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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think there's more to the petrol "crisis" than meets the eye?

267 replies

tartantroosers · 26/09/2021 18:14

AIBU to think there's something very weird going on with the fuel "shortages"!
Big caveat- I'm not a conspiracy theorist but it's so bad where we are (Just inside M25) that many people I know won't be able to get to work this week. Garages have queues which are blocking all main routes and they're not even open! Is this a novel way of ensuring that we all "STAY AT HOME" ?!

OP posts:
Mistlewoeandwhine · 26/09/2021 23:13

I just checked the Irish Times and there’s no fuel shortage there. Why do you think that is? 🤔

antoniawhite · 26/09/2021 23:15

@Mistlewoeandwhine

I just checked the Irish Times and there’s no fuel shortage there. Why do you think that is? 🤔
Don’t be impish mistletoe. You know we’re not supposed to say the Bword.
Lysianthus · 26/09/2021 23:16

I’m a key worker (NHS) and failed to get fuel on Friday. I’m fine tomorrow but really need diesel by Tuesday. I’m in Sussex, any ideas?

ohfook · 26/09/2021 23:19

@boobot1

It's weird I see none of this where I live. No queues and no fuel shortages.🤷‍♀️
I wonder if we live in the same place? I'm seeing it on the news, but every station I've passed today has had just four or five cars on the forecourt and seems to be just business as usual.
ohfook · 26/09/2021 23:27

@LaurieFairyCake

Dh has just come home as the 2 petrol stations nearest us have no fuel

He is FURIOUS. Not because he's getting the bus (he doesn't care) but because he has 3 schools to go to on Tuesday he won't be able to (Deputy head) - these are transition visits to plan talk to the kids about going up to big school

What a nightmare...

These are literally visits planned months in advance

Could he not get a taxi then expense it?
Timeforachangetoday12 · 26/09/2021 23:31

@ohfook
As someone else mentioned above & we’ve experienced it the taxi service that provides transport to SEN school have cancelled tomorrow as no fuel :(

Esspee · 26/09/2021 23:40

Is this an English thing. I’m in Scotland. Haven’t seen any queues.

nanbread · 26/09/2021 23:41

@JamMakingWannaBe

If I was the Chief Executive of say, Heinz, I could start a rumour that the factories are running short on ketchup and tomato soup. Instant sales rush, and £££. If I was a conspiracy theorist, the real question is why THIS weekend....?

ZERO queues at my local supermarket petrol station and shelves were full. Even got some good yellow label items so obviously over rather than under stocked.

But it won't benefit Heinz to do this...

People buy and eat ketchup anyway. People won't eat more ketchup just because stocks are running low. If anything they might eat less to save it. So they might buy loads in one go but then not buy any for months.

Same with petrol - people aren't really going to drive around more except to petrol stations just because they have a full tank. Once all the panic buyers have full tanks and the people who actually need to fill up now have filled up, the situation will calm down.

Choux · 26/09/2021 23:57

If we are going back to the 1970s with a winter of discontent, does that mean we'll be getting a referendum on joining the EU soon?

tigger1001 · 27/09/2021 06:28

@Esspee

Is this an English thing. I’m in Scotland. Haven’t seen any queues.
I'm in Scotland too and got fuel yesterday with no issues. The guy at the garage said though that Friday and Saturday were mental with queues.

I don't live in town so didn't see it. I did see something in local press about garages imposing a £30 limit

MargosKaftan · 27/09/2021 06:35

I wonder if there has been an element of creating the problem by highlighting it now, so the needed HGV driver visas are in place before the real crunch time of Christmas? I know people who work in supermarket management who had said it was a manageable situation now, but they could see issues around Christmas when demand goes up and they cant get extra deliveries.

This has forced the government to do something about the shortage of drivers. This isn't a government that plans, they react, so needed something to react to.

HarebrightCedarmoon · 27/09/2021 06:43

I find it astonishing that people are so reliant on their cars day to day, this has been a real eye opener to me that people drive so far day to day in a car. Sure, we have a car but we use public transport to get to work (and work from home most of the time) and school, and we're in a semi-rural area. We're absolutely stuffed environmentally while people use their cars this often Sad.

MydogWillow · 27/09/2021 06:49

I'm unsure about conspiracies.

Several pumps were closed in forecourts back in August and it was fine. Everyone bought normally.

Media get involved and it's absolute bedlam.

Tea time yesterday I drove past 5 petrol stations who had run out. Some major players, some independent. The lost revenue in their shops must be taking it's toll.

6th one was OK. Off a major A road though so bigger storage perhaps. Hideous queues and police presence.

Thecurliestwurly · 27/09/2021 06:52

@Figgygal

The only thing going on here is that people yet again are showing themselves as being monumentally selfish and stupid
That's weird, I think people are trying to ensure they can work and take their kids to school. I think it is the government showing us they are selfish and monumentally stupid instead. Shall we blame the right people for this please?
SquareYellow · 27/09/2021 06:55

@PicsInRed

People were literally TOLD to keep their tanks above half way, they immediately went and did as they were told and this is the perfectly foreseeable result.

My personal conspiracy theory is that big business wanted to bring back foreign labourers to exploit (and just watch, this won't be limited to skilled HGV drivers) rather than pay decent wages locally, and this crisis has been entirely manufactured so the government can initiate the visa programme...they just rolled out this week. Oh, will you look at that. How expeditious, what coincidence. Hmm

This all the way. Aren’t we a great government saving the day, not we fucked it up in the first place with brexit making it somewhere no one wanted to live or work
Howshouldibehave · 27/09/2021 06:57

and work from home most of the time

How lucky for you.

I’m sure you can understand that lots of us can’t do that though, and can’t actually afford to live anywhere near the hospitals/schools/clinics we work at!?

tttigress · 27/09/2021 06:59

Personally I blame the media, they love to hype any minor situation, usually making it worse.

Hopefully all of the people who have filled their tanks will decide to work from home (if they can), thus averting the crisis quickly.

OhGiveUp · 27/09/2021 07:28

People are or have been panic buying fuel, yet over the weekend the motorway and a normally busy main road, both of which I can see from my home, were really busy.
Surely if you're chewing your nails over whether you have enough fuel for work or school runs etc, you would preserve the fuel that you have to ensure you can do those things, especially getting to and from work, rather than driving around?
I understand that prior arrangements may have been made to visit someone or something, but surely that could be postponed.
Obviously I don't know why people were driving around this weekend, but it seems strange to panic about whether you have enough fuel for work, yet drive around.
Or does that just make sense in my own head?

VikingVolva · 27/09/2021 07:34

@OhGiveUp

People are or have been panic buying fuel, yet over the weekend the motorway and a normally busy main road, both of which I can see from my home, were really busy. Surely if you're chewing your nails over whether you have enough fuel for work or school runs etc, you would preserve the fuel that you have to ensure you can do those things, especially getting to and from work, rather than driving around? I understand that prior arrangements may have been made to visit someone or something, but surely that could be postponed. Obviously I don't know why people were driving around this weekend, but it seems strange to panic about whether you have enough fuel for work, yet drive around. Or does that just make sense in my own head?
You're assuming that the people who you saw driving are the same people who are concerned about how they'll get through the week.

And that their journey wasn't necessary - peak time to drop DC at university, l know a lot of people who were fretting about getting that done.

Busy roads in town aren't necessarily a petrol issue. Use of hybrid and fully electric vehicles will be continuing as usual.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/09/2021 07:34

@HarebrightCedarmoon

I find it astonishing that people are so reliant on their cars day to day, this has been a real eye opener to me that people drive so far day to day in a car. Sure, we have a car but we use public transport to get to work (and work from home most of the time) and school, and we're in a semi-rural area. We're absolutely stuffed environmentally while people use their cars this often Sad.
Well I could use public transport to get to work if I wanted to spend an hour and a half getting there. It's a 15 minute drive in my car so there's no point in even considering the bus or train.
Porfre · 27/09/2021 07:38

@HarebrightCedarmoon

I find it astonishing that people are so reliant on their cars day to day, this has been a real eye opener to me that people drive so far day to day in a car. Sure, we have a car but we use public transport to get to work (and work from home most of the time) and school, and we're in a semi-rural area. We're absolutely stuffed environmentally while people use their cars this often Sad.
Unfortunately the lack of public transport where I live means I have to rely on the car. There is no alternative, apart from finding a job in walking distance from my home.
Bramblecrumble21 · 27/09/2021 07:42

Ooh, love a good conspiracy theory. I like the idea that BP is behind it with the visas for HGV lorries. Also does this competition law help or hinder oil companies? There must be high stakes in lifting the law. Then there's the push to zero emissions and it could be people getting electric cars but that's too contrived for an emergency situation.

I don't think it's the government wanting us to stay at home, no advantage to that but I'm sure there are buisnesses pulling strings. Media was very ott, does seem planned. I also hate how people are blaming people getting fuel...the little man....

PicsInRed · 27/09/2021 07:46

@DrWhoNowww

Stanlow is on the brink due to mismanagement - it’s owned by Essar Oil - they owe a fortune in tax, it announced last Tuesday that it wouldn’t be able to meet payments to HMRC.

Then we have an announcement that there is no petrol shortage from the government which of course everyone believes means there is definitely a shortage.

So they panic buy.

And how many petrol station forecourts does Essar Oil have? And how much fuel has gone through them in the last 72 hours? And how much money have they made?

So now they’re going into receivership with some lovely healthy bank accounts as a result of an unprecedented run on fuel caused by the government announcement when the bloody government is a major creditor.

They won't stop trading on insolvency, the operations and admin side will continue, albeit overseen by the receiver. This is quite normal.
Bunnycat101 · 27/09/2021 07:47

There are people clocking up significant mileage every week as part of their commute. My husband is one that needed to fill up and did and probably will again this weekend. I didn’t last weekend but will need to within the next 10 days or so. Hopefully a good % of the people filling up will be ok for a while but many of those who did will need fuel again this weekend as will lots of people who will be getting lower or could get petrol over the weekend. I can’t see how it will get back to normal in days as others have said.

Rhubarbsoup · 27/09/2021 07:47

@HarebrightCedarmoon

I find it astonishing that people are so reliant on their cars day to day, this has been a real eye opener to me that people drive so far day to day in a car. Sure, we have a car but we use public transport to get to work (and work from home most of the time) and school, and we're in a semi-rural area. We're absolutely stuffed environmentally while people use their cars this often Sad.
I'm not surprised, public transport has been cut to the bone in many places whilst costs have spiralled. To get to the nearest city for me I'd have to get a bus to the train station (25 mins plus waiting around for the bus), and then a train which takes 15 minutes but costs about 5 x the price that fuel would cost to drive there. Time and money wise it just isn't efficient or appealing. Unless you're in a city with excellent transport such as London, your choices of work are limited in the local area hence why many people commute. If I was to live in the town I worked in, we would have had to pay double for our house which is unaffordable. Whilst I could get a lower paid local job, getting a car seemed the better option; I make no apologies for that.

I do agree that some use it for ease when it isn't needed. DH used to do this, if we needed milk he would drive to the nearest supermarket instead of walk 10 minutes into town where it was the same price and usually the same sort of availability!