to suggest we take over border control in Calais!

[SuggestmeaUsername]

obviously with the agreement of the French...

From watching the news it seems the French are not very effective and/or are apathetic at border control around Calais and are unable to prevent illegal immigrants from attempting to enter the UK.

So maybe it would make sense and save money in the long run for us to go over there and take charge of the situation both sides of the Channel.

Maybe if France controlled their borders more successfully these people wouldn't have been their problem in the first place.

I think MN should take over the border. We would take them in hand, make them smarten up and wash their hands, give them a meal, and then make them queue up nicely instead of doing dangerous leaping onto trains and lorries. Then we could come up with a selection system based on being polite, demonstrating a work ethic, and passing an MN acronym test.

WannaShedthisFatSuit: What in a my of my posts could possibly make you think I would propose blowing anyone up, dictator or not?

WannaShed I do know for a fact that African countries have wealth. I know for a fact that some of that wealth is invested in luxury apartments in London. I just know.

I did not say we should transfer bags of cash in great boats to Africa. I said intellectual property and know how and other intangibles. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. These are not my words, but words that are anonymous. We have to transfer intelligence and share it, social justice and respect for property and a list of 10,000 other items. Not reign back from making changes and being prepared to self-sacrifice just because of some fat dictator who leads the worst example. I don't acknowledge or accept or surrender to bullies.

Rein back. Not reign back.

May I give a personal/local perspective on this?

PERSONALLY, I feel that many of these people must be so desperate to risk life and limb to get here, leaving behind their families, paying fortunes to get across Europe etc that I cannot begrudge them the chance for what they feel would be a better life.

LOCALLY though: we live about 20 mins from Eurotunnel and 30 mins from Dover ports. Kent is literally stuffed with lorries. Road traffic is becoming almost impossible - on Saturday I drove up the A20 northbound but southbound it was stationary for over 10 miles. Luckily I know the country back roads (so could come back that way) but I felt SO sorry for the lorry drivers/families trying to go on holiday, on a hot day - I saw women with small children crying on the side of the road, in England, ffs! And this is an A road, but shops/garages/toilets are few and far between.

AND, we have a local group called something like Folkestone United who are holding a rally this Saturday to express their concern for would be immigrants. Fine - but EDL and NF are of course up in arms and planning to come to the party.

In the meantime, Operation Stack alone is costing £750k per DAY - so a nice little demo which will kick off fairly rapidly is really going to help matters isnt it? I think Kent Police have better things to do the moment than add a rally/demo into the mix.

perhaps you can offer them a home and look after them

BoffinMum - I have drunk too much wine tonight to make a sensible judgement on whether your post is a pisstake or not. I am very much hoping it is...?

fflonkl and French poster from earlier have this right. The French don't want to deal with the problem, even though they have a large number of illegal migrants on their soil. The French are angry we never joined Schengen, and that in consequence, we already have our border in France. The French wish they could put the 5000 on trains and let us sort it out. The last thing the French want their Police to do is round up these people and detain them.

In a way, we're no better - we are slow to process asylum claims, we rarely deal with people who are here illegally unless they are really easy cases like overstaying Aussies.

The only difference is we have all our illegal immigrants hiding away and working illegally, not swarming around a border crossing.

Sleepsoftly: You are making very valid points… It is about reducing those peoples reasons to leave their homelands and family.

Yes, and when we start to realise it's because its the right thing to do first and foremost and that the implosion on Europe on its fragile social, health and welfare systems, and environment, can be avoided as a by product of doing this right thing can we only ever start to deal with the problem.

Capitalism creates wealth. Nothing else does. Its only responsible capitalism that allows for that wealth to be shared, not state intervention or woolly tree hugging. And there are some fantastic examples of the richest individuals giving substantial wealth away to equalise people across the planet because its the right thing to do.

If it were possible, I would offer a home to any person in need.

AND another purely local perspective: my 85 year old mother was threatened by 2 "Africans" at Waitrose in Hythe today - attempted ATM/taxi scam. She was frightened. This corner of Kent is pretty quiet, not much happens here apart from Operation Stack - but from my FB feed I can see that local public opinion is beginning to ferment, and I really dont think thats a good thing.

guitargirl I can never drink too much wine (and haven't drank any tonight) but my money is on BoffinMum taking the piss.

Another personal perspective, my daughter and family inc 5 dc are due to go to France in 3 weeks via Calais, it will cost her £7,000 to cancel. These immigrants are costing us billions before even getting here.

'If it were possible, I would offer a home to any person in need.'

But, of course, you can't.

And anyone who thinks they are coming here to benefit the UK are very sadly deluded.

But of course she can offer them a home, they don't mind sleeping 20 to a room. Go for it!

I can and have contacted charities to offer accommodation. I have provided accommodation in the past as well.

In the case of these people in France it is not possible… but it should be remembered that there are minors in those camps

GuitarGirl, what do you think?!

It was a post-ironic comment on the sheer hopelessness of it all in the current political climate.

Moreshabbythanchic: Do you really think like that? I hope you have been on the vino!

I would be fed up too shabby, glad we are not going to France

Personally speaking I am trouble by the conflation of lots of different groups under the title 'immigrant' and 'refugee'. It is a significantly more complex problem. Economic migrants, students and families fleeing death from Syria etc are all lumped together and treated more or less the same. Not good.

Boarding, I know that for a fact, I live in an area of high illegal immigration and have seen it with my own eyes.

I hope you have continued to support these people you have provided accommodation for and not just given them directions to the benefit office.

I knew someone (about 20 years ago) who was an asylum seeker who made it illegally to the UK. (Not an economic migrant).
He actually got picked up in Italy first - the way he told it was the Italian police basically took a big group of them to near the border with France and let them go - told them to leave...or else.
The UK was always basically the goal, seen as a soft touch.
One reason was our police are considered nice - not scary - they aren't violent or corrupt and they aren't armed.
He was eventually picked up in the UK and was officially seeking asylum. He still said our police were the nicest ....much nicer than the Italian or French police.

So that begs the question whether our police could do a better job in Calais ... seeing as the French police are (or at least were) feared more...