Cost of living- what’s going to happen?

[klang]

reminds me of one of those covid loons storming a hospital and bullying the nurses.

 

[The39thStep]

I’m on kerosene fuel in a big plastic tank for my heating & hot water. That makes me better off now I think than people on mains gas at the mercy of the decisions of company ceos, because I have some degree of agency as to when to buy and where from. It’s still almost double per litre of what it was a year ago though. But well down from a massive peak just after the Russian invasion. Which of course is when I last bought some, because I’d almost run out, in march.

Why hasn’t this radical tactic of achieving a degree of agency and not being at the mercy of CEO’s of gas companies by simply having a plastic tank full of kerosene installed been adopted on a wide scale basis ?

 

[bimble]

Why hasn’t this radical tactic of achieving a degree of agency and not being at the mercy of CEO’s of gas companies by simply having a plastic tank full of kerosene installed been adopted on a wide scale basis ?

why are you like this? it's probably a nice sunny morning wherever you are in portugal as well. How's the energy prices there compared to here?
eta oh i see that its a lot better than here. Portugal, Spain cap gas prices for power producers to bring down wholesale prices

 

[SpookyFrank]

Why hasn’t this radical tactic of achieving a degree of agency and not being at the mercy of CEO’s of gas companies by simply having a plastic tank full of kerosene installed been adopted on a wide scale basis ?

It's the only option besides electric heating for those not on a gas main, which applies to a lot of people in rural areas.

 

[kabbes]

Yeah, there’s no mains gas connected anywhere in our village.

 

[The39thStep]

It's the only option besides electric heating for those not on a gas main, which applies to a lot of people in rural areas.

ah thanks . Where I live in Portugal there’s no gas main so we buy bottled gas the price of which has rocketed .

 

[bimble]

People put locks on their kerosene tanks dont they, which always seemed weird to me but it might make sense now, its treasure sat out there.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yes here you go, I feel sorry for the cashier!!

What a twat.

I bet he didn't even check if the site is owned by Shell, most of their UK sites are not.

 

[The39thStep]

why are you like this? it's probably a nice sunny morning wherever you are in portugal as well. How's the energy prices there compared to here?
eta oh i see that its a lot better than here. Portugal, Spain cap gas prices for power producers to bring down wholesale prices

It is a nice sunny day where I live in Portugal however I’m in Stockport near the football club at the moment . Suns out as well.
Like what btw ?

 

[bimble]

It is a nice sunny day where I live in Portugal however I’m in Stockport near the football club at the moment . Suns out as well.
Like what btw ?

ah. i thought you were being weird when you said sarcastically why doesn't everyone radically empower themselves by getting a kerosene tank but turns out you just didnt know that its not a choice.

 

[The39thStep]

What a twat.

I bet he didn't even check if the site is owned by Shell, most of their UK sites are not.

Wonder if he is in a trade Union or supporting unions fighting for better pay ?

 

[The39thStep]

ah. i thought you were being weird when you said sarcastically why doesn't everyone radically empower themselves by getting a kerosene tank but turns out you just didnt know that its not a choice.

I was being weird, albeit harmlessly, and sarcastic whilst at the same time not knowing . I think you’ve known me long enough?

 

[quimcunx]

Yeah, there’s no mains gas connected anywhere in our village.

Nor in my dad's village. Although there is a mains gas pipe passes by at the bottom of the field in front of his house.

 

[mojo pixy]

Yes here you go, I feel sorry for the cashier!!

Aww bless him, from the footage he filmed it looks as if he was shaking like a leaf.

 

[MickiQ]

I wonder if we'll have to start prepaying soon like in some countries.

Some places around here (notably the cheaper ones like Asda and Costco) only offer pre-payment. The supermarkets sell fuel as a loss leader relying on making their money back on people coming for fuel and doing their groceries whilst they're at it.
Quite a lot of garages have these mini-marts on the forecourt and their margins on fuel are so slim that they rely on ancillary sales to boost the turnover which is why a lot haven't got down the pre-payment route. Studies would indicate that people going to standalone fuel stations with pre-payment pumps just fill up and go and don't go into the shop where they might get tempted to buy something else.
Bilking is going to have to become a serious problem (which it yet might) before there is a major shift to pre-payment.

 

[MickiQ]

As I recall (because I once had a numberplate stolen, and presumably used for fuel theft) they have centralised systems that allow pumps to be cut off if your plate is recognised. I think that was a motorway service station, smaller ones may not have them, but yeah it's not a great idea to go around committing crimes in something which is directly tied to your identity. Also generated a kind of side thought that we might see a bit of a rise in FOTLer type stuff... Think similar to covid; group solidarity requires a great deal of commitment that is made harder by struggling to make ends meet, isolation etc. Simple explanations that give you 'this one weird trick' are easier, even if they're illusory.

I had a rear number plate nicked as well a few years ago, I reported it and the clearly bored Plod who took my statement reckoned it was that or ducking out of congestion zone charges

 

[bellaozzydog]

i've never thought of doing it little & often maybe i should.

I’ve no idea which is best other than it must be a big old bill to fill an empty one up

May attract multiple delivery charges for smaller top ups

Ignore me I’m just mulling it over/bumping my gums

 

[The39thStep]

I had a rear number plate nicked as well a few years ago, I reported it and the clearly bored Plod who took my statement reckoned it was that or ducking out of congestion zone charges

My number plate was cloned , used on a vehicle in London that had bilked petrol stations , not paid congestion charges and then in a hit and run . I had to provide a lot of evidence to the police who visited me that I wasn’t sleep driving from Manchester to London.

 

[MickiQ]

What a twat.

I bet he didn't even check if the site is owned by Shell, most of their UK sites are not.

A lot of police forces actually won't pursue bilkers as a matter of force policy, it's not considered a serious enought crime. There is a private company called Forecourt Eye that specialises in debt recovery though. They may not have bothered for a fiver but I have a feeling they are going to go out of their way to make an example out of this guy. Plus of course he's almost certainly on a database by now (Shell at least if no-one else).
If he wants to stage a protest against Shell perhaps he should go to Waterloo and try and set their HQ on fire rather than hassling some poor working stiff in a station.

 

[The39thStep]

A lot of police forces actually won't pursue bilkers as a matter of force policy, it's not considered a serious enought crime. There is a private company called Forecourt Eye that specialises in debt recovery though. They may not have bothered for a fiver but I have a feeling they are going to go out of their way to make an example out of this guy. Plus of course he's almost certainly on a database by now (Shell at least if no-one else).
If he wants to stage a protest against Shell perhaps he should go to Waterloo and try and set their HQ on fire rather than hassling some poor working stiff in a station.

Or himself on fire outside their HQ . This is wannabe it’s going to go viral faux radical individualism personified .

 

[MickiQ]

Or himself on fire outside their HQ . This is wannabe it’s going to go viral faux radical individualism personified .

It's what triggered the Arab Spring in Tunisia perhaps this is this guy's chance to be a martyr.

 

[Cid]

Or himself on fire outside their HQ . This is wannabe it’s going to go viral faux radical individualism personified .

Yep, this is what I was on about earlier with hints of fotlerism... I'm not sure that guy is explicitly fotl, but you can see how the way he's talking about things potentially opens up that possibility. This isn't theft because I'm paying a fair price, it's not a protest etc. It's on my mind because I met an actual fotl type a few weeks ago at a mate's party. This sort of shit will spread like wildfire through facebook groups, tiktok etc. Individual actions with spurious references to vaguely legal ideas, when we need collective, well-organised action with representatives able to do media appearances etc. Not that one excludes the possibility of the other, but I dunno, I don't feel great about the current state of UK activism.

 

[The39thStep]

Yep, this is what I was on about earlier with hints of fotlerism... I'm not sure that guy is explicitly fotl, but you can see how the way he's talking about things potentially opens up that possibility. This isn't theft because I'm paying a fair price, it's not a protest etc. It's on my mind because I met an actual fotl type a few weeks ago at a mate's party. This sort of shit will spread like wildfire through facebook groups, tiktok etc. Individual actions with spurious references to vaguely legal ideas, when we need collective, well-organised action with representatives able to do media appearances etc. Not that one excludes the possibility of the other, but I dunno, I don't feel great about the current state of UK activism.

Yup. We’ve got the marvellous examples of mass working class action with the strikes as a benchmark . No need to look at ‘activism’ .

 

[LDC]

Yep, this is what I was on about earlier with hints of fotlerism... I'm not sure that guy is explicitly fotl, but you can see how the way he's talking about things potentially opens up that possibility. This isn't theft because I'm paying a fair price, it's not a protest etc. It's on my mind because I met an actual fotl type a few weeks ago at a mate's party. This sort of shit will spread like wildfire through facebook groups, tiktok etc. Individual actions with spurious references to vaguely legal ideas, when we need collective, well-organised action with representatives able to do media appearances etc. Not that one excludes the possibility of the other, but I dunno, I don't feel great about the current state of UK activism.

Haven't watched the video yet, but that kinda thing is a worry I have with the Don't Pay stuff happening. Already saw it a bit on the big meeting. All this fuel prices excuse for 'Great Reset' etc etc.

 

[LDC]

Yes here you go, I feel sorry for the cashier!!

DEATHROWGYM. How many red flags can you squeeze into your Tik Tok handle?

 

[pinkmonkey]

That makes me think there might be a forthcoming risk of house fires and/or carbon monoxide poisoning as people are tempted to open up and use old fireplaces, as many probably won't realise chimneys need sweeping before they do so and people will have blocked up air vents over the years to keep the cold out. Coal fires etc used to be more common when I was growing up, my grandparents had one, but lots of people won't have grown up with solid fuel fires and won't know how to use them safely.

It’ll happen, when I lived onboard in London, many of my neighbours were under 30’s and had never used a burner in their lives. My friend is a boat stove service and installer, some ‘faulty stoves‘ he attends, the flue is completely clogged because it’s never been swept. Cast stoves can get hairline cracks over time, they need inspecting periodically, a mate of mine got poisoned like that. My friend pulled a young girl out of a boat, almost unconscious, shed been running the burner with the door open, again, it wouldn’t draw because the flue hadn’t been swept. I predict there will be folks using camping stoves and barbecues, you know, anything that shouldn’t be used indoors, that causes carbon monoxide or gas explosions.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Some places around here (notably the cheaper ones like Asda and Costco) only offer pre-payment. The supermarkets sell fuel as a loss leader relying on making their money back on people coming for fuel and doing their groceries whilst they're at it.
Quite a lot of garages have these mini-marts on the forecourt and their margins on fuel are so slim that they rely on ancillary sales to boost the turnover which is why a lot haven't got down the pre-payment route. Studies would indicate that people going to standalone fuel stations with pre-payment pumps just fill up and go and don't go into the shop where they might get tempted to buy something else.
Bilking is going to have to become a serious problem (which it yet might) before there is a major shift to pre-payment.

I think in the US they go in to pay so there's still that.

I've no problem paying at the pump, but I'm rubbish and normally forget my wallet these days, so have to go in to pay by phone.

 

[Elpenor]

Believe pre-paying is a thing in Northern Ireland - when I went to visit fuBganger once of these boards - she mentioned it

Not sure if that is due to the Border with Ireland or other reasons

 

[Pickman's model]

A lot of police forces actually won't pursue bilkers as a matter of force policy, it's not considered a serious enought crime. There is a private company called Forecourt Eye that specialises in debt recovery though. They may not have bothered for a fiver but I have a feeling they are going to go out of their way to make an example out of this guy. Plus of course he's almost certainly on a database by now (Shell at least if no-one else).
If he wants to stage a protest against Shell perhaps he should go to Waterloo and try and set their HQ on fire rather than hassling some poor working stiff in a station.

could publicise it as waterloo sunset

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I think in the US they go in to pay so there's still that.

I've no problem paying at the pump, but I'm rubbish and normally forget my wallet these days, so have to go in to pay by phone.

Since the cost of gas went up, all I see is prepay gas pumps. The clerk where I get gas said they were getting multiple drive-offs a day.