France threatens to cut power to Jersey amid fishing row

A little while back on a regular basis I used to catch the "vomit comet" (Condor Ferry) at 8 am out of St. Malo to St. Helier. The vessel was packed with French workers - business men, surgeons, harbour workers etc all going to work on the island.
France would indeed be very daft to make life difficult for its own citizens working there.

Maizie is correct, you don't have to be a Jersey resident to stash your cash there. My father worked and lived in Houston and was paid in dollars. He banked in Jersey and sent us cheques in sterling from his account at Coutts St Helier.

Another excellent John Lichfield article explaining why things have turned sour in Jersey but not Guernsey.
unherd.com/thepost/dont-believe-the-hype-there-is-no-cod-war-in-jersey/
(I like the fact that it was actually a whelk war).

Ellie Anne….he could have used the Caymans much closer I’d have thought USA wise….and perhaps closer to what is perceived as a “tax haven” to those who don’t know.

I don't really have any opinion of the matter, since I know fishing licenses are extremely complicated as was Brexit and all it entailed.

I would however love to hear the discussion at the table between my departed Jersey mother, and Breton father. Miss them.

merlotgran

Thanks, mamie. A very interesting article.

I agree, it was a very interesting article merlotgran, especially the part that states Jersey were never part of the EU.

So it is nothing to do with Brexit

Of course its to do with Brexit. Do you think it was just a spontaneous and coincidental little spat?

news.sky.com/story/jersey-government-has-constructive-meeting-with-french-fishermen-after-post-brexit-protest-12298665

Have facts been banned for today? Read the article.

Mamie. There is an interim agreement with Guernsey in place and so currently no problem. However this could change if things escalate and can’t be resolved.

As predicted the navy boats are withdrawing.

What an abuse of money and power.

dogsmother I think the article above gives a bit more context to the difference between Jersey and Guernsey.

hopefully they are least bringing back some potatoes

Why we are relying on other countries for our energy is lunacy, especially when the main country is France.

France will use everything we're dependent on as leverage. They are less reliable than even Russia. It's long overdue that the UK learns this lesson before it gets people killed. Vaccine supply, electricity, it'll be something else next.

Don’t worry. Post brexit Britain is going to be self sufficient in everything isn’t it?

Probably not. Our governments (all of them) are too short-termism. Probably something to do with elections every 5 years.

Are the Dutch border force still confiscating sandwiches?

Isn't this a case of Jersey applying the rules as agreed, but the EU (inevitably France!) not liking it?
?

Enjoyed visiting Jersey, when my son worked there, tax haven or not France has no right to declare what is almost a threat similar to what North Korea would do , shame on them. They have never been friends of the UK, and little Napoleon is alive and well.

Suzie, you obviously have issues to make such bitter responses, it could well stop anyone from posting, I do hope it doesn’t because it’s good to hear people’s different views on things it’s called discussion. I can see the problems in both sides with this fishing dispute, both sides trying to protect jobs and livelihood let’s hope that a mutually agreeable outcome can be reached with compromise.

Sparkling ?

Aveline

Sparkling ?

Are you applauding another personal attack on me ?

Absolutely.

A really interesting article here on negotiating agreement between the French and CI fiishermen 30 years ago. By the guy who negotiated it.

An extract about the background

Firstly, the Channel Islands were never in the EU and their waters were never part of the Common Fisheries Policy – the more so as both the French and the Channel Islands waters involved are all twelve mile territorial sea and not 200 mile exclusive economic zone. The extent to which this relates to Brexit is therefore much exaggerated.

Secondly, the issue dates back hundreds of years and is concerned with the maintenance of traditional fishing rights within each other’s waters by the French and Channel Islands fishermen. Both sides have always acknowledged these time hallowed rights of access.

Thirdly, the French and Channel Islands fishing communities concerned are inextricably interlinked and indeed intermarried. Certainly thirty years ago French was the first language among the fishermen on both sides (though I am told this is less true now).

To try to explain further, fishermen are taking specific types of catch in specific areas, and their boats are equipped for this. They cannot simply be told to go and catch something different in their state’s “own” area without changing equipment and indeed sometimes boat. To state the obvious, if you are putting down your lobster pots it is not easy to be told to go fish for mackerel somewhere else instead. That is the principle, though I don’t pretend to remember the catches now.

It is not just a technical and financial matter. It is a question of personal identity and survival of communities. Fishing families have been taking the same catch in the same areas for many generations. The boats are inherited, the community set up for the appropriate processing and sales.

www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2021/05/channel-islands-fisheries-and-abuse-by-tory-jingoism/

Gosh this thread has surprised me somewhat! My gut reaction was that les Francais are sabre rattling because they have "got the hump" with us over Brexit. But if, as has been stated here, the CI are not part of the UK, why did we send the Royal Navy over? Sorry, please 'scuse my ignorance!

Yes they can they have and they will do it again.

Thanks * Maizie* - historical context is essential if one wants to understand current issues and not just knee jerk into the France= bad Jersey = good, superficial reaction.. I’m not sure however that I agree with his comment about the extent of the impact of Brexit. Would these changes have happened otherwise? Almost certainly not. Jersey behaved badly by issuing the new licences at the last minute with no discussion . Imo they were aided and abetted by Johnson with his eye on a cheap photo opportunity. The only thing that surprised me was that he didn’t appear at the helm of one of the gun ships dressed up as an Admiral.?

Copes283

Gosh this thread has surprised me somewhat! My gut reaction was that les Francais are sabre rattling because they have "got the hump" with us over Brexit. But if, as has been stated here, the CI are not part of the UK, why did we send the Royal Navy over? Sorry, please 'scuse my ignorance!

This was how it was spun and many people don’t understand the ludicrously privileged position of the CI. The other aspect ignored is that this dispute is only with Jersey and not Guernsey.
The U.K. Government is ultimately responsible for the CI international relationships which is why access to their fishing waters were therefore dealt with specifically in the new U.K. - EU trade agreement