Petrol queues reported now on BBC news

bank - sorry

I think every German living in the UK have been written to inviting them to be HGV drivers as their licences in the 1990s allowed them to drive trucks. One man wrote to the Independent saying he thanked the government for the offer but he'd keep his job in an investment bak.

MayBee70

I understand that the government are writing to anyone with a HGV licence asking them to consider becoming a lorry driver. Is this true?

Apparently it is true. I posted somewhere or other the letter which people have received.

I understand that the government are writing to anyone with a HGV licence asking them to consider becoming a lorry driver. Is this true?

MerylStreep

GranyGravy
Enjoy ? My daughter had her wedding there.
They seem to have retained all their foreign service staff. ?

Lovely food, lovely staff and as you say many are from EU.

People are not in "panic mode", even though that makes you feel good to say so. They are in survival mode. We all have it; it is the sanest way to act for the person and the species to survive.
So let's just abandon all social conscience and act in survival mode at all times then? Make sure me and mine are OK and blow the rest of you. Topping up your fuel tank when you still have over half or three-quarters of a tank is adding to the queues.

Here in S Hants it’s not easing, both local garages have had deliveries cancelled. One was due overnight, one today. MrJ will need diesel to get to work on Monday; I’m ok for now, but as a voluntary driver, I’ll need petrol later in the week. So not panicking, but inconvenienced.

That's a sad smile but we don't have one.

Quite a bit to panic about at the moment though.

Yeah, sometimes I just panic.

Alegrias1

^People are not in "panic mode", even though that makes you feel good to say so. They are in survival mode. We all have it; it is the sanest way to act for the person and the species to survive.^

What, by following tankers full of mortar and queuing outside abandoned petrol stations? We're not living in a Mad Max movie. Although sometimes I wonder.

By the way, that was taken out of context Alegrais. If you had bothered to read the rest of the post you would have seen it was about the government. But then, you do like to just "spit" occasionally, don't you?

Alegrias1

^People are not in "panic mode", even though that makes you feel good to say so. They are in survival mode. We all have it; it is the sanest way to act for the person and the species to survive.^

What, by following tankers full of mortar and queuing outside abandoned petrol stations? We're not living in a Mad Max movie. Although sometimes I wonder.

Well, yes. Just because you are in survival mode does not mean everyone will be good at it. Let's face it, doing the right thing in a crisis is always a bit of a lucky dip as some will and some won't survive. However, their actions will still be an intention for survival.

Isn't that where good leadership should come in?

The Mrs Thatcher book of soundbites? ?Is there one?
Is there also a Mr Corbyn book of soundbites ....and are you quoting from it MaizieD ?
There were definite improvements after privatisation for quite a long time, and then gradually things began to disintegrate.
I too have been using trains since the 1950’s so we must be much the same age.

Whether its funny or not, its ridiculous.

There are people trying to get fuel for perfectly reasonable reasons and then others who drive around for hours trying to find petrol. Well maybe if they hadn't driven around for hours they wouldn't need it.

The government are at the core of this issue, the media need to take responsibility for whipping up panic all over the country and people behaving like idiots are making it worse. If posters think we shouldn't be mentioning panic buying then they need to take a look at what's actually happening.

I've spent a lot of time on trains, lemon, from the early 1950s until the present.

All that stuff you've spouted about how poor they were before privatisation is straight out of the Mrs Thatcher Book of Soundbites for tory voters.

I find there is virtually no discernible difference between pre and post privatisation services. It is just far more complex to plan and pay for journeys, the trumpeted improvements to rolling stock only happened on major routes and the country lost vast sums of money through franchisers defaulting on their obligations by resigning from their franchises just before they were due to pay any money to the government.

That’s so funny.....twenty cars tailing a tanker carrying mortar,
Then complaining to the driver that he ‘should have told them he wasn’t a petrol tanker’.?

People are not in "panic mode", even though that makes you feel good to say so. They are in survival mode. We all have it; it is the sanest way to act for the person and the species to survive.

What, by following tankers full of mortar and queuing outside abandoned petrol stations? We're not living in a Mad Max movie. Although sometimes I wonder.

lemongrove

It would never have been much of a problem if people had bought ‘normally’ in the first place.

I am not sure just repeating the government mantra helps. Obviously, you have stayed at home and left the petrol that there was for the emergency services.

People are not in "panic mode", even though that makes you feel good to say so. They are in survival mode. We all have it; it is the sanest way to act for the person and the species to survive.

For most people that means acting as they always have by ensuring they have enough petrol for their needs, taking into account its availability.

And there we have the crux of the matter. "People" cannot determine the availability, can they. The fuel providers have done their best but the government - who are responsible - have done what they always do and left it to chance.

How many times, and in what circumstances must we find this administration failing? The "executive" branch of government, i.e, the cabinet shamefully catastrophises every challenge and difficulty because they are not organised or ready. That is their job. Not politicking every moment of the day ready to steal more of the power that they would, given the chance, again misuse and make the "people's" lives even worse.

This government is a shambles, a disgrace and shameful. The sooner they go the better. We might get someone who understands how large departments of state are run, rather than thinking someone has given them a nice toy to play with.

I don’t know where you live lemongrove, but your comment is very subjective I think. The train service in Wales deteriorated quickly after the end of nationalisation, because it’s rural, lines are expensive to maintain due to the terrain, and lots of routes were deemed unprofitable. It was a national rail service for a reason, the more profitable lines in the south subsidised the rural network.

No panic, perfectly rational behaviour.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-58767230

Have to get you some onions to go with your tripe then MaizieD ?

Those of us who used the trains a lot know just how bad it was
before it became privatised.It then ran very well for a long time, then in the name of more profits and too much competition it began to fall apart in places.
Which is why I say it will have to be run more efficiently than it was shortly before it was privatised in the first place.
I have no problem with the railways becoming state run again as long as it’s done really well.

Hetty58 My friends here, though, are keen walkers, have free use of buses and tubes, and therein lies the rub. There are parts of London that are not served by tubes at all. Very little south of the river has a tube service, and if you are in the SE/Kent borders the train service isn't that hot either.
With my petrol gauge being on the red, I'm saving that for an emergency or when I can guarantee getting fuel. It does mean I'm unable to help with the school run for my disabled grandson. Just to get to their house, a 15 minute drive becomes 2 buses at minimum and over an hour's journey.

It’s only people in London boroughs with the freedom travel passes Hetty.
We in the counties get a bus pass but I can’t use mine as there is no public transport near enough,
We have hunkered down not gone anywhere as we don’t have enough petrol to risk it running down driving round and round searching fir am open garage without queuing for hours.
I have a Hospital appointment next week which I can’t miss so looks like it has to be a taxi unless a miracle happens.

Alegrias1

We've moved on from gaps on shelves, which are clearly there.

We've moved on to mass panic buying of fuel, which I know I'm not supposed to mention, but there you go.

Apparently I’m not supposed to mention panic buying either,
Even though we all know it’s been going on.?

Have just heard on the news that it seems to be settling in all but London and the south east! It’s a heavily populated area so millions of us are still affected.