to think that it's not the government's responsibility to rescue stranded holidaymakers?

[wannaBe]

I understand why the government are doing it and I think that it's good that they are trying to help.

But tonight I was listening to a report on people who went to somewhere on the spanish coast to get on a boat, and when the boat was full, there were people being interviewed saying "well the government should be doing more, this is just not good enough" etc etc.

Thing is, this is just unfortunate - it's not the government's fault that there's dust in the atmosphere and that people can't get home.

And while it's inconvenient, sometimes, these things just happen. And nobody died or is dying.

And they'll all get home eventually.

You will have to stand behind me Riven.

agedknees

You show me definitive evidence that there is not, and the proposed pipeline was not the initial reason for the invasion by the Americans.

I will continue to believe what I believe.

They're whinging on Channel 4 at the moment because the airlines are stopping free food. But if these people were at home they'd have to pay for their own food. I don't understand. Perhaps if it was me I'd be annoyed too!

Am I being dim but isn't this what travel insurance is for or doesn't it cover this? Or shouldn't the travel agents be doing more to try to get people home?

None of this is the governments fault and there's loads of stuff going on behind the scenes to discuss how to deal with it. Even the air ambulances aren't allowed to fly at the moment unless it really is the last resort - that's how dangerous the air is!

There's been news reports of a head teacher in bristol driving a minibus to europe to collect some of his teachers who are stranded.

You believe what you want to believe, I will believe in what I know is fact.

Prove it then....if it is fact.

Prove it was a proposed pipeline (although in your first post you stated a pipeline already existed).

to be honest, if I had been on a holiday with my family, we would have been on a very tight budget, carefully worked out day by day with a small emergency fund. This would not have enabled us to stay at inflated rates and feed us, or to pay for a non-existant hire care at inflated rates (£700 a day!) to drive us to a ferry terminal.
We have 1 credit card between us that probably has a couple of hundred quid on it. I have heard/read of families for whom this has cost them £4000 and counting.
We would in effect be destitute in a foreign country and feeling pretty stressed tbh.

or imagine, being a teacher stuck in Spain with 70 13-yr-olds who have been struck down with a stomach bug - as in the case of local school to me...no word from air company, no help from anywhere, waiting 6 days for a coach to eventually turn up.

Have some empathy, people!

What can the gvt DO? I suppose in Ted Heath's day he cold have run a shuttle service with his yacht, but I can't see Westminster turned into some sort of impromptu travel agent "Oh I could do you the last 3 semi-reclining seats in the cinema on the Holyhead ferry...Half Board, children go free...well I say half board, it's pick and mix on most sailings...suits passengers who can sleep through anything..." .

The Head and Yr 6 teacher of Ds's school are stuck somewhere and down to their last bottle of Ambre Solaire - all the staff have had a re-shuffle to accommodate SATS.

Sorry for all the people stuck, miserable and desparate, but I do think gvt and military deployment is for danger, rescuing people from war zones, capture, etc.

I can understand why people are getting stressed because it would be expensive (you would have to pay for somewhere to sleep after all and that isn't always cheap). Would an act of god be covered by travel insurance? I didn't think it always was. Anyway, even if it is covered by insurance it is not like the money comes to you at the time of the crisis, you do have to wait for it.

I agree though - I do think people have an unrealistic expectation of what the government should be doing.

I didn't state that there was a pipeline I wasn't specific enough in my point, and was sloppy in my wording.

I haven't said what I believe is fact as have you which you have yet to show me difinitive proof of, all you need to do is Google it and there are plenty of schools of thought that are similar to mine.

Auntie Maggie, travel insurance companies are not paying out for this as it's a natural disaster or 'Act of God'.

Most of the big Tour Operators are doing their very best to get people home, including using their cruise liners to repatriate people from several Spanish ports.

Thomson are the only Tour Operator having 11 planes arriving into Newcastle airport this evening and have more planes ready to repatriate people as soon as they get clearance.

I can see the OP's point. However, I do think a government has a responsibility to repatriate its citizens.

However, when I hear people moaning about not being rescued quickly enough on the news, I do wonder if they are as quick to complain about the 'nanny state' when things don;t suit.

"...all you need to do is Google it and there are plenty of schools of thought that are similar to mine."

Of course! Google is the authority. Why didn't I think of that.

Google is a treasure trove for conspiracy theorists.

It's funny they keep saying there are 150,000 people stranded and yet every day people are coming back through the tunnel or on the ferries.Surely the number must have gone down a bit?

Didn't say it was an authority...its just one source of information...I have my opinion which I am not arrogant enough to state is fact.

Unless agedkness works for MI5 or the CIA I fail to see how he can have definitive proof to show me I am wrong.

Thank you jcscot, I was going to post something similiar.

If it's a localised problem, or involving just a few people, I'd expect the relevant Embassy/Consulate to provide their usual assistance. But in these circumstances it's a global problem involving tens of thousands of people wanting to get back home to the UK. Just the sheer logistics of getting large numbers of people to somewhere they can be repatriated from is pretty mind-boggling and credit is due to individuals/airlines/travel agents/consular staff getting people as close to home as many have done.

I think it does make sense for the Navy to deploy those three vessels to transport people from Spain. There's the personal costs, of course, but there's also the impact on local services when there are large numbers of people camped out in a closed airport. It makes a lot of sense to move those people to where they need to be, and the scale of the problem means it should be coordinated at a government level.

But, oh, the Moaning Minnies, such as said mentioned.

I know plenty of people who managed to get back without government assistance.

It is possible for a citizen to take matters into their own hands and book their own train tickets. It doesn't take permission from the government.

We need to lose this sense of dependence on the government.

The govt should try to help out but I don't think it should be their responsibility. I can undertsnad those stuck having a big moan, though.

I was in Norway which is excrutiatingly expensive (although fuel oddly enough was UK price)
Hotels were £140 a night x 2(6 of us)
Taxi to family house from hotel £167
Minibus to amsterdam for 6 - £2000
Trains from AMsterdam £400
Taxi from Lille to Calais £270

I don't think the government should HELP but information as to where to actually GO was so hard to find.

we were there for 5 extra nights, food was just so dear. sandwich crisps and drink each to takeaway (just prepacked sandwich!) £70

will travel insurance cover this?