The strike planned for this Sunday by workers at Scotland's only oil refinery at Grangemouth has illicited a response from the Scottish government of 'Don't panic'. And this serves to highlight what the ordinary working man and woman feel about our beloved politicians - thousands of Scots are now doing credible impressions of Corporal Jones of the BBC comedy classic Dad's Army. I'm a huge fan of First Minister Alex Salmond - I firmly believe the Linlithgow Jambo will lead Scotland to independence before long - but when he urged Scots not to panic but then asked them to either make essential trips only or use public transport he did come across as a tad contradictory.
Some petrol retailers have done nothing to banish the image of the tight-fisted Scot by hiking up prices. This has, quite understandably, angered many who perhaps weren't inclined to panic buy but are now assessing their options after considering what the price of a litre of petrol may be this time next week.
As someone who prefers to use public transport anyway, I was alarmed when news broke this afternoon that Lothian Buses had not received a delivery of fuel as expected and they would not be able to run buses after this Sunday. The Scottish Government realised the implications of this for Auld Reekie and immediately guaranteed the bus company that they would receive their fuel - it would just be a bit late. So hopes of a day off work on Monday have rescinded for the time being.
This 'crisis' emphasises just how crucial the Grangemouth refinery is to Scotland. A two day stoppage threatens to grind the country to a halt. In this day and age that's difficult to accept. But what crossed my mind tonight was even more alarming. Nearly a year on from the attack on Glasgow Airport, any would-be terrorist may be seeking temporary accommodation in the Falkirk area at any moment...
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