Port of Dover Critical Incident

[AndreaC74]

Why are we blaming the french? they didn't vote for Brexit and aren't responsible for increasing/paying for extra capacity at the French border posts on UK soil.

Stamping passports is what happens to 3rd country nationals & that adds time, a lot of it, when dealing with 100s of '000s of passengers, plus having recently been to France, i ve seen UK people arguing with French officials because they don't want their passports stamped!

The UK seems incapable of organising anything at the moment, the numbers travelling across the channel is entirely predictable and delays we are now seeing were talked about pre 2016, i remember seeing the graphs on how long the queues would be for just a few seconds of delay for each passenger.... all Project Fear.

Here you are Janiie , Simon Calder , BBC Travel Journalist , explains it perfectly why Brexit is to blame for the chaos at Dover.

twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1550752136794972161

There have been queues at Dover for many months now, lorry queues.

Easy to miss when it doesn’t get reported much.

Part of the problem was for a while post the referendum far too many people inside government and outside sat back and did sod all by way of preparation.

What else could you do when anyone with any agency was insisting it wasn't needed ? Much like parents who refuse to take their kids to doctors because "Jesus" will save them.

Remember how many people effectively committed suicide during Covid as they pitted their own dimness against nature and to no ones surprise - lost.

It's well worth bearing in mind that we are still in that stage where to actually do anything about Brexit would be to effectively admit it's a crock. It's the Stone Soup story in reverse.

Good, we didn't want those foreign lorry drivers coming over here and taking our jobs anyway and living a life of luxury on benefits.

Actually semi-serious point incoming. Why do so many lorries need to cross the Channel. (No not a Dominic Raab point). Surely it would be more efficient if the majority of the freight went by train from a rail yard inland to various European destinations?

Civil service and planners DID say measures needed to be put in because of the critical infrustructure weakness that Brexit presented. Sure the French aren't striking this week, but the effect was similar and we know this is always a real risk which might be exploited by the French Government or French unions. Haulage firms said there was a problem. Importer and retailers said there was a problem. All were ignored.

They were all held back from actually doing anything about it though, by the politicians who said that prudent critical incident prevention planning was a political opinion rather than a practical necessity. Decisions were blocked or delayed as a result. The politicians decided that there was no risk to no deal (until they didn't and quietly things like Operation Brock and Yellowhammer were signed off). In someways Covid hid the problem for a couple of years too. And focus has been put all sorts of other crisis management issues.

I think its important to say that many working for government were very much on the case and were silenced.

I believe there may have been a few threads on MN about border issues post Brexit...

given that Brexits keenest supporter is a proven liar, who no one in the Tory contest would give any sort of job too and told us all he is untrustworthy!!!

And not forgetting that he only chose to back Brexit out of political expediency and what he thought would be best for himself.

@RedToothBrush

I think its important to say that many working for government were very much on the case and were silenced.

Thanks for emphasizing that, I’m sure that’s true, my comment was perhaps a bit too generalized.

Tbf he was right.

Brexit probably was the best option for him...

Actually semi-serious point incoming. Why do so many lorries need to cross the Channel. (No not a Dominic Raab point). Surely it would be more efficient if the majority of the freight went by train from a rail yard inland to various European destinations?

Mrs Thatcher famously told the French that "Britain doesn't do trains" when the Channel Tunnel was a serious reality.

Of course there will be more border related issues and delays following on from Brexit. It will take some time and effort working with our neighbours to get mutually beneficial agreements, that's a journey and will take years. Once upon a time we used to rule the waves, now we'd like to waive the rules :)

People should also consider holidays within the UK. There are lots of wonderful places to explore! And it's good for our economy, and we need that!

The reason rail freight from ferry terminals isn't feasible is the Beeching reforms in the 1960s. They happened under (you've guessed it) a Conservative government.

I live in Cornwall, so obviously cannot speak for other tourist hotspots, however, Cornwall cannot cope with more tourism.

Even now, so many houses have been taken from the local housing stock and put to AirBnB etc.

So an annex near me, previous rented out for 600 pm long term, is now 75 per day and is fully booked.... the real joke is because the owners were care full not to permanently plumb in a sink and the hob is on a plug, they can additional avoid council tax as it comes under the rent a room scheme :( BUT they benefit from a separate postal address... and they aren't the only ones.

The Dover spokesman said they had built more booths in anticipation but the french police were simply not turning up to man them. I guess we will have to pay them an extortionate amount to police them as we did to help them police their beaches (not). Anyone who thinks the french don't like us has never been to France. Though they did give us 12 points in the Eurovision Song Contest. Amazing! Pity we don't have a primary border with Germany

I must say it's very amusing to see the Remainers bringing up the brexit nonsense again and frothing at the mouth. Let's face it everything negative is blamed on brexit, instead of the aeons old rivalry between the french and English.

So can ask do you think the enhanced passport checks now required at Dover is down to Anglo-French rivalry or Brexit?

@bluegardenflowers I am glad we agree that Brexit is a nonsense. Hopefully we will soon be able to move forward with more constructive engagement with our nearest neighbours.

Oh dear. Unfortunately, we've all seen Brexshitteers who have actually claimed these sort of things in all seriousness. For instance, Liz Truss! It can make it difficult to tell the difference. Hence the "thick" references.

E.g. the Brexshitteers living in Spain...

And, to be honest, with Boozo's "Hasta la Vista" we've gone beyond the ability to parody anymore (see Matt Green's sketch)...

How many points did Germany give the UK?

.

It's not quite like that. The CEO of the port was told well before these checks were going to come in that more booths would be needed, but he and the government claimed that everything would be fine.

They are only now building more booths and expecting the French to magic up staffing for them. That is authentic British incompetence and only the British are to blame.

Are the French insisting on these same extra checks on ferries from Ireland?

No?

That's because they don't like the English.

I think the only people "frothing at the mouth" bluegardenflowers , are those Brexiteers incensed that France is controlling its borders .

@pointythings No. The spokesman this morning said that new booths had been built and provided for the additional french staff needed to process additional checks. The french border police just hadn't turned up for work to man them. End of