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.

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/air-india-flight-hijack-frankfurt-delhi-b3066368.html

More hijack squawking. All clear given. This is how nervous pilots are right now. That's two in two days. That would normally be headlines. It's barely a footnote.

Reports that the speed of Starlink in Ukraine has been slowed. This only affects defensive ability...

Heat and power plants attacked overnight.

I am now thinking it's inevitable we'll be plunged into power outages in the deep, dark winter. Essential to prep for keeping warm - thermals, gloves, hats, wool blankets and throws.

Is the implication that Musk has throttled Starlink over Ukraine because of Yandex?

I agree, pure wool is needed, far more insulating than anything polyester based as a fabric. I stocked up on some Community Clothing men’s cardigans (am a woman) and they are beautifully made in Scotland, excellent value for money as so soft, light and yet WARM! Even if just for home wear (i am petite and a men’s cardi comes way past my arse), they are so toasty.

if you have any lingering household niggles - a leaking tap, some exterior woodwork needs painting and weather proofing - good to get it ship shape before a long and possibly hard winter. Also, I grew up abroad in a place with a lot of power outage and it is good not to bark your shins on heaps of stuff that could be tidied away or got rid of. So a declutter might be useful prep.

I also wear men's jumpers and cardigans as I am tall, broad shouldered with long arms! I will check out that brand. 😊

Decluttering is ongoing here, have been slowly redecorating rooms so piles of 'stuff' keep being moved about! Slowly getting there. Good advice, can't afford to trip over stuff in the dark!

No idea of the why.

He has said he wants a change of leader in Ukraine and for Ukraine to cease to exist and surrender to Putin 'make peace'.

I don't know what's motivating Musk. There's potentially a lot of reasons, but money is likely one of the biggest.

He really is nasty, sick, twisted.
There is no denying that he's mentally unfit to hold office.
It truly is a cult. I saw his new pretty blonde press officer is absolutely deranged with gratitude at serving him.
What a dangerous world with men like him in it, let alone as leaders of countries.

Also, growing up somewhere with frequent power and water outages and not much imported goods in the shops, unless you had access to the Diplomatic store, having a good stock of small but crucial items that make you feel like your best you - grounded, together , calm - really mattered. I have a facial wash and daily moisturiser that I’d really miss if I couldn’t get ready access to it. Odd but significant elements to a daily routine that without can make one feel disproportionately jangled and off kilter. It might be a favourite brand of tea or coffee, a particular ink refill for a pen or even a household cleaning item. (I am in mourning for the cessation of Dreft!) however quirky and niche, if it enhances your day for moderate cost, then make sure you have copious back-up supplies. Doing without the infrastructure we take for granted is not necessarily life threatening but it can take a serious toll on mental health and a lot of thriving in adversity is having a robust mind set, underpinned by small but to you key comforts.

Todays AI news from my country.

TV4 has postponed the premiere of the reality show The Challenge to 2027 after an AI agent deleted the entire edited season. While TV4 officially attributes the delay to a technical failure requiring re-editing, production sources indicate the footage was unrecoverable following the incident.

Apparently she's been sacked.

Yes. Already.

What gets me about the Tiger video is how he shows himself as powerful enough to manage the tiger. That's how he sees himself. He thinks the guy who it's really about was weak. The irony is feeling powerful enough to manage a tiger due to mental illness, is very possibly what did for that poor guy.

Except Trump has nukes and is at war with Iran and currently best mates with Putin. (Until they fall out because one of them decides the other has no value or they upset the other).

Yes I live in Scotland. Thus wondering if we were more likely to get a power cut. I'm in central Scotland not too far from Edinburgh. The leaflet came from 'SP Energy Networks' whoever they are. I'm with Octopus for my gas and electricity so the leaflet didn't come from them.

Sorry yes Netherlands. Had France on the brain with all the rioting there.

Container ships now being hit in Strait of Hormuz.

Lots of chatter about who has upset Trump this time, who is trying to talk him down carefully and yeah it's all rumours and noise which we will see how it plays out but the basic jist is Trump is angry and people around him are starting to think he's going too far and pushing back. Perhaps not hard enough but we'll see.

More importantly for us and with substance behind it the Times has this:

Britain should be under “no illusions” that Nato allies will “think about themselves first” if war breaks out with Russia, Wes Streeting has said before his first trip to Washington as defence secretary

Streeting said there was a “danger” with “integrated supply chains” given that, in a conflict, member states would put on their “own oxygen mask before helping others” .

He said the UK must boost its sovereign capability and national resilience as he gave evidence to the House of Lords industry and regulators committee on Tuesday.

Streeting will travel to America this week to meet Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war, face to face for the first time.

In case you aren't grasping what he's saying, let me give you a clue. They'll feed their own people before exporting to the UK. They'll ensure they have enough diesel before letting us have any.

It's getting more explicit.

Trump over night

President Trump:
Wait till you see what we do to Iran. We're going to do a number. Wait till you see. They're just waiting.

Wait till you see what we do to Iran, because we've sort of had it. You know, we've had it.

But, you know, it doesn't matter. The big thing is they were not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they won't.

There will be more attacks on Iran. It's all a matter of timing.

After the midterms he will complete screw the US btw. He won't care about bankruptcies or has prices. That's a weak persons problem.

Irony is, if his army is in Iran it's not on US soil. He can't fight two wars at once - the one at home and the one in Iran.

At some point there will be a mutiny if he goes that far.

At this point, I don't think people are grasping what he will do and how far he will go if someone doesn't step it.

Em Oh dear yes I think it was me that said it had all gone quiet........shuffles off to corner.

In my own small part of the world we were woken to a huge bang at 7am. There must have been a previous bang because the dog was already shaking with fear and had jumped on me and thus woke me up in time to hear the 7am bang (I sleep with earplugs so very little wakes me). My first thought was we had been attacked. Not sure if I am losing my marbles or not.

Anyway I still don't know what the heck it was. There were workmen all over the street and vans and 'dirt' over everything like there had been an explosion. There was then about 12 men ('workmen') sweeping the streets and using hoovering/blowing tools to clean it all up. I would have gone out to ask them but I was in my pj's. There were vans belonging to private companies that seemed to indicate something about broken appliances? Not sure if all the men milling about in yellow jackets were private contractors or council workers.

I did check when I went out with the dog that my roof was still on and there wasn't a plane/bomb sticking out of it (like I say paranoid much).

Meanwhile the dog had to get sedated he was so frightened much to his disgust.
So that's todays mystery.

The fact that there was such a huge 'response' in terms of men clearing up and dealing with it makes me think it was somewhat of a 'big deal'. I'll update if I get any more info.

My nerves are in shreds. (joking, not joking)

Yes it's going to be December/January isn't it. When it's at it's coldest and darkest and there is the most draw on power/gas. I'll be amazed if nothing happens.
It seems we had a shortage just the other day......

UK energy grid operator humiliated - forced to make largest ever request for emergency | UK | News | Express.co.uk

UK energy grid operator humiliated - forced to make largest ever request for emergency | UK | News | Express.co.uk

Sweden’s 16,000 firefighters will receive training in how to identify and handle mines, grenades, and unexploded ammunition. The aim is to improve emergency preparedness in the event of war, drawing on lessons from the war in Ukraine. Although the training is necessary, some firefighters find the exercises emotionally challenging.

I know several that are quitting.

I wake up every morning ATM thinking "well we are still here. What's Trump / Putin / Iran done over night?" And then crack on with something daft and trivial whilst thinking "should I be buying... ?"

It's next level crazy.

I'm planning a holiday ATM. All whilst thinking "will I be able to get back?" "What happens if it all kicks off whilst I'm away?"

This isn't normal. But until it happens it has to be business as usual.

I do wonder if this was what the years and months leading up to the British declaration of war for WW2 felt like.

These protests in France are a big deal in their own right too. It's not inconceivable that the Macron government could go by the end of the weekend. Big protest planned for Saturday. So there's liable to be significant disruption and possibly delays to Our Tunnel lifeline.

That's without all the other crap.

That's what gets me - it only takes one thing to break right now and we are up shit creek and it feels like there are many many very frayed threads and we are just waiting for which one it will be and there will be a domino effect.

DH is making silly plans (by this I mean midlife crisis type silliness) for next year. I'm going along with it because frankly, if everything goes to shit it doesn't matter at that point anyway. Let him have his fun now.

It's this balance between utterly crazy levels of normal with head firmly in the sand and the impending doom you can feel approaching.

Next time it might be The Celebrity Traitors UK, then there will be a war for real… 😅

I can see it now (or not because they'll be nobody to report it).
AI 'accidently' pushed the big red button named nuclear.
I mean I know they need codes and everything as well as pushing buttons but let's be honest does anyone think AI is not going to be able to do this soon.

The irony of the human race inventing something to destroy itself .......

Just awful.

The thing is, this made the headlines today. People are shocked this could happen. A TV show erased by AI. Bigger things don’t even get a small article written about it. I wonder if the fridges in France and tvis TV show amongst other things are to show ordinary people what can happen, and then we will slowly realize the bigger impact? By then it will be too late.

In Amsterdam during SAIL last year there was a surprise flyover by whatever fighter jets they have here. I was at home and it terrified me for a moment; apparently on a terrace in town a woman next to the reporter jumped up and shouted “the Russians!” We are all a bit jumpy these days.

I am staying positive, because who knows what will happen tomorrow. But, ds went on holiday the other week and was talking about postponing until next year because it had become much more expensive that they thought. I actually told him I’d pay for some of it, he should just go and enjoy himself and not postpone anything.
And on reflection that made me just a bit sad what his future might look like.

Matches, lentils, vitamins bought today. Only little bits here and there. I think I should ramp things up a bit now though

I am also just going to continue planning. Also making sure as a family we have fun and eat out and generally enjoy things over the next few months.

Can presidents be removed if they are deemed not fit for power? (Insanity, dementia etc)
And what happens if he does not accept the mid term results.