Do you think he should resign..........

If he is forced to resign then he should take the whole lot with him - and I never thought I'd say that about a Conservative Government. And that woman should have had more sense though I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Of course the media don't help either because some people believe everything they read and the effects spread like the contents of a broken milk bottle. Whatabunch of..........

I don't think there was anything wrong with advising people to get in an extra few litres when it looked like they might strike over the Easter break.

Petrol in a jerry can is safe enough, so long as it is outside and nowhere near naked flames.

People must realise that is why they close off garage forecourts when the tanker is there. And why there are signs saying 'no naked flames' etc.

Apparently the family of the woman is laying the blame squarely at the government's door.
Did anyone from the government tell people to decant petrol in their kitchens while cooking with a naked flame?
Perhaps the fire service should be doing more to inform the general public of the dangers and possible consequences of such irresponsible actions, as obviously it never occurred to the poor lady in question, although I can't understand why not.

I fear this woman's accident is a red herring - the question is whether a senior government minister should have encouraged people in this way.
I am prepared to accept the verdict of the fire services as I think they probably understand the dangers better than we do.

Well said Gally - people need to take responsibility for their own actions. Far too much nannying in latter years - it reminds me of the court cases (American?) about a cat dying in a washing machine or microwave or some such because it did not say 'not suitable for cats' on the instructions. Such nonsense!

According to TV this morning an older woman had been challenged by the AA as she was filling paint tins and jam jars with petrol at a garage!

What has happened to common sense in this country?

What message does it send to the oil producing countries, when at the merest hint of a strike, most of the population run about like headless chickens?

Why are people always described as 'panic buying' when all they are doing is making sure they have a sufficient supply of a product ahead of a shortage.

If that is 'panic buying' then, for example, buying fruit and veg cheaply when in glut in order to bottle, jam or freeze them for use later when they are more expensive is also panic buying.

Having said that, I do think that there was panic buying this time because while the tanker drivers had voted for a strike the earliest date publicised for a possible strike had been 'over Easter', which was, when the panic started, over 10 days away.

Mr Maude could, of course have been being deliberately devious in what he did. By causing the panic this week he has put the tanker drivers and their union on the back foot by making people experience in advance what it will be like if there is a strike - and its working, the unions have already withdrawn their threat to strike over Easter.

I have obviously not blamed him for the woman's accident - I don't think he should have encouraged people to start buying more petrol than normal as you don't need a great brain to work out that that would empty the storage tanks and hence create shortage and panic.
I don't care what party he represents - as I have said, all the three main UK parties are the same as far as I am concerned.

And Greatnan, they're not necessarily my "favoured party".

I'm not really talking politics here. Just this particular incident.

And I agree with you Gally.

The point Greatnan, is whether he should resign or not. Not whether I feel sorry for the woman.

And by 'the other lot' I obviously meant the Labour politicians calling for FM to resign.

There was also a piece in the DT asking readers if they were encouraged by a Government Minister to jump off Beachy Head, would they stop and think about it before doing so. It's all about common sense which seems to be in very short supply both in the Government, the Opposition and the general public. The public, have been 'nannied' to the extent that some seem unable to think or act for themselves and the Media should take the greatest slice of blame. That's what I think

One more " bit " though , I hope she has a speedy recovery

I agree that the woman should not have been decanting petrol whilst the gas hob was , surely thats a no brainer , can francis maude be blamed I don"t really think so

20 litres would more than half-fill the tank of my Fiesta!
And it would enable me to get to work and back for about a fortnight.

Whilst I feel sorry for the injuries that the lady received after decanting petrol,would any of us pour petrol into a glass jug as dinner was cooking on a gas hob in the same room ? I think not and this is a lady from what seems to be a very well educated family so surely she must have realised the dangers,I do think Francis Maude has made a big error but he cannot be held responsible I don't think for this ladies very bad error of judgemant.

There has been a lot of conflicting advice about how much petrol you can legally store in your garage but this was in the Telegraph, so itmust be correct:
"According to the London Fire Brigade, it is legal to store up to 20 litres of petrol in two 10-litre metal containers, or 10 litres in two five-litre plastic containers".

www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/fuel/9172391/Fuel-strike-minister-Francis-Maude-attacked-for-dangerous-advice-to-store-petrol.html

Charles Moore in yesterday's Telegraph quotes Francis Maude as suggesting storing: “a bit of extra fuel with a jerry can in the garage”. The whole article is rather interesting, coming from an admittedly right-wing commentator.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/9176237/Even-Im-starting-to-wonder-what-do-this-lot-know-about-anything.html

And I, in common with many fire service heads, am saying that it was a silly thing to say.
I googled 'storing petrol at home' and got the legal amounts and they are insignificant given the fuel tank capacity of most cars.
His own party have done a pretty quick job of distancing themselves from him so they obviously agree with me and the fire services.

That's not the point. He wasn't advising people to break the law, is all I'm saying.

So do you think his advice was wise then?

It's not illegal to store up to 20 litres of fuel in a proper container in your garage. That's the maximum allowed.

What is the point then, Jingle?
Telling people not to panic buy is a pretty sure way of making sure that they do just that, then when the fuel runs out the hope is that the public will sympathise with the petrol companies and not the drivers.
Advising people to break the law by storing excess fuel dangerously is little short of criminal.
I don't know what you mean by 'the other lot' but surely if somebody in your favoured party does something manifestly stupid you do not support them blindly?
I hold no brief for any of them, by the way, as I think they are all a self-serving bunch of hypocrites with a few honourable exceptions.

It's just any excuse to get one over on the other lot.

Pathetic in this instance.

I am sorry for the woman. But that's not the point.

Petrol in jerry cans has been a no-no for so long now that a whole generation has grown up not knowing how to do it safely.