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.

Walkden ·
"It's not the "end of" of anything. This will only get worse when biometric tests etc are introduced."

Exactly.

Ireland is an EU country, there are cursory checks because Ireland is not in Schengen. UK is NOT in the EU therefore passports must be checked to ensure that visitors from UK are not exceeding the limits allowed for Third Country visitors. Just the same as if you were travelling to France from China, India, the US etc. That is a Brexit bonus...

And you got me jgw1 !!! You are very good at this. Must look at usernames first before replying in future. 100 lines (not at Dover).

This whole storm in a teacup is a microcosm of Brexiteer intelligence at work (so don't worry, not much to write).

vote to leave the EU
Insist on leaving the EU as acrimoniously as possible
Act surprised at the effects of your decision
Blame the outcome of your decision on another country
Threaten that other country to "sort it out".

Now I really can't see that last going down well in France (in fact I know it isn't). All I can say is if anyone thinks it will help, I have a bridge for sale. We're not even in the peak French holiday season yet. This year there has been some welcome last minute leave granted to the officers that would have come to Dover for a start. It does not do to leave a dragon out of your plans if you happen to live next to one.

On a more serious note, if I wanted to get to France reliably, I'd go to Ireland first.

SerendipityJane

"vote to leave the EU
Insist on leaving the EU as acrimoniously as possible
Act surprised at the effects of your decision
Blame the outcome of your decision on another country
Threaten that other country to "sort it out"."

Exactly. English exceptionalism at it's best.

I’d consider going via the Channel Islands, especially if you’re heading south. Five hours to Jersey, then an hour to St Malo. Same checks leaving Jersey but only one ferry a day leaving so none of these delays.

its best

Brendan May
@bmay
·
2016: “Sunlit uplands”
2019: “There will be adequate food”
2022: “Oh sod it, just piss in the road, if you’re still conscious”.

#BrexitDisaster

I just wish Brexiteers would own their shit. How hard is it to say 'Yes, I voted for this. No, I didn't think this would happen. Yes, I would still vote Leave again because sovereignty.' And then let the rest of us draw our own conclusions.

I promise not to call you thick because I don't talk to brick walls.

SerendipityJane
On a more serious note, if I wanted to get to France reliably, I'd go to Ireland first

Simon Calder suggested Newhaven to Dieppe on LBC yesterday - should be no problems at all apparently.

Led by donkeys twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1551138151934066688?t=SClJMZDBCSnzlP1Nn7nxog&s=08 sums it up. Its an effing disgrace.

Instead we get the port authorities building 4 extra booths last week from the 8 they previously had, then moaning the French didn't provide the staff...

The City A.M. screenshot says they had 5 (in 2020) - so 3 more were added prior to last week, bringing the number of booths up to 8 (then 12) - BBC News reported that only 6 were open on Friday.

So all it takes is half a dozen French border control staff to be late for work and half of Kent grinds to a standstil?

Doesn’t sound like taking back control to me.

It’s going to be carnage once the biometric checks come in.

Yes there are other options for getting to France but none of that addresses or solves the problems in Dover.

Oh, it is indeed taking back control. They are our traffic jams on our beautiful motorways and once Liz Truss has finished they will not have to follow pettifogging EU laws in those queues either.

Even if other routes are available, Dover-Calais is always going to be the most popular route as it is shorter and therefore cheaper than all the other crossings. The majority of freight travels that way to save time and costs which will keep traffic levels there high even out of holiday season. For our summer holidays we always travel from Portsmouth for convenience because the journey to where we go in France is easier if we arrive in Brittany. However it is hundreds of pounds more expensive per crossing than travelling from Dover.

The port of Dover has very limited physical capacity for expansion. It will be even worse if and when the UK finally decides to introduce customs checks on incoming vehicles. That's probably one of the reasons why they've put it off so far.

Is Dover really that important for cross-channel crossing if there are so many other options available?

I'm asking on behalf of a Deputy PM.

Maybe the sea channel was closed

AndreaC74
UK has had to cancel (%) more flights than any other european country...

Of all the countries mentioned above, Germany had the highest cancellation rate of scheduled flights to fly between July 1 and 15. Germany cancelled 11,482 flights scheduled to fly within this period, and its share of outbound flights cancelled stands at 6.12 per cent.

Germany is followed by the United Kingdom with 1,060 cancelled flights and Italy with 637 flights that were scheduled to fly between July 1 and 15.

(Schengen Visa News)

traveltomorrow.com/top-10-european-countries-by-flight-cancellations/

They are our traffic jams

World beating traffic jams?

Actually they probably are, can’t think there’s too many places on the planet you have to queue for six hours for a short ferry hop.

'UK has had to cancel (%) more flights than any other european country...''

'Of all the countries mentioned above, Germany had the highest cancellation rate of scheduled flights to fly between July 1 and 15.'

The head of Ryan Air was saying yesterday he desperately needs “ foreigners” to fill positions

Brussels Times Friday, 22 July 2022

At least 69 Ryanair flights cancelled due to Belgian pilots strike this weekend.

This weekend will be the third time in three months that Belgian Ryanair staff have gone on strike: in addition to the dispute about wages, there is also a long-standing conflict about the company’s refusal to comply with Belgian labour regulations on, among other things, the minimum wage – even after it was ordered to do so by the court.

www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/260446/at-least-69-ryanair-flights-cancelled-due-to-belgian-pilots-strike-this-weekend

April 2022 -
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary calls for army to be drafted in to deal with queue delays at Dublin Airport.

www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/ryanair-boss-michael-oleary-calls-for-army-to-be-drafted-in-to-deal-with-queue-delays-at-dublin-airport-41513555.html

Actually, I have just noticed a discrepancy - Schengen Visa News must have misprinted but the percentages are still correct. Should be 1,482 flights cancelled Germany (6.12%) - 1,060 UK (3.2%).

Michael O Leary did a huge amount to make air travel accessible to the masses but be in no doubt he will say anything to make headlines. I would never quote him.

If we are going to blame this on Brexit, then we must blame anyone who did not vote LibDem at the last election, as they would have kept the UK in the EU.