IT looks as though the madness of recent days might be subsiding.

Unless a tanker drivers’ strike goes ahead in the coming weeks, we may look back and laugh at how the nation behaved at the end of March 2012.

We saw something similar with the petrol protests of 2000, but that was very different. Back then, protesters were stopping petrol deliveries and no one knew how long their action would go on.

The chaos of recent days happened despite the fact that not a single fuel delivery had been cancelled, no one was actually on strike and there would be at least a week’s notice of any industrial action.

The government should learn a lesson about not talking up a crisis, but we have all been reminded how desperately people want, or need, fuel.

It’s no wonder petrol is so expensive. It’s a fossil fuel, so supply is ultimately limited. And as this episode has shown, demand seems to be limitless.