No returns of migrants to France yesterday or today.

By the way, sea conditions in the channel are moderate going on choppy at the moment, and will get rougher. I'm planning returning to the UK during the next calm window, so we can expect lower numbers of small boats for a bit.

Apart from the terrible conditions in the camps in Calais, are you sure that conditions are less attractive for migrants in France escaped?
It seems to me that organisations like the Centre d'Accueil et de Préparation à l'Intégration and others provide a framework for processing and settling migrants. Certainly the one I had contact with a couple of years ago, was doing a good job for young migrants who had tried to get to the UK and settled in France instead.
Obviously the UK is much more attractive because of the lack of identity cards and ease of working under the radar, but that is a problem for the UK to solve. It certainly causes frustration in France that nothing has been done about it.

Your last paragraph, I agree with 100% Mamie. The UK is doing itself a real disservice in that respect.
France does do a lot to help migrants to settle, especially women and minors. I guess human nature is often to think that you deserve more than just good, and my impression from flitting between the two countries, and listening to reports from both, is that the UK offers better.

I can only speak from experience of the centre for teenage boys that I worked with in France, which was a residential centre for outdoor activities. As you know, France has always had plenty of residential accommodation for work, education and holidays because of distances and this has been used for settlement and preparation.
I don't know how much of the UK support is just accommodation?

Yes, and I've noticed that France has always been good at creating a sense of community when re settling migrants.

It's difficult to put a finger on, because it concerns differences in UK/French culture too, but it seems more consideration is given to well being in France, whereas more "extras" are offered in the UK.
It would be interesting to do a full comparison, but I don't have enough information to do it properly ..... and I'm off to a Breton cider making outfit this morning!

PS I agree that land space and geography in France, also has a bearing on what is available.
The UK is squashed in comparison.

I can't imagine what sort of mind it takes to continually start threads like this.

Must be some sort of obsession.

StripeyGran

I can't imagine what sort of mind it takes to continually start threads like this.

Must be some sort of obsession.

It doesn't bother me what sort of minds start threads like this, because at least they lead to inquiring minds having further discussion on the issues.

Unenquiring minds too escaped. Some peoples lack of grasp of the realities of migration are frankly scary.

Sorry, uninquiring

I'm not entering into assessing posters' levels of interest in a topic. That always gets sneery and personal.

You can choose to acknowledge it or not, but it’s a fact that it’s there, regardless.

StripeyGran

I can't imagine what sort of mind it takes to continually start threads like this.

Must be some sort of obsession.

Commenting on every thread is not mandatory for members of GN

We all have the ability to scroll past and ignore…

Indeed I do, off out now. Cheerio.

👋
Have a nice day.

escaped

PS I agree that land space and geography in France, also has a bearing on what is available.
The UK is squashed in comparison.

Very true.

No sign of numbers of arrivals/departures improving.

Meanwhile we have migrants living in the 4* Hampton by Hilton hotel in Ealing. Very nice too!

StripeyGran

I can't imagine what sort of mind it takes to continually start threads like this.

Must be some sort of obsession.

What kind of mind continually makes someone post acid comments about other posters but contribute little worthwhile or open for debate?

Eats, shoots and leaves then reappears five minutes later.

🤔

Wyllow3

Whats the point in just complaining without looking up possible solutions?

It's just reporting the latest news so surely we should be able to discuss this sensibly?

I find it worrying that there are some posters who wish to shut down free speech on Gransnet yet there are also concerns by many of the same posters about free speech being shut down in the USA by Trump!

It's a conundrum.

If some posters do have all the answers, too, why are they posting on Gransnet and not busy advising the Government? It would seem that they might need some new SPADS with good, legal knowledge.

I don’t think threads like this should be shut down, although a variation on the ‘x arrivals today’ theme, which has been repeated a number of times would be good. What I do wish is that posters wouldn’t make exaggerated or inaccurate claims, or post incorrect facts. This is a complex, long term, Europe wide issue, which is rarely acknowledged because some go off on ‘the government is rubbish’ rants with apparently no comprehension of that. Debate is only worthwhile when posts are founded in correct information, or clearly state that this is their opinion, which is whatever.

silverlining48

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Or they may have heard we are decent people ( if only they knew) or possibly because unlike most of Europe, we dont have ID cards making it easier to get jobs.
Or the people smugglers market the UK as a fine place to come to. Certainly makes sense if they are getting thousands £££ from each person. Which they woukd not get if they stayed in France or elsewhere in Europe.

As for farage stopping out the boats in two weeks ha ha ha ha, 🤣

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Some asylum seekers do speak French as they come from French speaking countries.

If, as you claim, many asylum speakers already speak English, possibly to a high standard, why are so many needing English lessons run by charities?

Some facts.
www.rescue.org/uk/article/why-dont-refugees-stay-first-country-they-reach

Allira

silverlining48

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Or they may have heard we are decent people ( if only they knew) or possibly because unlike most of Europe, we dont have ID cards making it easier to get jobs.
Or the people smugglers market the UK as a fine place to come to. Certainly makes sense if they are getting thousands £££ from each person. Which they woukd not get if they stayed in France or elsewhere in Europe.

As for farage stopping out the boats in two weeks ha ha ha ha, 🤣

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Some asylum seekers do speak French as they come from French speaking countries.

If, as you claim, many asylum speakers already speak English, possibly to a high standard, why are so many needing English lessons run by charities?

You're correct, which is why the people claiming asylum in France tend to come form former French colonies.

Allira

silverlining48

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Or they may have heard we are decent people ( if only they knew) or possibly because unlike most of Europe, we dont have ID cards making it easier to get jobs.
Or the people smugglers market the UK as a fine place to come to. Certainly makes sense if they are getting thousands £££ from each person. Which they woukd not get if they stayed in France or elsewhere in Europe.

As for farage stopping out the boats in two weeks ha ha ha ha, 🤣

There is nothing wrong with France if you don’t mind having to learn another language to a fairly high standard when you may already speak English, or have family or friends in the uk.

Some asylum seekers do speak French as they come from French speaking countries.

If, as you claim, many asylum speakers already speak English, possibly to a high standard, why are so many needing English lessons run by charities?

And why do they need translators?

We would all need a translator if we were in a foreign country because the French/Spanish/Italian or whatever we learned at school is not our native language, and we would be unable to deal with bureaucracy and complete complex forms without support.