different practical skills. So many on MN are at odds with family and neighbours they might have cause to think again!

is this just in France or supermarkets in the UK?

RTB - you are definately not taking into the void. I am reading this thread several times a day. Your updates are most appreciated.

Still prepping here although not to the same degree as there is only so much I can do.

Went to collect my 2monthly perscription today and when the pharmacist said it was not ready I insisted on waiting for it. She said it will be at least an hour and to come back tomorrow. I resisted the urge to tell her the end of the world might start tomorrow. I waited. I got the perscription. Small peace of mind for another 2 months.

Meanwhile Mr Postie delivered my 'Important Info for Preparing for a Power Cut'.
I have to say the information in it was very basic. Have a torch and a radio and blankets. Should have got RTB to write their leaflet. I have to say the fact they are sending out leaflets makes me think they KNOW they is powercuts on the way. So it's not if, it's when (and I suppose how many of them).

In other news last nights Telegraph said China are increasing security with their border with Russia. Lots of speculation in the reader views as to what China knew that the rest of the world did not. Russia and China are pretty buddy, buddy are they not so I suppose it would make sense that Russia might tell them something that it's keeping from the rest of us. Either way I remain suspicious about Russia and the plague.

I'm impressed they are actually sending out a leaflet.
I await ours with bated breath!

Exactly, we won't be able to go on MN (or anywhere) to get advice, 'Can I still use these chicken wings that I defrosted 3 days ago and are in my garage cos it's colder there or will I die of salmonella?' You'll need to go it alone, apart from actual contact with neighbours. I'm very happy our neighbours are really great and I'm sure we'll help each other out.

Google tells me this is not a national scheme, but something being done by specific network operators, primarily in Wales, Scotland and N England

Gosh does that mean these areas are at higher risk from the powercuts? Or are the providers just covering their backsides.

Presumably - maybe @HurryUpParcelDelivery could let us know which operators she falls under?

Politics UK
NEW: The British military is now preparing for Argentina to invade the Falkland Islands

150 soldiers carried out a six-day exercise in the last few days that mirrored the recapture in May 1982

Paratroopers joined locally trained reservists for an amphibious assault, followed by a 20-mile overnight hike and close-quarters combat across rocky terrain, the first such landing exercise war-gamed in years

Original story
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/british-troops-train-recapture-falkland-islands-k2zjngrkw

Mirror Story in the Independent of Times
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/falkland-islands-uk-troops-training-exercise-argentina-war-b3066060.html

Is your head exploding yet?!

I was reading about that earlier - could the UK even defend it now?

And yes, yes it is exploding thank you very much! 😂

I too thank you for your industrious coverage of all these diverse stories, it's a great resource!

My thoughts is if oil becomes such a big deal because Saudi Arabia is toasted and Iran controls the rest of the middle east, it becomes worth Argentinas while to attack because ithe Falklands suddenly become a lot more valuable.

And no we don't have the resources to defend them AND ourselves AND help Ukraine whilst the US are being gigantic dicks.

Which of course makes it even more attractive to Argentina.

Timour Azhari (Chief Saudi Correspondent Reuters)
Loud booms heard in Eastern Saudi Arabia’s Dhahran, in vicinity of Aramco headquarters - six sources to Reuters

Bye bye Saudi Oil.
Hello new world and fuel rationing?

Lots of rumours that US are about to put soldiers on the ground. Nothing confirmed yet.

Trump:
The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped. They’ve been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation, with No Navy, No Airforce, the World’s Worst Economy, and 301% Inflation, in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the U.S. Elections — NOT NICE. Somebody should explain to them that I’m not running in the Elections, I’ve already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I’ll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget! President DONALD J. TRUMP

FFS he sounds like he is talking to a tiger.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar:
"We must be prepared for the worst possibilities and everyone must bear their responsibilities, institutions and citizens."

Shit is getting real.

Mike Pence
Putin doesn’t want peace. Putin wants Ukraine. Enough is enough.

President Trump should rescind the diesel deal with Russia and return to the strong policies of our four years in the White House; use the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act to impose harsh sanctions on any nation purchasing Russian energy and work with our allies to ensure Ukraine has the military support it needs to repel and defeat this Russian invasion once and for all. Slava Ukraini🇺🇸🇺🇦

And he's done an opinion piece for the WSJ.

Ooops I see RTB already posted, my bad! Can't delete the image, sorry.

12 U.S. senators – 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats – have sent a letter to Trump demanding that he abandon his diesel deal with Putin.

The letter, dated October 13, contains some remarkably strong language:

“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded.”

The senators also warn that the agreement will help Putin finance his war against Ukraine while doing little to lower fuel prices for American families.

And perhaps the strongest statement:

“Putin is a tyrant.”

The letter concludes by calling on Trump to withdraw from the agreement, rescind General License No. 135, and use the sanctions powers Congress has granted him.

When are they going to say Trump is a tyrant?

It’s not France, it’s the Netherlands.

(6pm tonight local time they still couldn’t say when they’ll be sorted)

Sorry for constant updates, the CEO says it will still take few days to a week. Sorry no English-language source!

I suspect Trump would secretly be flattered by being called a tyrant!

Rep Don Bacon (GOP congressman for NE-02 Nebraska)
He’s an apologist for Putin and the Russian invasion. It’s an embarrassment.

Meanwhile in Riyadh:
Hundreds of foreign residents are leaving by land towards Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE at this time, with many of them taking taxis.

In Russia there's rumours of a rush on Yandex Bank to get cash. Apparently it's offering 20% annual interest to keep money in the bank... I can't verify this, (I'm working on it) but it's plausible. Talk now that Yandex has lost data. Again I can't verify but it seems more implausible that no data has been lost given what happened in UAE.

Who said it had all gone quiet?!

I fear the next few days could get all kinds of crazy.

Prep day tomorrow.
Torches battery radio
Some logs
Coffee, chocolate, tea

And biscuits.

He went here.

A word on Midterms.

The midterms are a little like council elections in that turnout is much lower than a general election.

This also means he only has to motivate his core based and demotivate every one else.

Reports I've seen suggest Democrat postal voting is down.

This might be for postal reasons but it also could just people not being motivated to vote too.

If we think of it this way, we get stranger results in council and indeed by-elections than we do in general elections. I think it is worth being mindful of this and that demotivating the vote as much as motivating the vote has been political strategy across the West for decades.

Leaving out Belgium and Australia which have compulsory voting 😉