Fuel situation.

[Dave-G]

54 minutes ago, mossy835 said:

im down at praa sands for the week. and all the garages are full with people filling up.because some said dont panic buy.

All they emmets gotta get fuel for their homeward bound trip. 

[johnphilip]

1 hour ago, WalkedUp said:

I accept that you caveated your figures, wasn’t trying to be snarky if that is how I came across - just add more impact to the reality. The updated estimate looks more realistic for the “£100 a day is peanuts”. £2.64bn is a decent chunk for GDP. If we then assume 30 million working people in the UK excluding the “benefit scroungers” (mainly being pensioners, ‘lay-abouts’, single mums, immigrants, disabled people and children), it gives £88 per person per year from take home pay with the effective tax rate (for working men) in the UK under Boris being about 35% (effective tax is the medley of income tax, NI, employer’s NI, VAT, corporation tax, CGT, stamp duty etc) to it gives £117 for each  man and woman who contributes to the UK’s economic output to find each year. I have many friends who are professional HGV drivers and would happily see their pay increase so it seems a reasonable sacrifice. But you need to do the same exercise for fruit pickers, slaughtermen, labourers etc which suddenly becomes a massive increase in the cost of living. That is fine, but we need to find some low hanging fruit for where the money comes from. The NHS? Or our welfare system? ... I know which big group of long term welfare scroungers I would be looking to target, these being the wealthiest most able to contribute group that get an insane amount of none-means-tested tax payer’s money each year.... I will keep quiet about this however as if said it would possibly be the most unpopular statement ever made on PW or possibly in politics. 🤣

The figures above are estimates from memory, so like Jaymo said they may be wrong. The bear-poking however is deliberate. The way we better fund our  country is to get more people into work. 

WHO YOU CALLING A BENEFIT SCROUNGER , I STARTED WORK AT 15 YEARS OF AGE AND RETIRED  AT 67 , I PAYED INTO THAT SYSTEM ALL MY LIFE .

THATS NOT SCROUNGING THAT JUST GETTING BACK WHAT I PAYED INTO WHAT A STUPID THING TO SAY . 

[powler]

Was going to travel to Monmouth(44mile round trip) this morning to get some logs in for the winter, but truck and car low on fuel and need fuel to get to work(14 miles round trip) next week, both vehicles are low on fuel but should have enough for the week with the bike as back up. Local garages have q's and some are out of diesel. Hopefully will be able to do next weekend.

[welsh1]

Filled up Thursday and drove from Pembrokeshire to near Blackpool to see grandkids, there is a shell station just down the road from Son's house and yesterday it was chaos, cars filling the very large forecourt and blocking off a busy main road, absolutely mad.

Thankfully our little Skoda Fabia sips fuel and we won't need to fill up for the return journey this evening.

 

I hear that Gregg's may not get deliveries soon so I might have to buy 10 sausage rolls and a dozen steak bakes just in case.

[Newbie to this]

14 hours ago, oowee said:

I am hearing temporary licences for the eu

But the EU also has a shortage of drivers 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Newbie to this

[henry d]

Interesting to have a dig about the internet, I FOUND THIS, which is from December 2018 and I wonder why the government didn't do anything about it? Perhaps Brexit was occupying the agenda, then Covid, and now the poop hits the fan.

THIS also has several other reasons for the lack of drivers and problems for transportation firms, but most seem to be pointed at Brexit. Hope you have got your Christmas shopping done.

[WalkedUp]

1 hour ago, johnphilip said:

WHO YOU CALLING A BENEFIT SCROUNGER , I STARTED WORK AT 15 YEARS OF AGE AND RETIRED  AT 67 , I PAYED INTO THAT SYSTEM ALL MY LIFE .

THATS NOT SCROUNGING THAT JUST GETTING BACK WHAT I PAYED INTO WHAT A STUPID THING TO SAY . 

You missed all sense of tongue in cheek... children were on that list too as was pretty much everyone. 🤣🤣🤣

I don’t consider anyone a “benefit scrounger”, we all take money from the tax man. We all pay into the system, 95% of us take our far more than we put in. We take out every year by just being alive, we are almost all “benefit scroungers”. 

However it is valid to say the above if the provocation has helped you or anyone else to reconsider a sense of entitlement to recoup every penny of tax that has been paid ignoring the 67 years already taking out of the system. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, the only trouble taking HGV drivers from the EU, many do not understand our rules on signs, speed, motorway driving, and parking let alone using a mobile phone, and understanding the English language, and the EU has a shortage of drivers to, why are we still going abroad to find nurses, ? The money spent on HS2 would go a long way to train 1000s of UK citizens, 

[WalkedUp]

2 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, the only trouble taking HGV drivers from the EU, many do not understand our rules on signs, speed, motorway driving, and parking let alone using a mobile phone, and understanding the English language, and the EU has a shortage of drivers to, why are we still going abroad to find nurses, ? The money spent on HS2 would go a long way to train 1000s of UK citizens, 

This is a big issue of free movement as the international standards are nowhere near equivalent... architects, nurses, HGV drivers etc. 

Edited September 25, 2021 by WalkedUp

[oldypigeonpopper]

1 hour ago, johnphilip said:

WHO YOU CALLING A BENEFIT SCROUNGER , I STARTED WORK AT 15 YEARS OF AGE AND RETIRED  AT 67 , I PAYED INTO THAT SYSTEM ALL MY LIFE .

THATS NOT SCROUNGING THAT JUST GETTING BACK WHAT I PAYED INTO WHAT A STUPID THING TO SAY . 

Hello, 52 years is a good innings John , now's the time to get the most out of life, I did 50, paying NI all these years must counter the pension and benefits we get today

4 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

This is a big issue of free movement as the international standards are nowhere near equivalent... architects, nurses, HGV drivers etc. 

Hello, good point 

[WalkedUp]

13 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

The money spent on HS2 would go a long way to train 1000s of UK citizens, 

Yes. Still waiting to find a single person in favour of HS2. The money could have helped with the cost of Covid. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

1 minute ago, WalkedUp said:

Yes. Still waiting to find a single person in favour of HS2. The money could have helped with the cost of Covid. 

Hello, I agree, wait till it's finished, the UK railway system is very poor now for commuters,

[fern01]

17 hours ago, oowee said:

I dont doubt that these things like driver training retirement and recruitment together with poor conditions and pay add to the problem. 

We now have Amazon and the like paying £30k plus for drivers, together with all of the supermarkets it sucks in labour, including experienced tanker drivers for the higher pay. Many of the europeans who would have work in some of these jobs have left the UK, leaving a labour vacuum. Same with warehouse staff. A shortage of labour at the distribution units means longer delays for drivers increasing the inefficiencies in the system. 

You can't simply remove upto a million from the labour force and not expect this sort of thing to happen.

Look at what is also happening in the food industry from picking to packing. Look at care home staff.  Look at manual NHS staff. Where is the planning?? 

 

If we have removed up to a million from the labour force why is there a housing crisis?

Also unemployment of the fit and healthy should be zero

[Newbie to this]

48 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

We all pay into the system

How so?

Not everyone pays in.

[bluesj]

53 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

 The money spent on HS2 would go a long way to train 1000s of UK citizens, 

Or it could be spent on benefits for all those out of work because it of it being cancelled .

[ehb102]

 

1 hour ago, fern01 said:

If we have removed up to a million from the labour force why is there a housing crisis?

Also unemployment of the fit and healthy should be zero

You're ignoring all the caring responsibilities. Caring for children and the elderly is a huge part of our Society. 

[WalkedUp]

1 hour ago, Newbie to this said:

Not everyone pays in.

Incorrect, it is difficult to avoid VAT etcetera - even my two year old pays in. 

[Newbie to this]

6 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

Incorrect, it is difficult to avoid VAT etcetera - even my two year old pays in. 

Incorrect, it's not their money that they have earned, it's TAX payer's money.

You can only pay in if it's your money, that has been earned.

[powler]

Bromyard garage gets greedy with the panic buying.

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/19605196.petrol-prices-soar-amid-increased-demand/

[Dave-G]

2 hours ago, henry d said:

Interesting to have a dig about the internet, I FOUND THIS, which is from December 2018 and I wonder why the government didn't do anything about it? Perhaps Brexit was occupying the agenda, then Covid, and now the poop hits the fan.

THIS also has several other reasons for the lack of drivers and problems for transportation firms, but most seem to be pointed at Brexit. Hope you have got your Christmas shopping done.

Good finds Henry. 

[WalkedUp]

19 minutes ago, Newbie to this said:

Incorrect, it's not their money that they have earned, it's TAX payer's money.

You can only pay in if it's your money, that has been earned.

He’s earned it doing chores, getting paid pocket money like his big brothers then saving up to buy a toy. Just the same as any of us with a more formal job.

[12gauge82]

2 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

This is a big issue of free movement as the international standards are nowhere near equivalent... architects, nurses, HGV drivers etc. 

This is spot on and are all sectors that need to start training more uk citizens and pay decent wages to attract the right people instead of relying on foreign workers. I short term visa system to cover major short term gaps, but ultimately we need to train more people. 

[WalkedUp]

One cannot unilaterally decide that people don’t pay taxes when the patently do, it is simply illogical to attempt to do so.

What you can decide is if how much tax they have paid is below some sort of imaginary bar that you set yourself, or if their job is what you have arbitrated is a worthwhile job, or the categories of taxation falls differently to how you would prefer it to. 

Like wise you cannot claim to not have been taking benefits when you have clearly done so. Our armed forces, roads, hospitals etc all need paying for. Taxation is not a savings pot that you are popping money into each month until you reach pensionable age and then are expecting to get it all back. 

All I am doing is pointing out the fallacies in the sycophantic echo chamber that fogs understanding of taxation and benefits, to reduce resentment of others in different situation to yourself.

1 minute ago, 12gauge82 said:

short term visa system to cover major short term gaps

I favour cold turkey, because I am a simple man. I hear arguments in favour of transition measures, but my doubts are about how long they re allowed to stay.

[12gauge82]

6 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

One cannot unilaterally decide that people don’t pay taxes when the patently do, it is simply illogical to attempt to do so.

What you can decide is if how much tax they have paid is below some sort of imaginary bar that you set yourself, or if their job is what you have arbitrated is a worthwhile job, or the categories of taxation falls differently to how you would prefer it to. 

Like wise you cannot claim to not have been taking benefits when you have clearly done so. Our armed forces, roads, hospitals etc all need paying for. Taxation is not a savings pot that you are popping money into each month until you reach pensionable age and then are expecting to get it all back. 

All I am doing is pointing out the fallacies in the sycophantic echo chamber that fogs understanding of taxation and benefits, to reduce resentment of others in different situation to yourself.

I favour cold turkey, because I am a simple man. I hear arguments in favour of transition measures, but my doubts are about how long they re allowed to stay.

Yeah I do actually, it would mean short term disruption but would force the changes that are needed to take place very quickly. There'd be some winners and losers but in the long run, the working masses would win and I'm all for it 👍

[ehb102]

8 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

This is spot on and are all sectors that need to start training more uk citizens and pay decent wages to attract the right people instead of relying on foreign workers. I short term visa system to cover major short term gaps, but ultimately we need to train more people. 

The trouble is that this version of the Conservative party are against this kind of social engineering with their hyper-individualism. Look at bursaries for nurses, cancelled! Nurses should run themselves into debt in order to qualify for a role that is vital in Society. The argument pre-Brexit was that we couldn't fund courses for UK citizens because we would have to fund every foreigner who came in. And now that's changed, the ideology is laid bare. Completely free markets don't work for most people, Government is there to make guidance and regulation to offset market forces. 

Give me Conservatives circa 1950 over this lot.