Almost 1,000 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday.

According to the news, "The migrants rescued on Saturday were from Eritrea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Kuwait and Iraq"

Wyllow3 are you saying the judge didnt know what he was talking about? He also said he could tell from the cases which came before him. I am not quite sure what your point is. Are you saying the official figures for immigration is correct and accurate?

I am saying there is no evidence whatsoever for the Richard Littlejohn claims, that there has been a measurement of sewage and the clams leading from that

(What an unnamed judge was reported as having speculated in 2016 is not evidence)

In fact Littlejohn jokes about the whole thing after the unnamed judge mention -read on (all in the 2016 DM article I referenced above)

"We have the technology and the expertise. Britain leads the world in bog snorkelling. Surely it is only a matter of time before this fine sport is recognised as an Olympic event and we can add even more gold medals to our record haul in Rio.

By happy coincidence, the annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships are taking place at Llanwrtyd Wells, in Wales, this coming weekend. Competitors have to swim 120 yards through filthy bog water, rumoured to be filled with rotting animal corpses, leeches and fish"

I remember reading about that article by Richard Littlejohn, here is the critique from The Conversation.

theconversation.com/daily-mails-richard-littlejohn-is-living-proof-that-the-right-doesnt-do-satire-64393

In case anybody asks, The Conversation has strict editorial standards around fact checking. Editors and authors are bound by global editorial policies and a charter. Authors complete a disclosure of funding and relevant interests. It is independent and non profit making.

I’ve been to the World Bog Snorkelling by the way Wyllow, it’s quite close to where I live, and it was good fun.

Some people have 2 or 3 craps a day - would they count as 2 or 3 people ? Just laughable, isn’t it?

I do not think there is anything remotely amusing about what is happening to this country.

The French Border Force are reporting that a young child has died this morning, not clear if it drowned or was trampled on the boat.

RIP💐

Something needs to be done now

stopping the boats and smashing the gangs are just toothless sound bites which are achieving nothing!

There are less boats coming in fact, but many of the ones that do attempt to make the journey are overloaded, which is one of the major reasons why there have been so many deaths this year.

Poor little child. It was actually a breast-feeding baby according to French newspaper reports, and was found out of the boat in the water.
Aren't Barnier, Meloni etc meeting today, yet again, to discuss immigration? All these talks by politicians, action is what is needed. Anyone can see that.

Casdon

There are less boats coming in fact, but many of the ones that do attempt to make the journey are overloaded, which is one of the major reasons why there have been so many deaths this year.

Does the fact that there are fewer actual boats coming in indicate some success in attempts to prevent the smugglers acquiring them?

I wonder how people feel about fewer boats = overloading = more deaths?

From the Telegraph this morning:

“ It brings the total number of migrants who have died attempting to cross the Channel this year to 53, compared to 12 for the whole of last year.

Six children and six adults died on Sept 3. A month later, a two-year-old boy and three adults died when their overloaded boats got into trouble.

An increasing number of children are dying in the small boats because they are vulnerable to being trampled or crushed in the overcrowded dinghies and being in the sea.”

It’s a personal decision of course but knowing the risks involved I would not take a child of mine on such a perilous journey. Parents surely have a duty of care regarding this choice.

This issue is not an English problem alone, not is it just a UK issue. It is neither simply a European issue. It is a world wide one, and will only be addressed as far as it can be (you just can't stop people moving around the planet unless you're North Korean and even then people escape) until there are clear and effective strategies deveopled by all countries involved (which is pretty much everywhere).
Those who think it is just about us ie this little island, are seriously deluded and need to find out the true and massive scale of the problem and stop pretending it can be solved by the UK government alone overnight.

MaizieD

Casdon

There are less boats coming in fact, but many of the ones that do attempt to make the journey are overloaded, which is one of the major reasons why there have been so many deaths this year.

Does the fact that there are fewer actual boats coming in indicate some success in attempts to prevent the smugglers acquiring them?

I wonder how people feel about fewer boats = overloading = more deaths?

There has been some success in smashing the gangs and interrupting the supply of boats as I understand it, according to Migration Watch the common scenario now is to overload a larger inflatable, deliberately have insufficient fuel for the journey, and to wait mid channel to be rescued. It’s an incredibly risky strategy, particularly as they don’t provide passengers with life jackets routinely. The gangs are unscrupulous.

A baby died today.
This is too much.
It needs to be stopped.

maddyfour

A baby died today.
This is too much.
It needs to be stopped.

Well, it clearly isn't being stopped by restricting the supply of boats, is it?

We need safe routes and efficient processing of applications for asylum.

Well just stop it. What is wrong with the country?

nanna8

Well just stop it. What is wrong with the country?

What do you suggest?

As Casdon said, there has been progress limiting boat supply, so the gangs find another way round it - for now.

There are no quick fixes. I dont know why successive governments have not tried to establish safe routes/processing except to speculate that its not been viable internationally.

1. You are an independent country with a navy. Use them.
2. Ignore all outside pressures. Look after your own country.
3. Do not feed, shelter or offer any services to people arriving on boats

nanna8

1. You are an independent country with a navy. Use them.
2. Ignore all outside pressures. Look after your own country.
3. Do not feed, shelter or offer any services to people arriving on boats

Nanna is from Australia.

I know that DD in Oz wonders why we don’t do more to ‘stop the boats’.

She says the Australian navy would send them back into international waters, if they were trying to go there.

I realise that Oz won’t have had the little dinghies etc trying to get to them, there would be larger craft attempting it over there.

This is just silly.

On immigration threads we've gone time and time again why it just isn't possible legally small boats wise as regards British and French waters and legally as regards the rights of Asylum seekers in the UK. You'd have to change International Maritime Law as regards action at sea and sea rescue.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

From the Telegraph this morning:

“ It brings the total number of migrants who have died attempting to cross the Channel this year to 53, compared to 12 for the whole of last year.

Six children and six adults died on Sept 3. A month later, a two-year-old boy and three adults died when their overloaded boats got into trouble.

An increasing number of children are dying in the small boats because they are vulnerable to being trampled or crushed in the overcrowded dinghies and being in the sea.”

It’s a personal decision of course but knowing the risks involved I would not take a child of mine on such a perilous journey. Parents surely have a duty of care regarding this choice.

👏👏👏

I suppose you would need some sort of empathy to understand why parents might try to get themselves and their children here.

Jasper16, we all have empathy for these people, .i certainly do and I am sure most do, its not a question of a lack of empathy nor of racism.

I haven’t got any empathy for them.
My empathy is only with those who go through the correct channels and are given asylum as genuine refugees escaping persecution. I really feel for them and wonder what they are thinking about these queue jumpers and their crooked organisers.

nanna in the UK the only ‘correct channels’ that exist are for people from Ukraine, Hong Kong & Afghanistan (for those who worked with UK army during the war).

There are no safe and legal routes for people fleeing war, famine & persecution in any other countries to apply for asylum in the UK.

I have empathy with all of these people. If I was living in a war torn hell hole, I would do anything to escape.

Do you really believe we in the UK should not feed anyone who seeks asylum here by arriving in a small boat!!!