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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Blame the government!

100 replies

Unicornish · 24/09/2021 19:49

All these threads having a go at people for panic buying fuel are really getting on my tits.

Panic buying is a logical response to panic buying. People are going to do it and it is a foreseeable side effect of a crisis. Don't blame them for doing the logical thing.

Instead, blame the government who got us into this mess in the first place by recklessly pursuing a hard Brexit without knowing or caring what the consequences would be.

OP posts:

Iggly · 25/09/2021 07:36

@Spiindoctor

Who do you think sets the wages?

The companies who want cheap labour - also the companies who don't want to go to the bother of training up local people cos they get them ready to work for min wage from abroad.

That’s capitalism for you. Drive all costs down to make sure that the owners are as rich as possible.

Until that system changes, this will keep happening. Brexit or no Brexit.

Megthehen · 25/09/2021 07:39

Not wanting emasculated men to run the show...men and women with integrity and enough force to be heard and focus on real issues. Who doesn't want that!

bumblingbovine49 · 25/09/2021 07:46

@KurtWilde

There'll definitely be a fuel shortage if people bloody well panic buy it won't there. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

How the hell can panic buying petrol make us run out? I know a few people buy cans but how many people realistically have the space or nerve to stockpile petrol!!!. Certainly not enough of them to cause s shortage. People are filling their cars and trying to keep them topped up instead of waiting until they have an almost empty tank. They might be buying a bit more often but how the hell can they be buying lots more than they need . Petrol is not something individuals store loads of. They mostly 'store ' a tankful in a car

If there is not enough petrol to meet people's needs there is shortage simple as that .

anon12345678901 · 25/09/2021 07:49

@bumblingbovine49 because forecourts can only hold so much. Not enough for the country to go out and get it in the same day. That doesn't mean there's a shortage, it just means people have to wait for the petrol station to be refuelled. There isn't a shortage, I can guarantee that.

FreeBritnee · 25/09/2021 07:50

Hang on. We’re not blaming the people? Well who do you think voted for the Government and Brexit then? Russian bots?

LadyWithLapdog · 25/09/2021 07:51

@Megthehen

Not wanting emasculated men to run the show...men and women with integrity and enough force to be heard and focus on real issues. Who doesn't want that!

Ha! So it’s the EU’s fault we have the shower of shits leading us? Do you want, what, a Putin?

Suzysunflower · 25/09/2021 07:56

@MyPatronusIsACat

This is nothing to do with Brexit.

The MEDIA are to blame for this stupid fuel hysteria!

yeah right.

Iggly · 25/09/2021 08:03

@FreeBritnee

Hang on. We’re not blaming the people? Well who do you think voted for the Government and Brexit then? Russian bots?

You would do well to read into why we have (or should have) elections which are free from undue influence. Why we have an electoral commission.

Also, as I’ve said elsewhere, there was more than one version of Brexit and the voting population have never been given a proper choice on which one to go for.

bumblingbovine49 · 25/09/2021 08:09

[quote anon12345678901]@bumblingbovine49 because forecourts can only hold so much. Not enough for the country to go out and get it in the same day. That doesn't mean there's a shortage, it just means people have to wait for the petrol station to be refuelled. There isn't a shortage, I can guarantee that. [/quote]
If the petrol is not being delivered as needed it is a shortage fo that area. Gas in the Russian pipeline doesn't cook my dinner if it is not delivered to my home

A shortage can be used to describe an inability to meet demand in a certain location. Developed countries have an obesity problem but try telling someone in a country with a famine on that there is plenty of food available in the world

The point I am making is that the management of resources in the world is a political task. One that has been devolved far too much to profit making organisations with little regulation by corrupt governments. Blaming individuals citizens for the sometimes catastrophic results of badly managed resource allocation is pointless and disingenuous

If the government and petrol companied want people to stop people topping up bit more often they either need to convince them it is not necessary and for that they need people to trust them ( good luck with that ) or they need to regulate by introducing rationing or similar .

Imnothereforthedrama · 25/09/2021 08:11

@MyPatronusIsACat

This is nothing to do with Brexit.

The MEDIA are to blame for this stupid fuel hysteria!

100%

anon12345678901 · 25/09/2021 08:21

@bumblingbovine49 but it is being delivered, when it would usually. They are running out earlier than scheduled deliveries due to the excessive demand. That's not a shortage. If you listen to BP and the fuel companies, they will tell you there is no shortage of fuel. They are not rationing it either as it isn't necessary. There's not a magic pipe connected from the forecourts to the rig lines, the fuel has to be delivered.

Rhubarbsoup · 25/09/2021 08:23

But it's not logical because there isn't a shortage. BP reported not being able to make a really small amount of deliveries, and some areas have had a few days of running short, but the headlines and images used were always going to make people rush out and needlessly fill up. Industry yesterday was saying there's not a shortage, it will be people's actions yesterday that cause one; so no, not logical.

LadyWithLapdog · 25/09/2021 08:28

It’s not people causing shortages. Here we go again. Divide and conquer. It’s not toilet paper you can stuff in your loft. This is something people need on a weekly basis. I usually put 15L weekly. I don’t need to drive around with more than that and I have a small car, it doesn’t take a lot. But never mind, I can get off my arse on a Saturday so I can queue in brexit Britain for my gallon of petrol.

LadyWithLapdog · 25/09/2021 08:30

Can we WFH now and save on petrol?

FreeBritnee · 25/09/2021 08:33

The bloody MEDIA was also to blame for people voting for Brexit. How anyone is saying they are merely reporting on facts is a lunatic. They are DRIVING this chaos.

Serenissima21 · 25/09/2021 08:38

Some people don't seem to realise that it is the government's job to run the country successfully for its citizens, not just come up with soundbites they want to hear.

Dontevenstart · 25/09/2021 08:42

@Generallystruggling

They’ll still get in next election, I’d bet my house on it.

You’re absolutely spot on. They have the media moguls backing them, because they have too much to lose. Ergo, we’re screwed. Never, ever trust a Tory. I hope that this is what comes out of this in fifty years time.

BelleOfTheProvince · 25/09/2021 09:07

Well I'm not voting for the opposition who are enjoying riding roughshod over women's rights.

Perhaps if labour showed less contempt for their voters we wouldn't be in this mess.

Iggly · 25/09/2021 09:12

@BelleOfTheProvince

Well I'm not voting for the opposition who are enjoying riding roughshod over women's rights.

Perhaps if labour showed less contempt for their voters we wouldn't be in this mess.

We don’t have any elections to vote them in.

And I’m not convinced that the Conservatives give a flying fuck about women’s rights either. They certainly haven’t done anything to demonstrate it unless I’ve missed something.

Bucanarab · 25/09/2021 09:21

Those in power give a big shit about it because if things don't improve they won't be in power after the next election or they will not have a majority like they have now.

Long gone are the days when senior politicians care about anything other than lining their own pockets and setting themselves up for the future. I'm sure a fair chunk of regular mps get into politics with the view of helping improve things for their constituents, but that's soon knocked out of them.

It's the same cycle over and over and over. Labour get into power, abuse power for 5-10 years and then the Tories get in, Tories abuse power for 5-10 years and Labour get in. Sprinkle in a couple of minority parliament's where a small party quickly forget their morals to line their own pockets and that's British politics for the last 70 odd years.

The current crop of senior Tories have probably had their fill from the public purse. Covid was like a free all you can eat buffet for them in terms of siphoning off public money into their "mates" business accounts and I wouldn't be surprised if they were secretly quite happy to concede the next election so they can enjoy the fruits of their labour, and let Labour have their turn again.

The only thing that would change the system is public action, but most of us are selfish and don't really care about how others are getting on. Only when things directly affect us do we suddenly start to care and even then we generally don't do anything other than take to social media to have a rant (ironic I know but I promise you I do actually spend time physically campaigning for /against things I care about too unlike most).

The reality is life in the UK isn't actually that bad for the majority of people, certainly not bad enough to risk homes or jobs and until it gets to that point we'll be stuck with corrupt and selfish governments from both sides.

BelleOfTheProvince · 25/09/2021 09:30

No, I would not trust the conservatives as far as I could throw them. Just pointing out there are reasons why they got in not just because 'stupid' people didn't vote for labour when they were told to.

BungleandGeorge · 25/09/2021 09:38

@FangsForTheMemory

Similarly the NHS-bashing threads. The government is selling off the NHS and people who start threads criticising it without knowing any background are playing right into the Tories' hands.

Agree. I’m not convinced that some of the posts are not planted to sway public opinion either.

Can’t blame people for filling up a car they depend on but filling Jerry cans (which are after all quite dangerous!) and unused cars does cross the line for me.

LadyWithLapdog · 25/09/2021 13:35

Yes, so true about the planted posts and sowing division.

Original poster

Unicornish · 25/09/2021 13:56

@Serenissima21

Some people don't seem to realise that it is the government's job to run the country successfully for its citizens, not just come up with soundbites they want to hear.

This, 100%

OP posts:

dangerrabbit · 27/09/2021 09:02

@LadyWithLapdog

Yes, so true about the planted posts and sowing division.

Agree

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