Is Macron grandstanding?

Interestingly, it looks as if the new mutation has come from South Africa and/or the US, it’s just that the genome research in Britain is very advanced that we identified it and made it public. That’s why flights from South Africa are now banned.

The infection rates and death toll in the US are horrendous at the moment, I’m deeply worried for my family out there in New Hampshire, Colorado and Arizona. I think it said on the news that they have had over 3,200 deaths in 24 hours, the second highest since the pandemic began.

We really need to get a grip on it here, I don’t have any suggestions though but it’s very scary.

EllenVannin do you seriously think the Hull ferry has the capacity to take the number of lorries trying to cross from Dover port or the tunnel? There is a bit of a difference in crossing time you know.

Dublin have banned foot passengers on the ferries from Liverpool so passengers are turning around heading for Birkenhead for the ferry to Belfast. There's always a way home.

Those wagons could have turned round and gone to Hull to get the ferry to Rotterdam/ Zeebrugge, it would have been quicker than being stranded even if their final journey was out of the way, they'd have been home by now

Lots of countries have banned U.K. travel, I’m guessing the variant will be mutating there as well. This just shows how interdependent countries are, We aren’t just a little fortress.

Why insist on a Covid test if it’s nothing to do with public health?

It's nothing to do with public health. 48 hour ban crossing the channel is hardly going to make any difference. If it was to do with public health, surely a 14 day ban would be better?

It is not just the UK that have the new Variant, france do too?

Oh we’ve closed the border to South Africa- must be grandstanding cant be anything to do with public health.

We’ve got a world beating prat.

Oh IMO

What about the French Warship that entered our waters yesterday, off the coast of Dover.

Monsewer Macron is a first class prat

This is not a case of Macron punishing us for brexit, he is just prioritising the safety of France.

It is a case of the same vile right-wing newspapers which advocated "taking back control" demonstrating how hopelessly out of control their "Vote Leave" government is and how our international trade would suffer from brexit - an own goal!

www.thelocal.fr/20201223/opinion-cheap-french-bashing-is-an-old-tune-from-british-press-and-politicians
John Lichfield agrees.

Good point Fennel. How to manage it.

The U.K. closed it’s borders to danish freight after the new strain was found in mink.

Mamie - I agree.
I read the french papers too, and France also has a very serious situation with covid - they don't want to add to it.
The added stress of imminent split of UK from the EU, with the ports of France in the front line, (don't forget the immigrants) and at this time of year, create an unprecedented situation.
It shouldn't be who to blame? but what to do about it?

Covid concerns

So Macron only closed the border as a sovereign nation because of "grandstanding", but all the other 60 countries have closed their borders because...? no-one has answered this satisfactorily. Yes, French decision has had greater immediate impact in terms of freight, but surely they all closed their borders because of Cover concerns.

If Macron were grandstanding would he not need a domestic audience? I read the French newspapers and watch the television news every day and I am not seeing anti-British feeling. Nor am I hearing it from friends and neighbours. If people are seeing and hearing this, then I would be very interested to hear which French language sources they are using? The lunchtime news today had reporters at Dover and whilst they were talking to angry lorry drivers, it was a very fair and balanced report.
It seems to me that all the bile and xenophobia is coming from the UK gutter press.

What is a “Falklands situation” please?

The mayor of Calais did threaten a Falklands situation! those gunboats would be needed in that situation!

I have just seen that Urmstongran it’s being reported by Reuters, Sky and BBC ?

Hopefully semantics now.
Breaking News:
The EU say a trade deal is IMMINENT and may be announced ‘as early as today’
?
Woohoo!

“But he did it because he could.” WWMK2

And we all know that “just because we can, doesn’t mean we should”.

As stated by my great leader, Drakeford.

The idiot who stopped everyone in Wales going to the safely distanced pub for a drink - which meant in South Wales they all congregated unsafely in their own houses and put the whole of Wales in Tier 4 within a fortnight.....

There are none so blind as the politically biased.

Surely one of the things this shows up is that the UK are not prepared for next Saturday and onwards.
They have concentrated almost solely on the Dover to Calais crossing and now we see the result.
I remember plans being mooted to expand Folkestone and other Channel ports.
There has been plenty of time to do this and Calais is not the only EU port on the Channel ?????