Not just the UK Govt at fault, then?

Seems the French are not helping by giving asylum either, apparently?

Actually, thereā€™s no escaping the point that if the UK would engage with France over setting up facilities in France for refugees to make application for asylum in the UK (for which the French have always said they would make facilities available in a suitable location) many of these crossings would not be viable or necessary. But the UK Govt wonā€™t engage.
Also, donā€™t lose sight of the fact that the UK left the EU where protections and procedures under the so called Dublin Convention so its a bit rich for a UK organ like The Guardian to espouse the views of NGOs with their own agenda.

In Edit: also consider that many on the streets of France as outlined by the NGOā€™s are economic migrants rather than true asylum seekers.

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But weā€™re going to have to ditch that distinction too - because the political failure to mitigate climate/ecological breakdown is already the main factor driving migration.
People are seeking ā€˜asylumā€™ because of the deliberate political ruination of their homes and livelihoods.

Efforts to reduce carbon emissions, though vital to the future survival of humanity, are already unlikely to limit global heating to the extent that we avoid further displacement. The UNā€™s International Organization for Migration estimates that 1.5 billion people could be forced to move in the next 30 years alone.

So where are Brits going to seek asylum when the Tories finally wreck the U.K.?

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Rwanda? :thinking:

Beats Slough.

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Hi Notalot

Used to live in Slough in the 60ā€™s and 70ā€™s.

It has declined into a real mess. I believe the council is now in some form of administration.

Sad, sad state of affairs

The title of this thread is whataboutism. I think youā€™d struggle to find anyone on this forum who thinks the French governmentā€™s approach to dealing with asylum seekers is blameless (everyone has undoubtedly seen footage of the jungle being turn down by police). But that doesnā€™t excuse the actions of the UK or any other countryā€™s government.

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The reason I started this thread was to counter the small clique of posters on here who take every opportunity of slagging off the UK, blaming her for everything from the death of Boudicca ( lack of government foresight) to mosquito bites on the bums of nudist tourists in the upper Ovango Basin!:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
I should have known howeverā€¦ā€¦.

often , you surely must admit, with good reason :wink:
If the awful administration currently ripping off the Country were to be thrown in jail for the crimes at every level they have (and are continuing to to commit) and a more responsible government was installed, Iā€™m certain that the ā€œsmall clique of postersā€ would return to the more positive aspects of life in the UK.
But as it standsā€¦

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I agree that things look pretty bad reading the UK Press and reading what some posters say, but ask almost any Frenchman how things are in France and you will get the same litany of woes.

Yes we (Frenchwomen too) like to complain about our country and condemn it and are generally not as jingoistic as our neighbours on the wrong side (joke) of the channel. That doesnā€™t alter the fact that the UK is in a terrible state and objectively people in the UK are worse off than people here in France, well apart from the brazen snout-in-trough carpetbaggers assorted moneylaunderers and other amoral trash given carte blanche to fiddle the rules.

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isnā€™t that more a thing in the land of the le Penā€™s imaginary world of unicorns? (the French eq of Faridgeā€™s fumblings)

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:rofl: Notalot - I used to go shopping in Slough sometimes when I was a kid. Also carried out an 8 month contract at Citroƫn UK on the industrial estate near the Mars factory. There was a very strong chocolate/sugary smell when the wind was in a certain direction in the car park!

graham, I think you will find the litany stretches across all parties and strata of society.

As it happensā€¦ this afternoon weā€™ve met French folk we havenā€™t seen for some yearsā€¦ a real treatā€¦ tears in the eyes time as we chatted and exchanged memories of previous get-togethersā€¦
ā€œDadā€ was trying to talk to me (but I think heā€™s had a stroke so it was difficult) anyway his son explained that it seems his Dad was worried that his good-friends (us) "might have left France due to Brexit and gone to the shambles that is currently the UK " (polite translation of their words).
Poor chap had been worried that our house would be emptyā€¦ etc etcā€¦ and when he saw us still hereā€¦he almost jumped for joy (he would have, if he could have).
The whole family feel we are safer here in Franceā€¦ bless 'em

Iā€™ve promised orange cake for next timeā€¦

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Our English gites guests this last week had to call an ambulance (turns out their daughter had pneumonia). They were upset at having their holiday interrupted, obviously - but so impressed by the French health service compared with the UK now. Ambulance came in minutes, paramedic treatment, into hospital - treated there immediately - out that evening.
We all really are safer here in France.

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I do think the UK will come good again but unfortunately there is a period to be gone through before forward motion for the country (and not just its oligarchs making out like bandits) will resume. And the UK has been sorely unlucky with the procession of Brexit, Covid and Ukraine.

How many horsemen were there of the Apocalypse? maybe it will be 5 this time. Not just the 3 so far.

ā€¦ with de Pfeffle and his cronies at the helm

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But, but, butā€¦ Ukraine has impacted much of Continental Europe much more than the UK; Covid impacted all too - and was worse in the UK only because of the past decade of poor government, and the current even worse government; and brexit - well, same thing. All traceable back to the pernicious free-market/small-state neo-liberal ideology propagated by Thatcher and still being advocated by Truss and Sunak.

I wonder if it will survive the coming crises at all as a ā€˜united kingdomā€™?
Scotland probably will come good - why not? - itā€™s basically similar to very successful and prosperous Scandinavian economies - and Ireland (which in turn will probably eventually absorb NI).
Hard to see a way out for England & Wales though.

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