French Standards

[lady-janine]

In my simple mind I can't help considering that if the French were as assiduous in policing/stopping people who wished to emigrate to this country as they are on causing problems for those who wish to go on holiday in or via France then we would have no illegal immigrants.

Does anyone agree with me? Or am I misunderstanding?

[Buenchico]

This might have been better in 'News' or 'Current Affairs', as Chatterbank is intended for lighter stuff.

However, to answer your question, it's illegal under international law, and under human rights agreements, for any country to prevent people from LEAVING that country unless there's a specific recognised reason (such as that person being required to appear before a court of law to answer criminal charges). We used to condemn Soviet-bloc countries for doing so and the situation in France is no different.

However any country is free to create barriers to people ENTERING that country unless they've signed up to an international agreement (such as the Schengen Agreement) which restricts their ability to do so.

[ichkeria]

Is there actually a concerted effort to stop people entering France or is it just the effect of something else?

In principle also, why would you bust a gut to stop people you don’t want in your country in the first place —- leaving? Regardless of the risks to life it poses for many.
France I believe has more illegal immigrants than the UK, hardly surprisingly

[anneasquith]

There is a travel writer called Martin Calder?, who on sky news this am said. The french booths are fully manned today. The reason for the delays are, before brexit a car travelling to France via Dover would be just waved past ( not stopped ) . Now because there is a border that by law EVERY passport must be seen and stamped.
Don’t think France are to blame for the delays . ?

[ToraToraTora]

the fact is that the French are too pig headed to help us and them rid both our nations of the problem with a very simple 100% effective solution.

[ToraToraTora]

It's more important to them to annoy us rather than help themselves.

[FatticusInch]

ToraToraTora
//the fact is that the French are too pig headed//

Oh the irony!
And the boys of the Bullingdon Club know all about pigs heads, eh? PMSL

[Togo]

Why is the french border in Dover? Send the creeps back to doss in the camps on their own border.

[Gromit]

No you are being Xenophobic.

[davebro]

The French are our enemy - they will never forgive us from liberating them from Hitler!

[anneasquith]

If the French are our enemy, why are so many queuing up for hours to enter the country . ?

[davebro]

To get to Switzerland / Italy / Spain maybe?

[bhg481]

Togo - French passport controls are in Dover so that there is no queue for passport control when you get off the ferry. Similarly UK passport controls are at Calais for the return journey.

[anneasquith]

Yes some of them Dave, but many brits holiday in France.

[Togo]

//French passport controls are in Dover so that there is no queue for passport control when you get off the ferry.//

Then move the border to france where it belongs and let them deal with any problems that ensue when they decide to cause them, and bring our controls back to Dover.

[FatticusInch]

Togo
//French passport controls are in Dover so that there is no queue for passport control when you get off the ferry.//

/Then move the border to france where it belongs and let them deal with any problems that ensue when they decide to cause them, and bring our controls back to Dover./

Yeah, dead right! I mean one would have thought that all the border thingies were sorted after our oven-ready Brexit deal, innit?
You wouldn’t expect any of those sorts of shenanigans with the Irish and those on the island of Ireland, would you? Lol.

[chelle7272]

Then they should have had more staff working in order to process all the passports. It's not as if they didn't know about the change.

[Togo]

We have no issues with Spain, Portugal, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden Norway, or any other Country when it comes to movement of shipping or ferry traffic. Just one! Anyone who is stupid enough to trust the french deserves to be inconvenienced. I don't so I am not.

[davebro]

Where's Henry V when you need him!

I thought the RF were supposed to stick up for us.

[FatticusInch]

Togo
//We have no issues with Spain, Portugal, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden Norway, or any other Country when it comes to movement of shipping or ferry traffic. Just one! Anyone who is stupid enough to trust the french deserves to be inconvenienced. I don't so I am not.//

Probably due to the fact that they’re the closest continental country to us and invariably the gateway to all other destinations beyond for vehicular traffic, barring Belgium and Holland who probably take a minuscule percentage in comparison to France.

[bhg481]

I think that the problem lies in the fact that most of our cross-channel traffic is Dover-Calais. There is a continuous stream of ferries crossing with a journey that takes less than an hour. Other routes have a fewer ferries crossing so less congestion at the ports.