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Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

reuters.com

121–130 of 352 posts

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#121

Unlike the toilet paper panic buying there is limited capacity people can buy, so I would expect this to naturally end short term when people don’t have capacity to buy any more. What concerns me is government planning to address this looks a lot more forward looking than a few days/a week, so I can see it getting worse. Interesting how the government say it’s not a shortage, if the refineries were running low you wo…

> Unlike the toilet paper panic buying there is limited capacity people can buy, so I would expect this to naturally end short term when people don’t have capacity to buy any more. Didn't the Colonial Pipeline attack have people filling up plastic bags with gas?

Have you ever tried doing that? It works for about 5 minutes until the bag disolves.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#122
post #82
post #5

> "The free movement of labour is part of the European Union, and we tried very hard to convince the British not to leave the Union," said Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrat candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor. "They decided differently. I hope they will manage the problems coming from that," Scholz said. Man, I can smell the schadenfreude from all the way over here.

... except there's also news reports everywhere of an energy crisis in Europe too? Also maybe Asia as well. I've been trying to read into the causes and dont feel like I've come to understand it any better. I'm tempted to see it as part of the broader supply chain crisis but I get the impression its a little different. Then again I'm not sure I understand why the broader supply chain disruption is as pervasive as it…

In Italy I can buy gas everywhere as much as I want/can. There are anticipations of truck drivers shortage in Italy too, but guess, there's a whole EU labor market to try to fix that.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#124
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> when people don’t have capacity to buy any more. I'm confused, can't they just fill up jerry cans, or if garages aren't allowing this, just siphon the fuel out of the car at home?

You’re technically limited to storing a certain quantity of fuel on your property without a license. Whether a regulator could detect this is another question.

It's 30 litres, for reference.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, there was razor-thin margin for the Leave campaign, with massive lies being told, partially financed by Russia, and the younger generation generally opposed. It makes travelling in the EU harder, let alone it risks upsetting the Ireland situation. You can expect an international audience to disapprove.

That's quite a claim. Do you have some strong evidence to back it up? The electoral commission went to great lengths and expense to find any wrong doing and came up with nothing. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20... Edit: Rant alert: It really irks me that the people who call the Brexit election unfair, don't seem to acknowledge that Britain was never given any kind of referendum when joini…

The UK joined in '73. After the terms were finalised there was a referendum in '75 where the public agreed to stay in.

"Never given any kind of referendum" is far fetched.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#127
post #5

> "The free movement of labour is part of the European Union, and we tried very hard to convince the British not to leave the Union," said Olaf Scholz, the Social Democrat candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor. "They decided differently. I hope they will manage the problems coming from that," Scholz said. Man, I can smell the schadenfreude from all the way over here.

You definitely get the impression that the other EU members intend to punish the UK for leaving.

Not helping them solve their problems is different than actively punishing them.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Europe also has a shortage https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl... This is widely reported across a number of publications

Can't comment on the child of the post for some reason. Here is another source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/09/24/dont-blame-b... Somehow it seems on these forums that any left leaning publication is immediately trusted but any right leaning one immediately distrusted.

It's just that the shelves in the UK are empty, and in the other countries they aren't. Both in the UK and in the rest of the EU there already was a shortage of professional drivers. And the companies in the UK do seem to blame the VISA situation as a major contributing factor.

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#129
post #39
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is true, this should only inconvenience people for a week or two. Unlike toilet paper, average citizens don't really have a way to store 100x more than their normal weekly consumption of petrol. So if there are no supply issues and only some distribution challenges, demand will slump off once everyone has had a chance to fill their tank and the 1-2 jerrycans they may have lying around.

Panic buy Jerry-cans!

Shh! We mustn't let the Tory voters see that or we'll have another bloody shortage!

Re: Pumps run dry at gas stations in Britain

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry that the reality I experience does not line up neatly with the one you want to believe

'Literally everyone'? Not me, Joe - so now your previous comment is incorrect.

I meant people I spoke to in person
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