Well done the government!
Until yesterday, we had all been vaguely conscious that tanker drivers might strike but hadn’t thought it necessary to go out and fill up the car and various plastic bottles with petrol to make sure we could withstand a prolonged shortage. Somehow, most of us thought it would be OK and we would all muddle along somehow.
But now, both David Cameron and Francis Maude (silly name) have been on the telly saying we all ought to fill up the car at every opportunity and put jerry cans full of petrol in the back garden in case we run short.
Prats! If even there was a lesson in how not to handle a situation this is it! Ever since they went to the media saying this, there have been queues at petrol stations across the country as people who don’t have any common sense fill their vehicles to the brim and stockpile as much fuel as they are able to in jerry cans. Why didn’t these two stupid men just keep their mouths shut?
The Fire Service is, not unnaturally, up in arms. Stored fuel is a fire risk, and whilst many of us have a small petrol can in the garden shed to use with the mower, chain saw, strimmer or whatever other garden tools work with petrol, it is a tiny amount. Because most people have no common sense (and ‘common sense’ is a misnomer if ever I heard one) they will now be storing much larger quantities without any thought as to how to do so safely. Even worse, those without gardens may even store it in the house!
Also, the sheer selfishness of the vast majority of the general public in these situations astounds and saddens me. People have been queuing for hours at petrol stations just to put £10 worth of fuel in a tank which was already over 75% full ‘just in case’. Why? They don’t need it and they aren’t about to run out. Why can’t we all just go and fill up the car when it’s empty and take what we need, rather than what we want. Shell Petroleum reported sales as being 65% higher than usual yesterday, simply because of panic buying. These people are penalising the rest of us by being greedy and stupid and of course, the natural outcome will be the fuel companies will put their prices up again to capitalise on an opportunity for profiteering. That’s how the free market works.
So everyone – STOP! Think about what you are doing, just take what you need and then we will all get our fair share. The world will not end if we cannot use our cars in the profligate way we normally do for a few days and it won’t hurt most of us to walk our kids to school or use the bus for a change. I don’t want to have to do that any more than anyone else does, but if it comes to it I would have to.
And politicians – don’t be so bloody stupid again!
Sadly, this is another example of how politicians can be so out of touch with the mental workings of the 'common man'. Most people, when faced with any potential crisis just don't think. They have a perpetual knee-jerk reaction to these situations and do not have the intelligence to think through the implications of their actions. Morons who top up their tanks with a couple of gallons of fuel 'just in case' are top of the list. Sadly, to me it is an indictment of the self-obsessed and careless attitude of the average western populace. Just be grateful it isn't a zombie apocalypse - can you imagine the queues at Tescos then?
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