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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Wabola · 27/09/2021 07:48

The way this all happened with the media, BP, Visas, etc is very suspicious, I suspect for monetary reasons.

Bunnycat101 · 27/09/2021 07:49

Also think the media has a massive responsibility for this. Did they really need to go to town on 6 Petrol stations being closed.

altiara · 27/09/2021 07:52

Panic buying screws up the supply chain where they’ve planned where and when to deliver to. It is that simple!

Facebook groups don’t help where everyone is asking where to buy petrol as it encourages more people to panic but just in case.

My area seems to be returning to normal now everyone has filled up.

DrWhoNowww · 27/09/2021 07:53

@PicsInRed I didn’t say they would stop trading…but they are now conveniently much closer to being able to pay HMRC than they were this time last week no?

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 27/09/2021 08:06

So those who can will use public transport instead of cars. This is more likely to spread the virus so it would be a silly policy if that was their plan.

notimagain · 27/09/2021 08:11

I’m of the same opinion as others upthread - that there’s a fair chance this “crisis” may have well have been generated by those (both in industry and their friends in the press and beyond) who want/needed a very fast return to the days of relatively plentiful well trained but cheap labour……

tigger1001 · 27/09/2021 08:17

@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.
And that's great for you, but surely you realise that's not the situation for everyone?

I also live in a rural location and public transport is woeful. I cannot get to work using it as it takes over 2 hours (30 minute drive) and that's if train and bus times work out as no direct bus. The times would mean I would get to work very late. So just not possible.

LoomBoom · 27/09/2021 08:38

Public transport will make the school run 2 hours a day (30 minutes each way). 20 minutes by car. Not rural at all but there is no direct bus.

We walk sometimes when I have the day off or one of us use use car for work (drive to sites across UK). It's uphill and cycling too dangerous (maybe not so if no cars)

There are lots of reason why people use cars, we are not all set up to walk to school or work as much I'd love to live somewhere like that.

threatmatrix · 27/09/2021 17:33

It’s a ploy to get around bringing in more immigrants

LoverOfAllThingsPurple · 27/09/2021 17:33

There’s is no shortage of petrol, only drivers. What’s more it was just the BP garages that were affected. The selfish panic buying idiots are the ones actually causing the petrol issues.

Karenaki · 27/09/2021 17:48

A colleague today told me that petrol has an expiry date, and because of under consumption during lockdown, “they’ve” got loads about to go out of date and “they” have to sell it. So leaked the shortage to cause panic buying…. 🙄

Ineke · 27/09/2021 17:48

Garages in out lying areas away from major towns have petrol.Mostly supermarket forecourts. But, if they do, people spread the word and it’s bees to a honey pot. Take what you need, £30 limit in some stations. If you find petrol, keep it to your self.

caspersmagicaljourney · 27/09/2021 17:57

@Figgygal

The only thing going on here is that people yet again are showing themselves as being monumentally selfish and stupid
Yup - I'm of the same opinion.🙄
Roxy69 · 27/09/2021 18:17

@OrangeBananaFish

Nah dont be daft. The government want us to go to work so we buy the petrol, get a coffee and buy lunch etc. When we're all at home (or those who can WFH) then less is spent in the economy.
Yep. The only people gaining out of this are the media, who started the frenzy unnecessarily. Now there might be the conspiracy.
Leedsfan247 · 27/09/2021 18:24

No

bigbaggyeyes · 27/09/2021 18:26

I don't think there is, people are panic buying and that's all there is to it. We've still got the same amounts of fuel and drivers as we've had for months.

I was talking to a friend of mine who runs a small fuel station, she said they normally sell around 6000 gallons a day. Over the weekend it averaged to 22000 gallons a day.

KisstheTeapot14 · 27/09/2021 18:26

@skysblue you are spot on.

No way they masterminded this.

Boris couldn't mastermind his way out a paper bag in a hurry.

snowflake29f · 27/09/2021 18:27

@Dreamstate I agree with everything you have said . The media have caused this
While we live in fear we comply, it’s basic physiological screening (brainwashing)
It happened in the Second World War . Why didn’t the Germans do anything?

Skyforce1000 · 27/09/2021 18:32

Doesn't fuel have an expiry date?

During lockdown many were not using their cars, there would have been a surplus of fuel if I'm correct.
Maybe the Gov want everyone to panic and take up all that expiring fuel into their tanks to make way for new fuel or that E10 or whatever it's called because its so obvious people would panic. 100% pre-planned in my opinion.

Owl55 · 27/09/2021 18:33

Few months ago we were told there was surplus petrol because people were working from home and didn’t need to buy any! Perhaps the petrol company’s have set this snicker in motion . More likely it’s Brexit and the reduction of the foreign workers who can’t work here any longer and we are feeling the impact now!

godmum56 · 27/09/2021 18:37

@Skyforce1000

Doesn't fuel have an expiry date?

During lockdown many were not using their cars, there would have been a surplus of fuel if I'm correct.
Maybe the Gov want everyone to panic and take up all that expiring fuel into their tanks to make way for new fuel or that E10 or whatever it's called because its so obvious people would panic. 100% pre-planned in my opinion.

If its properly stored in bulk tanks, it lasts years.
godmum56 · 27/09/2021 18:38

@Owl55

Few months ago we were told there was surplus petrol because people were working from home and didn’t need to buy any! Perhaps the petrol company’s have set this snicker in motion . More likely it’s Brexit and the reduction of the foreign workers who can’t work here any longer and we are feeling the impact now!
how does that work if people can't actually get hold of it....if there had been warnings of an impending shortage which never materialised I might haver agreed.
DagenhamRoundhouse · 27/09/2021 18:46

@tartantroosers
No, this government wouldn't have the brain power to dream up a scam like that! It's the media's fault for reporting that a few garages had shortages due to lack of drivers. Cue panic stations. We never learn.

toocold54 · 27/09/2021 18:50

Honestly I think if the government wanted us to stay home they wouldn’t need to stop fuel supply to do it.

wellstopdoingitthen · 27/09/2021 19:04

Surely if it was purely panic buying it would be ok by now. After all you can't store that much petrol. If people had filled their cars that didn't need to, they'd still have a full tank. So the situation should right itself.

My son went to 6 petrol stations last night -no fuel. He took the train to work today. The 2 nearest us are still out of fuel.