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Total Chaos In the UK As Gas Stations Run Dry; Efforts to Stop Panic Buying Have Led to…
SHTF Plan ^ | 3-29-2012 | Mac Slavo

Posted on 03/29/2012 5:40:02 PM PDT by blam

Total Chaos In the UK As Gas Stations Run Dry; Efforts to Stop Panic Buying Have Led to… More Panic Buying

Mac Slavo
March 29th, 2012
SHTFplan.com

What was a fairly minor fuel shortage sparked when gas tanker drivers in the UK threatened to go on strike has developed into what UK officials are now calling all out chaos, as drivers across the country scramble to fill their tanks amid uncertainty about when transportation services will be up and running at full capacity again.

In what may be a glimpse into the future of other industrialized Western nations that are experiencing rising gas prices and labor problems, residents of the UK were queued in hours-long lines reminiscent of the 1970′s oil crisis in the United States. The lines of drivers waiting to get their daily allotment of gas are so long that they have led police to shut down gas stations in an effort to ease traffic and avoid delays.

For their part, government officials have asked drivers to remain calm, but may have inadvertently worsened the situation when Energy Secretary Ed Davey suggested that drivers concerned with running out of gas should be “topping up when their tanks go below, say, half-full… they should actually go the full hog and fill up when they can.”

Though the intention was to calm drivers, the government’s official recommendations and actions have had the opposite effect, putting further strain on available gas supplies by prompting drivers to queue up lines in what can only be described as panic buying.

The fuel panic crisis descended into further chaos today after a police force ordered petrol stations to close because of the huge traffic jams the shortages were causing.

Dorset police ordered a temporary shutdown after dozens of stations ran dry and motorists formed long queues outside those still selling fuel, which they said were dangerous to other drivers.

There are now fears that other forces may follow suit. Petrol stations in Cambridge have already started rationing by limiting customers to £10 worth of petrol or diesel.

The chaos followed the incredible farce of ministers issuing a series of conflicting messages to motorists on how to prepare for a national strike by tanker drivers.

Hundreds of petrol stations across the country have been forced to close thanks to panicking drivers flooding forecourts, the AA told Mail Online.

Other motoring organisations and filling station bodies have been reluctant to provide an exact number of closures – possibly over fears that precise details could exacerbate the situation.

Among signs that there could be worse to come, Halfords today reported that there has been a a 467 per cent rise in demand for jerry cans since Mr Maude’s ill-fated comments yesterday.

Sales of petrol and diesel increased dramatically yesterday as motorists flocked to garages to fill up.

Fuel rationing returned to forecourts last night as the Army was put at the centre of plans to minimise disruption caused by the looming industrial action.

The Labour leader said: ‘The Prime Minister is presiding over a shambles on petrol.

‘In a delicate situation which demanded statesmanship, the Government showed partisanship. They made a crude decision to play politics with petrol without regard for the consequence.’

‘We now have self-inflicted shortages due to poor advice about topping up the tank and hoarding in jerry cans. This in turn has led to localised shortages, queues and some profiteering at the pumps.’

Source: Daily Mail via What Really Happened

RT Reports:(Click to the site to see two videos)

This is What You Get When the Government Says Don’t Panic (Personal Video Blog):

In the following video it looks like a gas station had opened up some of its pumps, leading to queued up lines within minutes once drivers realized the pumps were open and gas may be available.

To be clear, the UK has not run out of gas. The shortages have been caused because gas transportation drivers have gone on strike, interrupting the just-in-time delivery of a key resource. The mass hysteria perpetuated by the government and media has led to panic by residents who likely don’t know what to believe.
They see thousands of their fellow citizens lining up, their government is telling them to get more gas, and so in traditional lemming-like fashion they join the queues and add further strain to an already over-extended system.

The problems in the UK are probably short-term and should be resolved within a few weeks, but the behavior of the media, government and the masses highlights the dangers posed when we become dependent on an infrastructure that can be brought to it’s knees for a variety of reasons.

In the United States, with the signing of President Obama’s latest Executive Order, which takes control of all resources in the United States including the workforce, there is a strong possibility that any nationwide strike that threatens the regular flow of commerce could prompt the President to declare a national emergency and force drivers back to work under what amounts to a martial law scenario.
These powers of the President would be most useful in events such as a US dollar currency crisis, which would lead to problems with worker compensation, and as such, could lead workers in essential industries like food and gas transportation, utility maintenance, and emergency services to simply decide to stay home.

Of course, the government can’t control everything. Even if delivery drivers were forced to make their scheduled routes, payment for gas during a currency crisis or during a middle east conflict where prices for gas spike potentially into the teens per gallon could become impossible for the average person. As well, the US government itself may lose credit status with our suppliers of key commodities that include, among other things, oil and food.

Such events could play out literally overnight once catalyzed. While our system, like the UK, could survive such a shock for a week or two, it would only be a matter of time before the entire financial, economic and social structures in which we live fell apart.

The UK provides us a subdued microcosm example of what true chaos and panic would look like during an extended crisis.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: gaslines; gasoline; panic; prepper; prepperping; selfreliance; shortages; shtf; survivalping
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1 posted on 03/29/2012 5:40:18 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam

Obama would love a mess like this, both for the excuse it would give for intervention and control and as a teachable moment on the wonders of green energy.


2 posted on 03/29/2012 5:43:02 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: blam

I’ve seen it here in Florida before Hurricanes.


3 posted on 03/29/2012 5:44:14 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: blam

Clearly they have forgotten about the wind, solar and algae reserves.

What a bunch of fools.


4 posted on 03/29/2012 5:53:27 PM PDT by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: blam
Though the intention was to calm drivers, the government’s official recommendations and actions have had the opposite effect,

Government f**** up everything it touches.

5 posted on 03/29/2012 5:57:20 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: blam
Hmmmm. "Sorry, boss, no gas to get into work" with the sound of the outboard starting and a tacklebox rattling in the background....

/johnny

6 posted on 03/29/2012 5:59:51 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: blam

Ahh .. memories of summer of ‘73 and jimmah’s odd/even CF


7 posted on 03/29/2012 6:00:29 PM PDT by tomkat ( FU baraq !)
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To: blam

Oh why don’t they just ride a bike or take public transportation or just walk?


8 posted on 03/29/2012 6:01:43 PM PDT by funfan
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To: Lurker
If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand - Milton Friedman
9 posted on 03/29/2012 6:03:03 PM PDT by Repeat Offender (While the wicked stand confounded, call me with Thy Saints surrounded)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Yeah, I can imagine him looking at the English situation with a twinge of envy. For one thing I think he likes chaos so that he can play the calm voice of reason role.


10 posted on 03/29/2012 6:03:36 PM PDT by Yardstick
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Chaos, violence, shortages is not going to help dear reader. He’s better off if everything is quietly limping along. He’s probably moved too fast in the chaos department.

But we have the GOP to make him look competent no matter how bad things get.


11 posted on 03/29/2012 6:04:25 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
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To: Pearls Before Swine
"Obama would love a mess like this, both for the excuse it would give for intervention and control and as a teachable moment on the wonders of green energy. "

I posted this article but it was pulled:

Powder Keg: Rap Song Charges ‘White Man’ With Murder: “Strap On Your AK’s… Let’s Start a Riot”

12 posted on 03/29/2012 6:11:16 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam

focus .. breathe .. squeeeeze .. cycle .. repeat


13 posted on 03/29/2012 6:15:17 PM PDT by tomkat ( FU baraq !)
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To: blam

“limiting customers to £10 worth of petrol or diesel.”
That’s only about 1 gallon I believe.

What’s funny is the people are doing something constructive to prepare and the government is telling them to stop. Like it’s jealous.


14 posted on 03/29/2012 6:15:55 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
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To: blam

Looks like the scene when the Popeyes opened up in Douglasville last week.


15 posted on 03/29/2012 6:18:57 PM PDT by Vigilantcitizen
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To: blam

bfl


16 posted on 03/29/2012 6:20:29 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: appalachian_dweller; OldPossum; DuncanWaring; VirginiaMom; CodeToad; goosie; kalee; ...

Preppers’ PING!


17 posted on 03/29/2012 6:25:35 PM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: blam

If the eco-nuts get their way, this would be a normal daily state of affairs for gas guzzlers.


18 posted on 03/29/2012 6:26:02 PM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: blam
How long before the criminal elements among the Brits discover the Oklahoma credit card?

/johnny

19 posted on 03/29/2012 6:27:06 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: tomkat

You might try BRASS instead.

Breathe
Relax
Aim
Squeeze
Shoot


20 posted on 03/29/2012 6:27:11 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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