Why are the UK responsible for the stuck lorry drivers?

[Gleps]

This might be a really silly question and I might be missing something obvious but I’d like to understand why the uk are responsible for all of the European lorry drivers who are stuck at Dover?

When this all started, it was down to us to get all the Brits living in places like Wuhan home. So why when the situation is reversed is it now our responsibility again?

a few are french though none of us know exactly what nationality they are we don't have the percentages but some of them are french that is a fact

Very very very few are French. Scroll down, someone has posted the nationalities. Most are Polish or Romanian I believe.

Regardless, they won't want to be repatriated without their vehicles.

Because according to the UK press we are ALWAYS at fault. Clearly, we are totally responsible for the virus mutating.

While I can understand the concerns of France, it was not necessary to be quite so draconian.

@titchy she asked why they were not helping there citzens she never said they were nasty for shutting the borders, she asked a question and people like you have turned it in to an almost brexit thread
Simple polite explanations could of been given
Ans yes when nz / australia shut their borders they did help there citizens in getting back etc
This is a little different as they cannot abandon there lorries
But you have turned the thread into something it was not

Nasty nasty xenophobic thread this.

This.

This is how it's started and this is the current it has.

@titchy why would someone write to an mp about testing sa citizens who were coming to uk , they are not stuck in another country

@titchy

Emmanual Macron Shut the borders. We didn’t

Presumably you'll be writing to your MP to arrange for South Africans who were due to come to the uk to be sent covid tests and aid yes? After all we just shut our border.

And it was a reasonable decision for Macron and 30% of the worlds other countries - 30% - to shut their borders to the UK.

Why hasn't OP been whinging about Australia or NZ shutting their borders? Bet OP banged on about shutting borders to China though.

Nasty nasty xenophobic thread this.

This thread is about France shutting the borders and about all the lorry’s stuck here, just before Xmas.... so why would the OP be talking about Australia or NZ

If it was reasonable if Macron then why don’t he help the thousands he left stranded here.

@PurplePansy05 no it never
People could if simply explained to the OP that many are not french citizens and how these things work
Instead of bringing brexit and things into it

You all need to re read the OP question where she simply asked a question and pointed out to tell her what she was missing
Instead you are throwing words around like xenophobic without any grounds from the op original question
An was explanation would be enough and plenty of the drivers were also complaining about macron as well as boris etc

Donewithitall... People have explained all of it on the first two pages. Perhaps you could re-read before jumping to incorrect conclusions. There are related Brexit elements in this political game too, which has also been discussed earlier.

Good grief. The lack of understanding here is shocking.

Boris should send Army in with hot drink making facilities, hot food and portaloos. The Army are good at doing stuff like that at short notice. I can't understand why he does not do this. Some of those drivers have no food left and no money. Their batteries are flat and they are cold and hungry. The backlog will take 2-3 days to clear and the port will not be open Xmas day so some will be stuck there in that airfield on Xmas day. Macron is to blame because he should have agreed if drivers took test and were negative he should have let them cross channel. I don't think Macron will win another election term. Note the Netherlands and Spain let lorries and drivers through.

@PurplePansy05 you called the op question xenophibic it is not at all
I have read the post and if you were a french lorry driver you would also hope your country is trying to help you as well , even if that is just putting pressure on the country they are on to do more
Which behind the scenes is probably happening but we won't be privvy to that
Lots of very kind people , including sikh community especially have gone and provided food etc
And i thought i read the army were going in to assist with testing once agreed which testing macron was happy with
I do not blame them for shutting borders and something that if we had done back in feb may if made a difference

@DonkeyMcFluff

The news said they were all shouting Fuck Boris! Which is ridiculous because it’s the French who are preventing them leaving.

Maybe they just think Boris is a c*nt which is pretty reasonable?

@purplepansy some if the related brexit threads are incorrect though they almost imply he can just shut borders anytime on a whim , when that is not the case even on wto terms
Also supposedly looking more likely that we may have a deal of some sort in final hour

** sikh not sihk apologies , that was my phone and not my bad spelling

Purplepansy - xenophobic? Don't be daft.

The irony is that, before this, the risk of any lorry driver, isolated in their cab, having covid was probably pretty low. Which is one reason why countries have generally allowed freight to continue, even if borders are otherwise closed.

Now they've been cramped together with no facilities beyond a few portaloos, taking food from random volunteers? I can't imagine a better way to promote disease spread. Given that lateral flow tests miss plenty of cases, and the lag between infection and giving a positive test, I wouldn't be surprised if this has actually increased the risk of covid +ve drivers entering France.

If it carries on much longer they'll be carrying norovirus and dystentry, too.

Also a protocol for handling this was agreed between france and uk on 22nd on gov website the details
Unfortunately it may take several day to clear the backlog

Dysentry not dystentry. Sigh. Tired fingers.

Donewiyhitall...I have not. I agreed with one of pp's that the thread has an underlining xenophobic current, which it does. OP's posts are wrapped in "here is me, only asking questions" but the initial assumptions and the undertone is and has been very clear throughout - the French should be doing more, it shouldn't be the UK's responsibility for looking after foreign drivers etc., etc. Some things do not have to be put bluntly to be recognised and understood. The point is, international relations do not work that way.

I think this discussion has been exhausted by now, there really isn't anything to add as the situation and each country's responsibilities have been discussed at length and there really is no point in going round in circles. Good night to you, I'm off to bed.

I am lol at this thread.

Gleps you think if we closed to the border to France that we would go over to france to feed and provide toilets etc for all the French, Italian, polish etc etc lorry drivers?

I mean I'm thinking no but also it's a poor thought experiment because they can just turn around.

We're an island. They are stuck. And if we fuck it up. This is our food chain.

You think France should come to England to provide toilets for polish lorry drivers?

@Motorina I did think same with sharing hardly any facilIties etc and being cooped up and cold etc
Lets hope they clear backlog sooner rather than later so these poor people can get home

@Walkaround

?! What sort of monster are you?!

OP is asking a question, you doughnut. Get a grip.

OP, Macron's a piece of work. Luckily our government acted quickly and are taking responsibility.

@PurplePansy05 no your reading what you want the Op thought a lot of drivers were french , some newspapers have almost portrayed
this as well at the beginning
Once pointed out the OP accepted why etc

'OP, Macron's a piece of work. Luckily our government acted quickly and are taking responsibility.'

🤣🤣🤣