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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think the Govt need to sort the fuel situation ?!

49 replies

Wingingit15 · 14/04/2022 17:34

We are (I think) over a week now here (SE) of garages having no fuel and everyone driving round and around to try to find any unsuccessfully.
From the papers it looks like this isn’t a national issue but fairly local supply issues caused by the protests. I am totally down with the fact that the panic buying last October needs to be avoided but there is literally no fuel here and I can’t seem to see much being done.
Why is nothing being done to sort this ?!

OP posts:

elbea · 14/04/2022 20:59

@Stellaris22 I’ve heard it all now! What about them is heroic? Disrupting people’s lives and putting people’s livelihoods at risk is pathetic.

I can 100% guarantee every single one of them uses oil every single day. Pictures of them all in their polyester high vis jackets holding vinyl banners. Hypocritical and childish.

Horcruxe · 14/04/2022 21:00

Its completely normal in the NW

EcoCustard · 14/04/2022 21:03

Been issues getting diesel for a few weeks now, passed 3 stations yesterday none of which had diesel, been a precarious situation several times recently with little fuel and none to fill up with. Local MP doesn’t give a fig about anything but a photo opportunity and the government couldn’t either.

Stellaris22 · 14/04/2022 21:05

@elbea they are highlighting an important issue that has been ignored for far too long. There's been far too much inaction leading to governments continually ignoring net zero efforts.

If governments actually acted responsibly protestors wouldn't need to act in an extreme fashion.

Before blaming protestors, look to why they are forced to do this. Extreme actions are needed when governments refuse to listen to science and understand investing in new oil is not ok.

housemaus · 14/04/2022 21:17

@elbea

The protestors have dug tunnels underneath the fuel depots and won’t come out in Essex, it will be why the South East is experiencing more shortages. I’d prefer if the police went and dragged them out of the tunnels but they sadly aren’t allowed. Protestors shouldn’t be able to disrupt normal people’s lives in such ways.

That's the exact point of it, though.

Protestors disrupting lives have been hugely influential in lots of enormous sociopolitical changes cross the world - one of the aims of protest (as well as, obviously, to demonstrate disagreement with something) is to cause sufficient problems that the powers that be have to act.

Peaceful (aka non-violent) protest is an important tool and we absolutely shouldn't be telling people they're not allowed to do it.

I know it's horrendously inconvenient, and that's annoying, but that's the point. It's why so many people have been horrified by this government trying to crack down on how people can and can't gather to protest - it's incredibly important. They don't want people organised, able to effect change, able to raise tricky expensive questions about how the country is run.

Banning disruptive protest would be to completely remove the effectiveness of protest. And the kinds of countries which have no right to protest are... not places I'd want to live.

elbea · 14/04/2022 21:19

@Stellaris22 if they are so serious about it why are they wearing clothes made from oil and holding purpose made signs made of oil. It’s disingenuous. The world would grind to a halt tomorrow, there would be no food, no medical care, no heating - I’d expect millions would die. Their actions aren’t convincing people to support change, surely they know that stamping your feet doesn’t get you anywhere.

2X4B523P · 14/04/2022 21:29

Its been very difficult to find fuel in East Kent the last couple of weeks and has been quite stressful with the Easter holidays. I am a personal assistant with disabled children and it has been touch and go a couple of times on if I was able to give the families I work with the support they need.

FloraPostePosts · 14/04/2022 21:32

Our local station here in the West Country seems to run out the day before their delivery, each week for the past few weeks. That’s despite the high prices.

AllFreeOwls · 14/04/2022 22:03

I'm in East Anglia and can't get diesel. I'm frontline emergency services and not sure how I'm going to be able to get to work over the weekend.

Original poster

Wingingit15 · 14/04/2022 22:22

@AllFreeOwls

I'm in East Anglia and can't get diesel. I'm frontline emergency services and not sure how I'm going to be able to get to work over the weekend.

Awful. Exactly the awful scenario I mean. Why is sod all been done about this ! It seems ridiculous that other areas are having no trouble - redistribute it !

OP posts:

ChoiceMummy · 15/04/2022 11:35

We're in SE and had issues for last few weeks again.

Diesil atm is worst affected but previously was unleaded.

I've also found that it has varied based on which county I was in, Kent seems worst affected than East Sussex for example and West Sussex not at all from my driving around.

I imagine that London isn't adversely impacted or we'd hear about it.

romany4 · 15/04/2022 11:46

I have had no trouble getting fuel where we live (Yorkshire)😂

Don't know where you are but a lot of petrol stations are out of Diesel where I am (West Yorkshire). We've had a lot of trouble filling the car

romany4 · 15/04/2022 11:47

Don't know where the emoji came from...!!

HermioneWeasley · 15/04/2022 12:01

Protestors are absolute twats, but people have the right to protest.

Fiefofum · 15/04/2022 12:24

@Stellaris22

If the government actually listened to and worked with the protestors they'd stop.

The government are failing to act and are to blame for continuing to invest in new oil. Directing anger to protestors is easier than understanding why they are doing this.

This

Ninjaexpress · 15/04/2022 12:42

I'm in the South East and I think this is mainly down to scaremongering and panic buying. During the daytime when everyone's at work all the garages I drive by have fuel, including diesel. Weekends, evenings and mornings the queues form. I drove through Dartford, Swanley, Orpington and towards Sevenoaks on I think it was Wednesday and garages were open and operating fine. Filled up with diesel at Tesco and could only feel frustrated watching people making quick visits to the pumps to put a teacup full of fuel in their cars.

thebellagio · 15/04/2022 12:51

Last night my daughter was blue lighted to Addenbrooks hospital. I was able to be in the ambulance with her, but my husband had to follow by car. It took him 40 minutes and driving to five different petrol stations to find one that had any fuel to make the 1.5hr drive.

In our situation, our daughters case was serious but not critical. If it had been critical, it could literally have been a matter of life and death. The paramedic told me that they’ve been struggling to find stations with fuel, even with specific pumps set aside for them.

So anyone who thinks these protestors are doing a good thing can fuck off.

RampantIvy · 15/04/2022 13:04

I hope your DD is OK @thebellagio

thebellagio · 15/04/2022 13:09

Thank you @RampantIvy she’s resting at the moment and is under observation in the icu. We’ll be here for a week or so

leotardrock · 15/04/2022 16:41

Lots of shortages where I am!
I'm torn on the protesting side of things, before Christmas we had the Insulate Britain lot glueing themselves to the roads! The Govt should have said yes great idea , we'll pick up on that & help insulate homes - that would be helping us all now with our heating bills
Instead they changed the law so they could stick them in prison for 3 weeks, at the expense of the taxpayer! Crazy!

SamMil · 15/04/2022 17:02

I'm in East Anglia and the fuel situation is bad here. Our local petrol station has been out of both petrol & diesel for the last week. I managed to get some a few days ago but it was a 30in drive away (in a direction I was going anyway!).

I'm also torn over the protestors. It is a serious issue and protests achieve nothing if they don't disrupt anyone.

elbea · 15/04/2022 17:29

@leotardrock the ridiculous of those protests is that loft and draft proofing has been available for free for years. As a student I worked for a large organisation processing the applications for free insulation.

At the time of the protests you could get things through the Green Home Grant Scheme. Certain qualifying benefits got 100% up to £5,000 and others got 80% up to £5,000. You could spend it on new boilers, cavity wall insulation, ground source heat pumps, double glazing.

It closed last month but now you can get insulation/boilers etc through your energy company (part of what the standing charge funds) if on qualifying benefits - for example www.eoninstall.com/affordable-warmth/affordable-warmth-landing.html

Rockbird · 15/04/2022 17:31

We were in Cornwall last week, loads of fuel. Now back in Surrey, loads of fuel. It must be very localised, it's a pain in the bum when it happens.

Notonthestairs · 15/04/2022 17:38

Our two local garages have gone days without deliveries.

We drove to Southampton last weekend - 80 miles from our house - and 2 big motorway services were closed. No petrol. No diesel.

So it's patchy but just because your local garages have had deliveries it's not true to say that there isn't a problem and it's all scaremongering and panic buying.

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