Jump to content

Fuel in the tank?


pap

Recommended Posts

George Osborne famously said that the 2011 budget would put "fuel in the tank of the British economy". Spin on a year, and people are having trouble getting fuel into their own cars.

 

There are reports from all over the country about people queuing for petrol. I'm going to Blackpool on Saturday, and was running on fumes today so took my car. Cost me 90 quid to fill up a 5-series.

 

Francis Maude ( a destitute man's Mandelson, imo ) blundered into the story today when he suggested that people fill up a couple of jerry cans, presumably because he thinks we all live in places where such stuff can be safely stored.

 

The PM has advised people to top up ahead of the strike.

 

Mr Cameron, who is currently chairing a meeting of the civil contingencies committee Cobra, earlier said: "There is no imminent strike. The unions would have to give seven days' notice of any strike so there is no need to queue to buy petrol.

 

"If there is an opportunity to top up your tank if a strike is potentially on the way, then it is a sensible thing if you are able to do that."

 

Mr Maude advised: "The greater extent to which people have fuel in their vehicles - maybe a little bit in the garage as well in a jerrycan - the longer we can keep things going."

 

But Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack criticised the advice, saying: "There is a real danger the public will start storing fuel in inappropriate ways if the government is encouraging panic-buying and storage. This advice is wrong and must be withdrawn."

 

So, is the Government handling this correctly or triggering panic buying?

 

If I were putting my conspiratorial head on, it is rather handy that we've got massive demand for fuel shortly after a rise in fuel duty :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was planning on filling my car up this morning, but the Shell I would have used was coned off. Nipped out at around lunchtime, and though there weren't any queues, the place was full and the attendant told me they'd been like that all day.

 

It really isn't nice paying 90 quid to fill up your car, and I suspect, not remotely sustainable. I expect we'll see food go up further (if it hasn't already).

 

What's the situation with Iran at the moment? Sanctions fully applied? Be cheaper and a lot f**king easier if they sorted this Middle East lark out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I heard maudes comments on the radio and thought WTF. Encouraging people to store petrol is f/cking insane. I bet the Fire Brigade are livid.

 

Not only that, but he was refusing to directly withdraw his 'advice'.

 

These boys do like to shoot from the hip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Francis Maude has been given the political equivalent of a clip round the ear by downing street for making dumb ass comments on the fuel (non) crisis

 

Golden rule of government should be 'Never ever say that something is not a crisis' because then people will think there is one. Telling people 'no need to panic buy petrol' will lead to panic at the pumps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Golden rule of government should be 'Never ever say that something is not a crisis' because then people will think there is one. Telling people 'no need to panic buy petrol' will lead to panic at the pumps.

 

You could almost think the government want there to be a bit union millitancy so they can flex their muscles and naturally mention that said unions fund Labour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

What's the situation with Iran at the moment? Sanctions fully applied? Be cheaper and a lot f**king easier if they sorted this Middle East lark out.

just wait. in the next 18 months or so, iran won't be able to hide it any further what they are doing messing around with nuclear products......then i could get very expensive....

 

a fair few arab states are non too happy at the mo...let alone israel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just wait. in the next 18 months or so, iran won't be able to hide it any further what they are doing messing around with nuclear products......then i could get very expensive....

 

a fair few arab states are non too happy at the mo...let alone israel

 

Yesterdays future buying price for crude (you can purchase at todays price and purchase for the future at a quoted price) was circa 35% lower than todays price suggesting that the industry believe the middle east issues with subside. Also America is about to start production with their oil fracking facilities which mean they become energy independent within the next decade.

 

I posted a thread on here about the fracking potential in the vale of Belvoir which if exploited can put us in a similar position. What we are seeing now is the death rattle of opec holding the civilised world to randsom and give it 30 years and the whole middle east with be just a big sand pit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yesterdays future buying price for crude (you can purchase at todays price and purchase for the future at a quoted price) was circa 35% lower than todays price suggesting that the industry believe the middle east issues with subside. Also America is about to start production with their oil fracking facilities which mean they become energy independent within the next decade.

 

I posted a thread on here about the fracking potential in the vale of Belvoir which if exploited can put us in a similar position. What we are seeing now is the death rattle of opec holding the civilised world to randsom and give it 30 years and the whole middle east with be just a big sand pit.

 

And give it 50 years until ALL the oil runs out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And give it 50 years until ALL the oil runs out.

 

By that time we;ll have developed far more fuel efficient engines and other energy systems using infinite resources. At the end of the day the most important resource in the world isn't oil, or coal, it is the resource that humanity needs to live - a green and pleasant land.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And give it 50 years until ALL the oil runs out.

 

Thing is that oil is not just used to make petrol. Where does the raw material for all the plastics that the world relies on come from? Not only do we need to sort out alternate sources of energy for home use and transport but also replacements for all the things produced from oil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By that time we;ll have developed far more fuel efficient engines and other energy systems using infinite resources. At the end of the day the most important resource in the world isn't oil, or coal, it is the resource that humanity needs to live - a green and pleasant land.

 

What have you done with Dune?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thing is that oil is not just used to make petrol. Where does the raw material for all the plastics that the world relies on come from? Not only do we need to sort out alternate sources of energy for home use and transport but also replacements for all the things produced from oil.

 

Which is all the more reason to stop burning oil when it has so many applications.

 

I have little doubt that reliance on oil for automotive purposes could be eliminated in the next 20 years if there was the political will to do it. As I've almost certainly remarked before, oil is attractive to big business because there is money to be made at every step of its journey from the well to the pump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon this has been deliberately leaked so that when the strikes start, everyone is running around with full tanks and so the impact of the strike will be less. It is akin to stockpiling coal before taking on the minors.

 

That is a pretty good shout, Johnny.

 

With the supply dried up though, will the Fire Brigade have enough fuel to get their engines to those jerrycan-sparked conflagrations?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon this has been deliberately leaked so that when the strikes start, everyone is running around with full tanks and so the impact of the strike will be less. It is akin to stockpiling coal before taking on the minors.

 

What, are they sending kids back down the mines now? Bloody tories!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a pretty good shout, Johnny.

 

With the supply dried up though, will the Fire Brigade have enough fuel to get their engines to those jerrycan-sparked conflagrations?

i bet there will be no more fires than normal

as if anyone heard whats his face and thought, you know what, I am going to stock pile 50 gallons of unleaded in the shed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i bet there will be no more fires than normal

as if anyone heard whats his face and thought, you know what, I am going to stock pile 50 gallons of unleaded in the shed

 

That reminds me, i could do with filling the can up for the mower.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smart move by Cameron & co. It takes a Tory leader to understand how gullible and sheep-like the British public are and then use that to your advantage during strike discussions with Labour's largest donor.

 

And, just to clarify the petrol storage laws...I'm allowed to store as many 60 litre containers of fuel in my garage as I like (in something we call 'a car') but I'm not allowed to store 20 litres of the same fuel in a fire retardant container? Is that right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smart move by Cameron & co. It takes a Tory leader to understand how gullible and sheep-like the British public are and then use that to your advantage during strike discussions with Labour's largest donor.

 

And, just to clarify the petrol storage laws...I'm allowed to store as many 60 litre containers of fuel in my garage as I like (in something we call 'a car') but I'm not allowed to store 20 litres of the same fuel in a fire retardant container? Is that right?

 

Correct

 

I was offered 4000 litres this morning, problem was it was £1.60 a litre !

Bloody Tory farmers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I think the govt. advise is good. fill up now, then keep your car topped up. Yes there will be a surge now, but that will subside and if there is a strike the level of disruption will be lessened because a lot of people will just be adding another 20 quids worth.

 

Tories 1 - 0 Union Scum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

No offense but it shows how thick and gullible the people of Liverpool (and other large urban areas to be fair) are.

 

I work in the Alresford area, rural petrol stations out this way are all empty, as they are on my way home via Bishops Waltham/ Botley etc. Fuel only 3p a litre more expensive than Sainsburys Hedge End where I normally fill up. Happy to potter about on 1/2 a tank for a few more miles 'til I need more at the weekend.

 

The sheer number of morons in this country astounds me! The Tories have played a blinder in terms of mugging off the Unions though....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No offense but it shows how thick and gullible the people of Liverpool (and other large urban areas to be fair) are.

 

In my experience, stupidity isn't geographically constrained. Didn't really post that link so that you could have a go at my neighbours, but hey, at least you're not parroting the claims of your former employers and accusing them of stealing from and p*ssing on the corpses of their fellow fans during a football tragedy.

 

I work in the Alresford area, rural petrol stations out this way are all empty, as they are on my way home via Bishops Waltham/ Botley etc. Fuel only 3p a litre more expensive than Sainsburys Hedge End where I normally fill up. Happy to potter about on 1/2 a tank for a few more miles 'til I need more at the weekend.

 

The sheer number of morons in this country astounds me! The Tories have played a blinder in terms of mugging off the Unions though....

 

Remains to be seen, really. The polls are telling a different story, and when the election rolls around, the opposition are going to have a laundry list of bad leadership and/or bad decisions to pull up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this is all utterly mental

 

red ed, in one of his dinners should tell union leaders to pipe the **** down

 

Hardly the unions fault. If everyone just stopped panicking so much and rationally thought through a strategy... i.e wait until a strike is definitely on first and buy reasonably, this could be avoided. I blame the tabloids for their headlines and Francis Maude.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hardly the unions fault. If everyone just stopped panicking so much and rationally thought through a strategy... i.e wait until a strike is definitely on first and buy reasonably, this could be avoided. I blame the tabloids for their headlines and Francis Maude.

hahaha...you really think anyone heard what he said and thought...yes, lets stock pile petrol...fuk off mate

 

no threat of strike....none of this will exist

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hardly the unions fault. If everyone just stopped panicking so much and rationally thought through a strategy... i.e wait until a strike is definitely on first and buy reasonably, this could be avoided. I blame the tabloids for their headlines and Francis Maude.

 

Hardly the unions fault????

 

If the unions had no intention of striking we wouldn't need to think through a "strategy". We would just fill up when we needed fuel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hardly the unions fault. If everyone just stopped panicking so much and rationally thought through a strategy... i.e wait until a strike is definitely on first and buy reasonably, this could be avoided. I blame the tabloids for their headlines and Francis Maude.

Yes, the newspapers should be ashamed of their actions in reporting verbatim what a government minister had to say :facepalm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you a re right, of course. But it is not the unions fault that everyone is stockpiling now when they don't need to. Now, I'm not entirely sure what they are striking over, so I can't comment on the validity of the strike and as I don't say 'never strike', I'll wait to read more up on that.

 

However, there is no need to panic buy now... there has to be a weeks notice first. There won't be a strike(if there even is one) for another couple of weeks. It would be funny really, if not so serious. The unions don't even need to strike any more to bring about the effects of strike. All they need to do is threaten it and all the Daily Mail sheep go out and panic buy causing shortages. There really doesn't seem ANY need to panic buy right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you a re right, of course. But it is not the unions fault that everyone is stockpiling now when they don't need to. Now, I'm not entirely sure what they are striking over, so I can't comment on the validity of the strike and as I don't say 'never strike', I'll wait to read more up on that.

 

However, there is no need to panic buy now... there has to be a weeks notice first. There won't be a strike(if there even is one) for another couple of weeks. It would be funny really, if not so serious. The unions don't even need to strike any more to bring about the effects of strike. All they need to do is threaten it and all the Daily Mail sheep go out and panic buy causing shortages. There really doesn't seem ANY need to panic buy right now.

christ almighty.....

 

you really really think that people panic buying are daily mail sheep

 

you are so far up your own backside it is unreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No offense but it shows how thick and gullible the people of Liverpool (and other large urban areas to be fair) are.

 

I work in the Alresford area, rural petrol stations out this way are all empty, as they are on my way home via Bishops Waltham/ Botley etc. Fuel only 3p a litre more expensive than Sainsburys Hedge End where I normally fill up. Happy to potter about on 1/2 a tank for a few more miles 'til I need more at the weekend.

 

The sheer number of morons in this country astounds me! The Tories have played a blinder in terms of mugging off the Unions though....

 

Lots of morons in Dorset then - they've closed the pumps there in police advice cause of queues.

 

Wrong again Jackanory, do try and keep up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL you couldn't make it up. Unions talk about a strike, Govt spokesmen make a bit of a hash over the message, all the papers report it, yet it's only Daily Mail readers who are causing the queues. Dont you just love lefties?

 

Exactly, the unions aren't striking yet, and no strike is going to happen for a couple of weeks if it even does. So there is no need to panic buy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...