Is it time to stop paying £££s millions to the French?

escaped

^Saying " France is laughing at us" isn't really helping anybody.^
I agree, it's probably not helping. However, I've been in France nearly a month now, and on a couple of occasions have been told by French people that the migrants in France want to reach UK shores because we are considered to be more generous.

That’s what I heard a French Minister say as well.Are we more generous? Probably. But whatever, they continue to make for our shores.As if we don’t have enough things to sort out.

escaped

^Saying " France is laughing at us" isn't really helping anybody.^
I agree, it's probably not helping. However, I've been in France nearly a month now, and on a couple of occasions have been told by French people that the migrants in France want to reach UK shores because we are considered to be more generous.

This,and I stand by what I said about France laughing at us..

Lathyrus3

How would being in the EU stop illegal migrants crossing?

If Britain is where they want to be then why would they stay in France or anywhere else.

Its a genuine question not an argument.

As members of the EU we had the ability to return migrants to the first safe EU country in which they had claimed asylum. We lost that ability as soon as we left the membership.

In order to mitigate that issue the U.K. government tried to close our borders which in turn resulted in the rise of the small boats, which did not exist (or hardly) before 2018.

It was never going to work.

And so it has proved to be the case.

French police are now handing out life jackets to those crossing in small boats, far from stopping them.
I expect we’re paying for those or they wouldn’t be so generous.
On the one hand we don’t want anyone to drown but on the other we would rather have the French police puncturing the dinghies on the beach.

Absolutely yes! It was so clear, imo, after we left the EU that none of them would help us “stop the boats”

Millions of £££££ have been wasted in the French and the Rwanda scheme.

Before the boats they were coming over in lorryloads remember?
Brexit has made no difference at all and neither would rejoining the EU.
If every country in the EU returned migrants to the first safe country they’d all have to be in Greece, Italy or Spain.I can’t see those countries putting up with that!

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Rejoining the EU would mean the Euro currency. I don’t think this will happen do you … really? We’ve moved on.

No it wouldn’t necessarily, we had the right to vetoe before and would, one assumes, negotiate this right again.

It won’t ever happen, we aren’t in the EU and won’t be again in our lifetime and maybe much longer.

Even if we were, the French wouldn’t be doing more to help.

There's a terrible feeling of Trump style paranoia in the phrase 'France is laughing at us'.

When I look at the state to which Trump's paranoia is reducing not only a once admired and respected country, and the international trading order, I don't feel any desire to join the ranks of the paranoid...

There are measures which could be taken to alleviate (not eliminate) the problem, which have been mentioned on many similar threads to this one, but as we're stuck with a government that prefers to pander to xenophobes there's little point in mentioning them again.

Oreo

Before the boats they were coming over in lorryloads remember?
Brexit has made no difference at all and neither would rejoining the EU.
If every country in the EU returned migrants to the first safe country they’d all have to be in Greece, Italy or Spain.I can’t see those countries putting up with that!

But we had the ability to return immigrants.

That is the point.

Not whether they were arriving.

But unquestionably it has made life more difficult. How many hotels/barges etc were being used pre-Brexit?

The gangs of young men around here, with nothing to do all day but sit in the local park smoking, drinking and shouting out goodness knows what to passing young women, is scary. It used to be a park where mums took their children to play in safety. Now it's a place to be avoided if you don't want your children to see the fights that break out daily between bored and angry young men.

Year on year the problem has worsened that’s why, not just to the UK but to Europe in general.
Up to 2015 the numbers weren’t that huge.

It will be the end of Starmer if things continue like this.

MaizieD

There's a terrible feeling of Trump style paranoia in the phrase 'France is laughing at us'.

When I look at the state to which Trump's paranoia is reducing not only a once admired and respected country, and the international trading order, I don't feel any desire to join the ranks of the paranoid...

There are measures which could be taken to alleviate (not eliminate) the problem, which have been mentioned on many similar threads to this one, but as we're stuck with a government that prefers to pander to xenophobes there's little point in mentioning them again.

How dare you compare me to Trump For saying something I truly believe, how dare you? 😡

Well I bet the French police do a fair bit of laughing at us Shinamae
Ignore any Trump references

MaizieD

There's a terrible feeling of Trump style paranoia in the phrase 'France is laughing at us'.

When I look at the state to which Trump's paranoia is reducing not only a once admired and respected country, and the international trading order, I don't feel any desire to join the ranks of the paranoid...

There are measures which could be taken to alleviate (not eliminate) the problem, which have been mentioned on many similar threads to this one, but as we're stuck with a government that prefers to pander to xenophobes there's little point in mentioning them again.

I agree MaizieD.

Whitewavemark2

And the best way to do this would be to rejoin the EU.

This was always going to be a major issue for the U.K. post-Brexit - but many of us didn’t listen.

So a democratic vote to Leave should be ignored? Migrants have been flooding in since the end of WW2. Nothing to do with Brexit and everything to do with Governments being unable to impose a fair yet rigorous immigration policy and making sure Border Control is fit for purpose. Plenty of talking but no action.
It's too late for Britain now. Enoch Powell must be spinning in his grave.

Oreo

Year on year the problem has worsened that’s why, not just to the UK but to Europe in general.
Up to 2015 the numbers weren’t that huge.

Within the EU, ideas come to the table, but none are clearly defined. Ursula von der Leyen promises more discussion on this problem, little gets done. Then there are major doubts about the legality of proposed new measures and whether they can be made to work. Next, it's decided to have more meetings, but unsurprisingly the EU finds it impossible to arrive at a new set of common policies. I learn all this from reading French newspapers. It's like a circus ride going round and round.

600?

And we are only in April.

Goodness knows how many will come in the summer months.

Labour has no more idea than anyone else how to sort this.

Yvette Cooper, waffling on….

What was she going to do when she became Home Secretary?

Oh yes, target the gangs….

Enoch Powell being seen as a prophet - 😩

Calendargirl

600?

And we are only in April.

Goodness knows how many will come in the summer months.

Labour has no more idea than anyone else how to sort this.

Yvette Cooper, waffling on….

What was she going to do when she became Home Secretary?

Oh yes, target the gangs….

600+ was just yesterday! It’s well into the thousands since the New Year.

Sarnia

Whitewavemark2

And the best way to do this would be to rejoin the EU.

This was always going to be a major issue for the U.K. post-Brexit - but many of us didn’t listen.

So a democratic vote to Leave should be ignored? Migrants have been flooding in since the end of WW2. Nothing to do with Brexit and everything to do with Governments being unable to impose a fair yet rigorous immigration policy and making sure Border Control is fit for purpose. Plenty of talking but no action.
It's too late for Britain now. Enoch Powell must be spinning in his grave.

But the UK actually encouraged immigration to staff the NHS and London underground (amongst others)!

The UK does have an immigration policy - that's why so many people can't come to the country by regular means.

Sarnia

Whitewavemark2

And the best way to do this would be to rejoin the EU.

This was always going to be a major issue for the U.K. post-Brexit - but many of us didn’t listen.

So a democratic vote to Leave should be ignored? Migrants have been flooding in since the end of WW2. Nothing to do with Brexit and everything to do with Governments being unable to impose a fair yet rigorous immigration policy and making sure Border Control is fit for purpose. Plenty of talking but no action.
It's too late for Britain now. Enoch Powell must be spinning in his grave.

Are you implying that Brexit was all about immigration?

Cossy

Absolutely yes! It was so clear, imo, after we left the EU that none of them would help us “stop the boats”

Millions of £££££ have been wasted in the French and the Rwanda scheme.

Do you know how many crossings France has prevented?