Why I want to smack the Prime Minister

[Lace Neil Singer]

Reposted here as it's a better place for it.

Details here for the people who aren't UK residents.

Basically, as a result of David Cameron telling people on TV to stock up with fuel, it's been crazy mad busy at the petrol station all week. Every day since Monday, we've had craploads of customers; more than we had at Christmas. Cuz of panic buying, we've been the only petrol station in the whole town to have diesel; both Sea Creature Home petrol stations ran out of diesel and the twenty four hour one closed cuz it completely ran out of fuel. The We Killed Spongebob station was running with one pump.

And of course, the SCs have been coming in droves. Here are some of the more memorable ones: (italics are my thoughts, not actual replies)


SC: I can't believe this; I had to queue for half an hour just to get into the petrol station! Can't you hire more staff?

That wouldn't make a blind bit of difference, you stupid cow. In case you didn't notice, we have three tills and all three are in use. If you don't want to queue, then you have a choice; either go away and come back later, or fucking walk.

SC: Well, my card worked perfectly an hour ago. It must be your machine!

The chip is split in half. Of course it's your card. And I really doubt it worked an hour ago, unless you broke it after that time.

SC: Why are you people going on strike anyway? What's your problem?

Newsflash! We are petrol station cashiers, not tanker drivers. Learn to fucking READ.

Not to mention the fact that we practically had to physically boot customers out after closing time, and all the idiots who kept driving in after we'd closed, demanding to be served. Look, I feel for you, I really do; I know that the other petrol stations have no fuel. But when I've been here for eight hours facing constant crowds as well as somehow managing to squeeze in all the other jobs that need doing, I'm not about to stay on and serve you. I'm tired, I'm hungry and I want to go home.

We had people swearing at us and banging on the door as we scuttled around closing up cuz they couldn't accept this little factoid, and the "But whyy aren't you opening later?" question made an unwelcome comeback. -.- All in all, a seriously stressful week.

And THAT is why I want to smack the Prime Minister.

[HYHYBT]

Stocking up on something that's likely to be hard to get in the near future is just good sense. If anything, it's whichever side of the strike (or both sides) to blame for that, not the Prime Minister for telling the truth.

(Unless the PM *is* the cause of the strike, of course.)

[s_stabeler]

true, but in this case people are panic buying, and it's causing supply issues. Specifically, petrol stations are running out.

[BlaqueKatt]

Stocking up on something that's likely to be hard to get in the near future is just good sense. If anything, it's whichever side of the strike (or both sides) to blame for that, not the Prime Minister for telling the truth.

from the article:

in case of a strike by tanker drivers.
raising the prospect of a strike
No date has been set for a strike, but ministers suggested

The ministers are creating a panic, the tanker drivers HAVE NOT EVEN SAID THEY ARE GOING TO STRIKE, that's the ministers saying it-so yes they are to blame.

"hey I heard Ed was going to wrap 20 frogs in tinfoil and lob them at pedestrians,(ed gets arrested) don't blame me Ed's the one that's going to do it."

[Lace Neil Singer]

If everyone was sensible and filled up normally, there wouldn't be a problem. It's just everyone going mental and panic buying that's causing the crisis; for example, in my town, my petrol station was the only one today that had any diesel. We ran out at lunchtime; got a delivery, but what they gave us wouldn't last the day. Two other petrol stations are closed, cuz they have no fuel and another is running just one pump. As for the strike...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/b...ic-petrol-live

Unite has ruled out strike action by tanker drivers over Easter to focus on talks, the union said today.

So basically, there isn't a flipping strike at the moment and won't be til after Easter, that is if there ever is one.

[Rapscallion]

Even if they decided to strike, it would requrie a seven-day notification in advance.

Rapscallion

[SongsOfDragons]

The general want to string up Cameron like a pinata comes from the dumb 'advice' that they have been clucking about...

First it was FILL UP FILL UP NOW!! Top up whenever you pass a station and full up jerrycans too!!

Then they got lambasted for that, petrol + stoves = 40% burn coverage on a poor woman in York. So they changed it to 'Fill up if you're half full!!'

Now it's 'Please go back to normal habits, please? Nothing to see here move along!'

-_-...

I'm on 3/4 a tank. Have been so since before this fiasco started. I need to get to full so I can drive 300ish miles to Epworth on Tuesday. Chances of being able to do today? Well let's hope some places got refills. There's news in the BBC of some guy in Cornwall refusing to sell petrol to non-locals. People are going bonkers.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Even if they decided to strike, it would requrie a seven-day notification in advance.

Rapscallion

This. We've been telling people that all day; we've had people coming in, seeing a tanker in our tanker bay and going, "WTF? I thought they were on strike!" *facepalm*

The really stupid thing now? Saying, "Don't panic" now and backtracking is as much use as a chocolate teapot. People are already entrenched in panic far too much to listen to someone telling them to chill.

[Greenday]

So if they have to wait seven days, why are people buying now? By the time the actual strike started, they'd be out of gas.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Cuz David Cameron told them to! And of course, we must always do what polititians say! -.- People, as an entity, are stoopid.

[Rapscallion]

So if they have to wait seven days, why are people buying now?

The attitude of 'Me, myself, and I'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ng-petrol.html

The Daily Mail is sort-of calling for the minister in question to resign after someone poured fuel from one container to another next to a lit stove and received horrific burns.

People are fucking stupid. This is why there are warnings on everything.

Rapscallion

[Lace Neil Singer]

While I think it was irresponsible for the minister to tell people to stock jerry cans, the only person responsible for that woman's accident is herself and her own stupidity. Why must people be such sheep?

[SongsOfDragons]

I think people are/were panicking because they all have such 'fond' memories of the Petrol Crisis back in 2000. I was only 13 back then, but I remember my dad going out to get petrol and being gone for four hours. We're a small country, and I like our rail system, but we have a lot of motorways to get to many places - my journey to do on Tuesday as an example, it's easier and cheaper for me to drive it. The Petrol Crisis, as I remember it, truly was horrific, lack of petrol going on for weeks...

Calling for Maude, was it? to resign? Oh that's a common tactic over here. You screw up on one tiny thing, your job is out the window. I think it's stupid. Politicians are politicians, not mediums.

On a happier note, I have managed to find some petrol. Applemore Tesco was empty; Hythe Shell was empty (and stupidly without a sign and full of cars still!!); but Dibden Esso still had unleaded. Yay!! And still under 140/l ^^

[HYHYBT]

So if they have to wait seven days, why are people buying now? By the time the actual strike started, they'd be out of gas.

The same reason people rush out and buy up all the milk and bread the moment they hear there's the slightest possibility of snow, even when they know full well the longest they won't be able to leave the house is one day and they already have a week's worth.

[jackfaire]

It's like the great Toilet Paper shortage that Johnny Carson started.