Stand off drowning migrants and report – or face prosecution, sailors warned

Ug the article didn't say "many" had had aylum claims rejected. It said this:
"A minority, the Calais migrants, come to France because they want to reach the UK. A very small minority of this minority are people who have had asylum requests turned down in EU countries. When their camps are cleared by French police, they are offered a chance to go to a holding centre many kilometres away and apply for asylum in France. All but a handful refuse."

Actually this is what Blunkett said:

Told that such an approach would likely not result in a 'huge' spike in asylum claims, the Labour peer replied: ‘Well, the numbers might not be but Nigel Farage might end up being prime minister and that could even be worse than what we have got at the moment.

‘The politics is toxic when it comes to migration… we have got something like a third less asylum seekers than the French and vastly lower numbers than the Germans.

‘But that doesn’t stop people actually believing that there is a flood coming in and so what we have got to do is to work with our counterparts in Europe.’

No warning against opening up safe routes. A warning that there are voters in this country who have been deceived about immigration and will act irrationally.

Mamie

Not sure what you mean Granny Gravy13? There are already coaches provided by the French to take them to refuge centres all over France. The thousands of migrants already settled in France have taken this route to apply for asylum. The problem is that the ones who are determined to reach the UK abscond and go back to Calais again and again. This has been a problem for years.

Apologise if I didn’t make myself clear.

I was thinking that the British Embassy could authorise / organise safe passage to U.K. for these desperate souls.

Alegrias1

I have a twitter login too.

Never seen any ranting...

It sometimes get posted into my twitter timeline as examples of how very nasty people can be. Or plenty can be found if you read comments on some politicians...I don't get it as a matter of course.

As for facebook, I don't have many 'friends'. Deliberate policy once I realised how it could result in a stream of unwanted platitudes and fluffy pictures. I'm just lucky that I can avoid the unpleasantness.

They ARE NOT MIGRANTS

Well the article Mamie posted a link to actually called them. “illegal migrants” (which I did not, note). I’ve started calling them ‘aspirational migrants’. The article pointed out that many of those coming herehave had their asylum status rejected by the EU.

In that case what is your preferred term WWmk2?

He said it would encourage even more migrants.

Speaking for myself ...

I WANT MORE MIGRANTS. I NEED SOMEBODY TO PAY MY PENSION WHEN I'M 80! AND SO DO YOU....

Urmstongran

Mamie

There is another (longer) article here from John Lichfield, a journalist who has been covering the Calais migrant crisis for 24 years.
unherd.com/2021/11/the-calais-crisis-cant-be-solved/

His conclusion on who is to blame? We all are.

An interesting read Mamie.

“But there can be better management of the crisis. The French can, perhaps, try harder to block the beaches”

You bet.
Puncture the rubber dinghies perhaps before they are put in the water?
Use drones instead of gendarmes?

Believe extra drones , and other navigational aids to help catch these smugglers, have been offered by the UK, one ex Navy chief was saying. All help been turned down by the French.
Personally though think Johnson and Patel are making a pigs ear of this. Hopefully both, certainly Johson, will go. Sooner the better.

Dickens Thank you for your wonderful post.

I read it directly after reading the Daily Mail which is packed full of anti-France, anti-migrant articles. I feel that the hatred, dismissal of those worse off and the 'pull up the drawbridge' mentality has been fired and stoked by the media.

It seems to me that France have been made a scapegoat by our government for all their failings and any difficulties caused by Brexit. The French were their instant answer to the problems highlighted prior to Brexit but dismissed as Project Fear.

Sections of the media have taken the France as scapegoat theme and blown it out of all proportion and I think sections of the public have swallowed it whole.

I strongly believe we need to stop this needling with France before we find ourselves in real difficulty, alone and governed by people who do not have our best interests at heart and who are unable to maintain cordial relations with our closest neighbours.

Perhaps the UK could buy a few more drones then.

Urmstongran

^I suppose the UK government might organise ferries to take them safely to England to have their cases heard? That would stop the people traffickers^

Well Mamie even Labour’s Lord Blunkett said that wasn’t a good idea and has advised Keir Starmer against this course of action. He said it would encourage even more migrants.

How about a 'hulk' in mid channel for the reception and processing of asylum seekers? I think we have a few redundant ferries...

( )

They are already using drones Ug.

I have a twitter login too.

Never seen any ranting...

Urmstongran

maddyone

I deleted my Facebook account. It’s a nasty place.

I’ve never had one maddyone.

On a separate note, French ministers say the UK lack of ID cards is contributing to this situation. Aspirational migrants are more able to find work in the black market over here one lady there said yesterday.

Regarding financial payments, we give £39 a week. France gives the equivalent of £40 in euros. Plus €7.40 per day for accommodation. However after 21 days France pays them almost €600 a month in lieu of work.

They ARE NOT MIGRANTS

GrannyGravy13

Have never had a Facebook account.

I wish people would stop posting that they've never had a facebook account as if it insulates them from being associated with or encountering unpleasantness. It's not relevant. People who do have such an account can testify to the nastiness that can be found there. I could testify to the same nastiness on twitter, you wouldn't have to have a twitter account to believe me, would you?

I suppose the UK government might organise ferries to take them safely to England to have their cases heard? That would stop the people traffickers

Well Mamie even Labour’s Lord Blunkett said that wasn’t a good idea and has advised Keir Starmer against this course of action. He said it would encourage even more migrants.

Kandinsky

*The policy about migrants seeking asylum in the first safe country they reached was an EU one. The UK is no longer in the EU or hadn't you heard about Brexit?*

I certainly have heard of Brexit. - shame you haven’t heard of the term non sequitur.

Pretty sure it is a ‘sequitur” actually.

Johnson has made a (nother!) great error of judgement in publishing the letter he wrote to Macron as he sent it. This, + the covers of the UK Tabloids, and comments on said tabloids and articles, and social media (although I don't think the French Government or La Presse have caught up with GN just yet)... mean that discussions have broken down. Such complex issues need trust, cooperation- but the PM and tabloids have stirred up so much resentment in France- the French Governement, and the French people are furious at being blamed.

This in the context of Brexit (YES- no denying this) and the Australian contracts, etc- is an absolute disaster.

Alegrias1

Just a quick comment about Facebook.

This morning my Facebook page is filled with pictures of Maine Coon cats and information about from my local wool shop. And a post from a friend who has just had a nice life changing event.

If your Facebook is full of people ranting about foreigners, its because these are the sort of people you know. Or your Facebook friends associate with them. Or you have interacted with a posting that supported that kind of thing.

There are infinitely more radical and ranting people on GN than I have ever seen on Facebook, and here, you can't unfriend them.

I agree . I never get that sort of ranting stuff in my Facebook which I only use to keep up with news of “long lost” friends etc.

Mamie

There is another (longer) article here from John Lichfield, a journalist who has been covering the Calais migrant crisis for 24 years.
unherd.com/2021/11/the-calais-crisis-cant-be-solved/

His conclusion on who is to blame? We all are.

An interesting read Mamie.

“But there can be better management of the crisis. The French can, perhaps, try harder to block the beaches”

You bet.
Puncture the rubber dinghies perhaps before they are put in the water?
Use drones instead of gendarmes?

I suppose the UK government might organise ferries to take them safely to England to have their cases heard? That would stop the people traffickers.

Not sure what you mean Granny Gravy13? There are already coaches provided by the French to take them to refuge centres all over France. The thousands of migrants already settled in France have taken this route to apply for asylum. The problem is that the ones who are determined to reach the UK abscond and go back to Calais again and again. This has been a problem for years.

Have never had a Facebook account.

The policy about migrants seeking asylum in the first safe country they reached was an EU one. The UK is no longer in the EU or hadn't you heard about Brexit?

I certainly have heard of Brexit. - shame you haven’t heard of the term non sequitur.

Thank you Dickens a great post.

Just a quick comment about Facebook.

This morning my Facebook page is filled with pictures of Maine Coon cats and information about from my local wool shop. And a post from a friend who has just had a nice life changing event.

If your Facebook is full of people ranting about foreigners, its because these are the sort of people you know. Or your Facebook friends associate with them. Or you have interacted with a posting that supported that kind of thing.

There are infinitely more radical and ranting people on GN than I have ever seen on Facebook, and here, you can't unfriend them.