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Original poster

To think the petrol 'crisis' was conspiracy?

94 replies

Window1 · 27/09/2021 06:57

Ok this couple we'll be so far fetched that I truly am being unreasonable to even think it, but .....

Is there any chance that the media coverage regarding the petrol supplies was some kind of collusion/conspiracy to make us all panic buy and be concerned about where our next lot of fuel is coming from, so the government can swoop in and save the day with thousands of visas for drivers from other countries?

Rather than them having to communicate the same intention regarding visas but with their tail between their legs following brexit?

Ok go?!

OP posts:
tintodeverano2 · 27/09/2021 07:45

More likely it will work in the govs favour when more people switch to electric cars to avoid this again. 2030 is the date when all cars sold will be electric.

Original poster
Window1 · 27/09/2021 08:04

@roadwarrior

I think you're giving too much credit to the government. They're not that smart. They're actually kind of dim.
Yes this is why I thought I very much am most likely being unreasonable.
OP posts:
Squirrelblanket · 27/09/2021 08:06

No.

sst1234 · 27/09/2021 08:08

It’s looking more and more plausible by the day. A handful of BP stations being out of fuel was NOT news, yet it was a headline on Thursday evening. It’s just not right. This panic was deliberately created. There is no way that the broadcasters didn’t know that it would result in panic if a non-story was made into a story.

sst1234 · 27/09/2021 08:10

@roadwarrior

I think you're giving too much credit to the government. They're not that smart. They're actually kind of dim.
The public should never make the mistake of giving govt a free pass by believing them to stupid. Wilfully incompetent yes, but not doddery stupid. It lets them off the hook.
RoseAndRose · 27/09/2021 08:13

I don't think the government is competent enough to engineer and execute a plot of that sort

Sirzy · 27/09/2021 08:15

Unless the drivers coming over are ADR trained and have done the U.K. qualification to load and unload fuel then they aren’t going to change a think!

Ylvamoon · 27/09/2021 08:17

Not quite... I think someone in the petrol industry has paid a back hander to put pressure on the government.

After all they put the price up by 15-20p / litrer and they need cheap HGV drivers. They are trying to re coop some of the profits lost due to lockdown and working from home.

ichundich · 27/09/2021 08:20

I think it's down to the complete lack of a plan of this government; BoJo and his lot are out of their depth. Whilst Keir Starmer goes on about it not being right to say ‘only women have a cervix’. I despair; I really do.

mpsw · 27/09/2021 08:21

@Sirzy

Unless the drivers coming over are ADR trained and have done the U.K. qualification to load and unload fuel then they aren’t going to change a think!
I've been banging on about this for a couple of days now, because I couldn't see why, if lack of drivers was really the issue, the government didn't use military drivers, RLC has lots of HGV drivers - most qualified for hazardous handling, many experienced with fuel.

At last it's beginning to be reported that they're looking in to this.

Quidity · 27/09/2021 08:21

I'm with Ylvamoon petrol company making a political point. Perhaps not to recoup costs but to sort out the driver shortage?

anniegun · 27/09/2021 08:30

It is to distract everyone from rising domestic fuel bills, cuts to Universal Credit, tax rises and the crisis in the health and social services. Next week we will probably declare war on someone just to distract everyone from the terrible way they are running the country

Neron · 27/09/2021 08:32

I've seen a couple of 'theories', and I have wondered. Don't necessarily believe it, but the possibility of it IYSWIM

  • Fuel expires, so is there a surplus of fuel coming up to expiry because of lockdown
  • The new E10 fuel. People don't want it as it's not as efficient, and doesn't work well in some older cars. It is better for the environment though, but essentially means using more fuel to do the same journeys
  • Electric cars. It's what the long term plan is, why not open people's minds to them now

After the last 18 months, people have shown how much they'll willing turn on one another, so it's sad whatever way this has come about.

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 27/09/2021 08:39

Well all I can say is that since covid started, my local garage has been very quiet - whenever I've walked past there has been no more than about 3 cars there. I live in a town where lots of people work from home and travel to work by train. Since Friday morning, queuing or no fuel. So people have gone from not needing fuel to buying so much there is none left.

Sounds like panic buying to me - and therefore peoples' own fault. If you don't need it, don't buy it.

DottyHarmer · 27/09/2021 08:42

i don't do conspiracy theories, but i do believe in "it's an ill wind" - and certainly sales of electric cars will benefit hugely from people's fear of not being able to access petrol.

RobinPenguins · 27/09/2021 08:44

We did this ourselves just like the toilet rolls.

While I think it’s a perfectly natural reaction people have had, the immediate crisis is self created. Obviously there are underlying structural issues that have to be resolved too and that’s not to let the government off the hook for that, but petrol stations wouldn’t have run out now if people hadn’t reacted by buying more than usual.

MardyBoudoir · 27/09/2021 08:52

Head of European Road Haulers (UETR) has said that EU drivers have no interest in returning to the UK.

Can’t say I blame them. Conditions and pay are better in the EU where there is also a demand for drivers.

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 27/09/2021 08:52

This one is firmly at our door.
(And no I don't blame the media, many people managed not to panic buy or buy double)

This ^ We have plenty of self-obsessed tossers in this country. Unfortunately they become more visible at times like this.

TheChippendenSpook · 27/09/2021 08:59

Go where ?

Thewiseoneincognito · 27/09/2021 09:00

I’m more inclined to think it’s a media agenda to show how utterly useless the government are and just how much Brexit is going to curse us all the longer we stay out of the EU.

Anyone with kids should be watching this very closely, the Britain your children will grow up in is going to be a very different place to the one we knew as kids. It’s as if we’ve self inflicted a regressive development strategy onto ourselves.

ColourMeExhausted · 27/09/2021 09:07

Why oh why do humans feel the need to scrabble for the nearest conspiracy theory when faced with a crisis?? This is almost as good as the one I saw on Facebook that accused the government of trying to encourage panic buying because they need to get rid of all the leftover fuel from lockdown Confused Give your head a wobble OP.

Original poster
Window1 · 27/09/2021 09:16

@ColourMeExhausted

Why oh why do humans feel the need to scrabble for the nearest conspiracy theory when faced with a crisis?? This is almost as good as the one I saw on Facebook that accused the government of trying to encourage panic buying because they need to get rid of all the leftover fuel from lockdown Confused Give your head a wobble OP.
I did preface the post with a very big IF and fully expected responses such as yours.

I still wanted to post though as I think some of the responses to this thread are interesting.

Media involvement.
Government incompetence.
BP / Fuel suppliers issues.
Driver shortage and possible resolutions.
Use of Army to drive.
Potential retainer issue as despite visas drivers may not come.

OP posts:
fluffyegg · 27/09/2021 09:25

Ticks the box to make us all think about or go out and buy an electric car in case this happens again.
Plus if this rumbles on makes us working from home again and eventually remote learning for schools again. The government know what they are doing.

Asleanna · 27/09/2021 09:29

No I don't. I honestly think 1 or 2 petrol stations ran out of petrol for the tiniest amount of time and posted in social media and it spiralled. Most of the petrol stations wouldn't have run out if everyone didn't bloody believe social media.

Marmight · 27/09/2021 09:29

It was BP who wanted to force the issue with the visas. They was absolutely no need to publicise the fact that they had closed 8 of the petrol stations last Thursday.

The Government is quite able to change visa rules without any mass hysteria taking place when they already knew that there was a shortage.