To ask what is your plan if the UK hits a period of civil unrest?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Another thread making me wonder really, but not a thread about that as there are so many potential fuckups that could leave things shaky for us mere commonfolk for a while. From a severe bout of bad weather, to a cyber attack on the grid, or a weird glitch like the Visa cards not working last week.

Not talking about a full on apocalypse! Rather emergency situations where everyone is freaking out, but that are hopefully temporary and can be resolved.

Some people are very prepared and have sensible plans. I am not one but thought it'd be interesting to discuss. Prepping in general I find quite fascinating, but also it's sobering to see how quickly talk turns to defending your supplies (if you bother to stockpile) so I guess I always know I won't bother stockpiling. As a woman on my own in a city full of ravenous hangry people, I ain't gonna stand a chance if it comes to a fight

What are your thoughts?

We've already had petrol shortages when lorry drivers went on strike. Its down for a week, people get stupid buying fuel for their weekly 2 mile drive, petrol stations go dry then it all goes back to normal.
It's all very pathetic. People need to get out of the panic buying mentality.
Also...People going out for nappies...Why can't you use strips of fabric?! I wouldn't class that as essential tbh.

Just do what leading brexiteer nigel Lawson is doing and move to France...

go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.

It's not a myth that people were dependent on the potato in Ireland in the early 19th century.

As heinous as it was that food was transported out of Ireland during the famine, it's inaccurate to say the famine would have been averted if grains and livestock had been eaten. Lives would have been saved but the actual dependence on the potato crop was such that, without humanitarian aid from elsewhere, there was just not enough food in the country to avert a famine. This in no way justifies the abhorrent act of taking Ireland's other foods away.

Irish people would probably never have chosen to be so dependent on the potato as a subsistence crop. They were kept down and kept dependent.

In my opinion the famine amounted to a genocide because it could not have happened without specific conditions which were created by the English - extreme dependence on a subsistence crop and lack of humanitarian aid (in the face of mass starvation). Leaving what food was left in the country would have been the least they could do. Of course.

But it's not a myth that Ireland was dependent on the potato.

And they're screwing Ireland over again now with Brexit. There is no way forward that won't jeopardise the North. However I plan to close the door and stay in the house during civil unrest which is what we've all been doing on the 12th of July for years

But will of the people innit.

Oh ffs get a grip people 😂

Create a people's Republic of Wessex. Our flag will have a cheddar cheese on it; national drink will be cider and national dishes will be cream teas.

What a lovely idea. We could do the same in Sussex. Our national drink would be Harveys Best Bitter, the national dish would be Sussex Pond Pudding, and we already have an anthem (Sussex By The Sea).

I'm a bit stumped for the flag though. Brighton Pavilion? The Seven Sisters? I thought about the nice stripey lighthouse at Beachy Head, but I'm a bit concerned that Beachy Head's reputation as a suicide spot may render it unsuitable for flag waving.

My tendency to shop without checking the cupboards first did us fine during the snow. We were snowed in for a fair bit and I started counting food. I had stuff for weeks and weeks, if you didn't mind being a bit random in your selections.

I don't know why I didn't check for food and the like when we knew the snow was going to hit. I'd explained to DH that he wasn't going to work despite his best protestations and knew I wasn't getting to work either but didn't think about food or the child at all.

London Riots 2011.
You just sit tight, don't you?

Unless we have a deal by early March next year on Brexit, and even if we do, I think there will be some panic buying.

I'm a prepper. We'd cope for a short while without power, heat, food and water. Have supplies and veg garden as well as access to water.
And then we get on with enjoying life unless/until my preps are needed.

Dear me I must be bored,
Ok more plans in case of zombie apocalypse thingy.
If I stay and kill the neighbours, I can then use cars/furniture/junk to block off the street. I then would have all their food and about a hundred houses, some with shelters, some with crawl space and a couple with full size cellars. None have any weapons that I know of, so any defensive weapons will have to be made from junk, or knives from kitchens. There is a stream underground about 10 houses up. Defend that and I'm good.
The biggest problem is the younger element. They can run faster than me but will they have the brawn and wish to kill like me?
Am getting proper into this planning stuff.

I have thought about this a bit, as we live in a house which only has electricity (no gas), and I remember thinking when the snow came that we would be a bit screwed if there were significant power cuts.

I vaguely thought about getting the Trangia out of the loft, but that's as far as my thinking went.

The visa/money thing made me think that I should probably have some emergency cash in the house.

hopefully the thicko city types on here who laugh at the idea of carrying cash have learned something, although the visa and tsb problems are hardly the first of that kind.

also a good idea to have a landline and a corded phone, and write a few things down on paper.

I usually keep a couple of weeks of dried/tinned/frozen food and couple of packets of paracetamol/ibuprofen. It was a godsend when we had flu and also took the pressure off in bad weather.

I have stockpiled gin and rum to keep me warm if the heating goes off.

If the power goes out then I’m going to make DH mow the lawn with that f*cking push/pull manual lawnmower that he’s been hoarding through 21 years of marriage and 3 house moves ‘just in case’.

When the apocalypse comes at least we’ll have a neat lawn.

Basically everything viques said above. I have a feeling she is the one to follow if the shit hits the fan.

I have stock-piling tendencies, also due to not knowing in the past if I would have enough money to see me through. I think I currently have more pasta, rice and noodles than my local Tesco Express.

I also like to have a full cupboard of tins (tomatoes, chick peas, lentils, beans etc)

And it is vital to have at least one unopened bottle of vodka. So if you have an open bottle of vodka at the moment that you are using, then you have to have an unopened one in the cupboard too. Just makes sense people.

I live in a very friendly rural community. In the event of minor disturbance or zombie apocalypse I think we would pull together and not leave a man (or woman) behind.

For those prepping for a zombie apocalypse. Make sure you have a suit of dress.

Seeing as most dead people are dressed smart it’s going to be a formal occasion.

It's always made sense in a way to have a little cash but at the same time, there's a risk if you are mugged or pickpocketed. And pickpocketing risk probably higher for us thicko city types

We have an OFRS packed that I check periodically (military preparedness). We have a small stock of dried and canned goods and water. We also keep a wad of cash in the house (locked away and not dipped into). Half of our garden is given over to fruit and veg (DH's hobby) and we have a log burner with stove top and a wood store so we aren't reliant on gas and electric for heat or cooking. I keep a large med kit stocked and both DH and I have battlefield first aid+ training (I reckon I could sew you up and remove a bullet but if you puke on me you're on your own!)

Essential documents are in a fireproof safe, non essentials in a filing system. We are very reliant on internet stuff though, so it would be a pain to lose that (the PC is backed up monthly, but what's the point of a hard drive without electricity?)

We live at the top of a village that floods at the bottom, with no shops in walking distance and on a route that is never gritted, so it's sensible for us to be prepared for seriously bad weather etc. When it snowed at the start of the year DD and I didn't get out for 4 days but it wasn't an issue. We are actually only 400m from a major road, but getting there (or getting off the driveway) can be a problem.

Fuel would be an issue. We don't have any Jerry cans and I'm often running on fumes.

It's not something I think or worry about at all, it's just second nature from our previous life. I reckon I'm a prepp'lite'

I’m not a prep person but plan for the sort of situation you describe op. A few days of civil unrest seem much more plausible to me then any of the apocalyptic scenarios that require serious preparation. All this really amounts to is some ready cash, water purification tablets, camping stove we already have for actual camping and a cupboard of canned goods. I grew up in the middle of nowhere and we’ve been snowed in for a few days so I’ve always kept a small stockpile just in case.

I recently saw a film that was on the BBC iplayer called Into The Forest about this kind of subject. Power goes out and then the local town starts running out of things and then things go very very wrong. Watch it if you want to scare yourself.

I like thinking about this sort of thing sometimes too! On the whole:

Small emergency e.g. big snow = turn on the telly & sign into twitter to enjoy the drama / hope there’s no work tomorrow.

Medium emergency e.g. food shortage = go live with my sister / mum and pool resources.

Big emergency e.g. civil war = retreat to The Hills with my camping gear and my Emergency Survival Kit

Apocalypse e.g. nuclear war = run towards the flash.

Large emergency =