Quote:
Originally Posted by Salami
I'd prefer this not to get particularly political, but I feel David Cameron, our worthy Prime Minister, has made a very unwise decision lately in advising people to "hoard" fuel for the upcoming strike.
This has clearly got the negative effect of people panic buying fuel, causing stations to run dry and consequently supply to drop, which is disastrous for people who have not decided to hoard any fuel.
But at the heart of this issue lies an interesting lesson: impulsive, short-term responses to deal with relatively minor problems can cause long-term crisis. In this case, the effect the strike would have had is not huge, the problem was only the possibility of a tanker strike, but now as a result, the fuel prices have rocketed, which is a massive pain in the arse for me.
What do you think?
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You've gotta know that most Brits are panickers, the whole thing is further compounded by a volatile press as well. The UK has a history of panic buying and hoarding, it largely comes from the war shortage mentality of the 1940s and war rationing, along with the UK's island mentality. The public reaction to the current fuel shortage doesn't surprise me that much.