Macron's state visit.

Iam64

Freya, your post about whitewave is as rude as you say hers was. It’s also a personal attack and refers to other threads so breaching rules I suspect

Whitewave suggestion that those who refer to asylum seekers as illegals, are often older and less educated has I believe been born out by research. I’m older and less well educated than some gransnetters but I see people as asylum seekers not illegals, until proved to have no right to be here, when I’d like to see them returned to their country of origin -

Freya’spost was not at all rude, it was a justified response to a very rude post.

Here's a thing.....it is possible to hold one or more idea at a time.

To be worried about apparently undocumented people arriving here, to think the system is totally broken (why?) to believe that all human beings are entitled to be treated humanely and to be very grateful indeed to those from an immigrant background who do jobs many others can't/ won't.

Bazza

Does anyone know why Mick Jagger and Elton John were at the banquet? I just had a look at the menu, looks delicious and very British as you would expect, even down to our “champagne.”

our “champagne.”
British sparkling wines have won prestigious world awards, beating even champagne!
One English sparkling wine achieved world recognition, causing a media frenzy when it scored more points in a blind tasting than those from Pol Roger, Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger

We need to find a good name now, sparkling wine just doesn't sound prestigious, does it.

lafergar

Here's a thing.....it is possible to hold one or more idea at a time.

To be worried about apparently undocumented people arriving here, to think the system is totally broken (why?) to believe that all human beings are entitled to be treated humanely and to be very grateful indeed to those from an immigrant background who do jobs many others can't/ won't.

Yes.

Allira

Bazza

Does anyone know why Mick Jagger and Elton John were at the banquet? I just had a look at the menu, looks delicious and very British as you would expect, even down to our “champagne.”

our “champagne.”
British sparkling wines have won prestigious world awards, beating even champagne!
One English sparkling wine achieved world recognition, causing a media frenzy when it scored more points in a blind tasting than those from Pol Roger, Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger

We need to find a good name now, sparkling wine just doesn't sound prestigious, does it.

Doesn’t Veuve mean widow in French? I guess we could call ours, in true British tradition, Widow Twankey?

😂

It's already taken!
Twankey is a green tea 😁

People have to carry ID in nearly all countries. Police, employers, landlords, hospitals etc are allow to ask for a peson’s ID. The UK is a ‘soft touch’ because people can move around freely and get illegal work.

If a French person trying to stop an illegal person from crossing the channel and caused the death of that illegal immigrant eg through drowning, he would be charged with that person’s death.

Even some UK soldiers who served in Ireland, Afghanistan 20+ years ago are facing court trials now.

Asylum Matters
France actually receives a much larger number of asylum claims than Britain – around 167,000 in 2023, compared to 67,000 in the UK

It's an impossible situation for the French police on these beaches. Not only do they have the worry of not causing harm to those in the boats, but they also risk their own lives. There are reports of a few being physically injured by desperate people in the boats, as well as the risk of actually getting into trouble in the water themselves.

Bring in ID cards here and toughen up our system as Macron points out we should be doing.

The immigration discussions made headline news because it suited Starmer, but in fact they composed a minority of of the overall discussions. It is interesting how the BBC headlined it rather than other far more important issues.

European security was one of the main subjects as well as trade and the economy . These issues will affect British citizens far more into the future.

Give asylum seekers safe passage and this whole debacle would stop overnight.

Interesting to note that “illegal asylum seekers” which has NEVER been correct has now become “irregular asylum seekers” which is utterly meaningless.

I note that the BBC has changed “illegal” to “irregular”

What a load of nonsense.

People seeking asylum are just that they have never been illegal or now irregular.

And if safe passage is given - at a stroke, we will be controlling 95% of those people entering the U.K. seeking asylum.

It isn’t bloody rocket science.

I guess the reason why the asylum seekers issue is headlined - in both countries actually
- is because it is happening right under our noses on a daily basis.

A French newspaper makes the interesting point that security won't be highlighted in the press in the same way, due to the delicate nature of the discussions. Neither Macron nor Starmer will be precise on such matters, so the reporting will therefore be at a loss to offer much detail.
If anyone on here believes they know all about the security measures being agreed, then they are misguided.

Equally headlining, is today's Tour de France uphill struggle across lumpy Norman roads.
Macron will no doubt be keen to get back to France to celebrate the final stage, where the race will make a detour via Montmartre. He had to intervene and tick off the mayor of Paris for refusing to allow entry in these streets. When Macron wants, Macron gets.

The one in one out isn’t going to help with the numbers of people coming on small boats, so I do hope some other ideas are being discussed other than us giving even more money to France.

Oreo

The one in one out isn’t going to help with the numbers of people coming on small boats, so I do hope some other ideas are being discussed other than us giving even more money to France.

I’m the first to admit that my maths are awful ( but I do know how many beans make 5) 😉 But, if it’s one in one out the numbers here stay the same 🤷‍♀️

Exactly petra this initiative does nothing for the numbers at all and I have a feeling that Macron is running rings round Starmer.
Even the loan of the tapestry is so the place it’s displayed in France is being done up, so the UK is a useful depository.

I am all for negotiating with our close neighbours, not sure how this benefits the U.K.

France is going to be in receipt of more £’s also.

Oreo

Exactly petra this initiative does nothing for the numbers at all and I have a feeling that Macron is running rings round Starmer.
Even the loan of the tapestry is so the place it’s displayed in France is being done up, so the UK is a useful depository.

😆 yup!
There's nothing wrong with the place where it is currently being displayed. But France, being France, loves to "do up" places of interest and spend lots of money in the process. Just don't go walking outside the Bayeux tapestry museum, you risk getting hit on the head by cranes snd huge holes in the ground. (Very little Health and Safety either!)

What no one seems to be acknowledging is that France has absolutely no obligation to stop asylum seekers leaving its shores - indeed it would be acting against international law.

So the money we are paying them is going towards policing that they are not obliged to carry out. If we want more policing we must pay for it. If we don’t think we are getting value for money then I suggest we stop paying the French and deal with the asylum seekers ourselves once they reach our shores uninhibited by French police.

Yes, logically, all this talk about the French should do this, the French should do that, to 'stop the boats'. If I was French, I would ask 'Pourquoi?'.

It was interesting to hear a Sky reporter yesterday that France aacepts far more migrants than the UK and also saying how much policing actually does go on, on the ground in France.
I certainly get that impression from watching French news and reading La Voix du Nord and Nord Littoral.
I do wonder if people perhaps have a bit of a distorted view from media in the UK?

Mamie, I do believe you are on to something there.

Mamie

It was interesting to hear a Sky reporter yesterday that France aacepts far more migrants than the UK and also saying how much policing actually does go on, on the ground in France.
I certainly get that impression from watching French news and reading La Voix du Nord and Nord Littoral.
I do wonder if people perhaps have a bit of a distorted view from media in the UK?

I think not everybody in the UK wants to hear the truth Mamie, there is a blame everybody else culture unfortunately.

Maremia

Yes, logically, all this talk about the French should do this, the French should do that, to 'stop the boats'. If I was French, I would ask 'Pourquoi?'.

Exactly, if the boot were on the other foot would the UK police be employed to stop people leaving the beaches on the south coast to flee to France. 🤣
I know this is a serious subject of gangs profiteering on humans’ misery but if the UK set up offices in other countries for people to apply for asylum this problem may be solved before reaching the beaches.