Election Year or Fear!

[Trickytreesreds]

So…going from AF’s source - neither the BBC nor the Guardian - the boat crossing figures would appear to be as follows:
2018 - 299
2019 - 1,843
2020 - 8,466
2021 - 28, 526
2022 - 45,774
2023 - 29,437
2024 - 20,644

I’m not entirely sure how reliable ‘Migration Watch’ figures are but they do raise at least two questions.
1) What do such figures say about the impact of Brexit’s ‘take back control of our borders’ policy?
2) Given that the majority of the crossings that these desperate people make take place in the theoretically calmer conditions of May to August and therefore have probably peaked for this year…how is Starmer to blame?

P.S. Robert Bates may not be quite as objective as he might like us to believe. Maybe worth checking out him and his Tufton Street connections. The grand sounding ‘Centre for Migration Control’ is just another right wing think tank.

RA, its not Brexit.
Its Europe, slowly but surely tightening, their borders where these "chancers" are concerned. Denmark/ Sweden/Holland/ Germany are all saying no and cutting out the money they have been getting.
That's not to their liking, so they are heading west, to the sofest touch. Currently us.
Because we are so soft, we are accepting double or treble the amount qualifying in Europe. Why? Because they toss their papers away and we have to take their word for it, on where they come from.
The minute we stop putting folks in social housing and paying out freebies, as well as sorting out the black economy. Then it will fall drastically. 80% Single men under 35. In the year to the end of June 2024, he largest number of UK asylum seekers came from Afghanistan - 9,342. Other big countries for applications were Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh. In 2022, Albanians were the top nationality with more than 17,300 people (including dependants) claiming asylum. Three quarters arrived on small boats. Its wrong.

[Geoff Parkstone]

If they toss their papers away, how do you know where they are from?

[Trickytreesreds]

If they toss their papers away, how do you know where they are from?

You don't. You have work on the pretext of what they say.
Harder for some, a Viernamese isn't going to get away with saying they are Syrian.
But a Pakistani, may be able to pull off claiming to be Afghan.

Either way, its virtually impossible to eject someone without ID and why they toss it away.

That's why no one coming by boat or lorry should even be considered. They may not like it, but back to France you go.

[MadAmster]

Didn't a single hovercraft hold something like 800 passenger? Fill one up, back to France and drop them on the beaches.

[ramAnag]

RA, its not Brexit.
Its Europe, slowly but surely tightening, their borders where these "chancers" are concerned. Denmark/ Sweden/Holland/ Germany are all saying no and cutting out the money they have been getting.
That's not to their liking, so they are heading west, to the sofest touch. Currently us.
Because we are so soft, we are accepting double or treble the amount qualifying in Europe. Why? Because they toss their papers away and we have to take their word for it, on where they come from.
The minute we stop putting folks in social housing and paying out freebies, as well as sorting out the black economy. Then it will fall drastically. 80% Single men under 35. In the year to the end of June 2024, he largest number of UK asylum seekers came from Afghanistan - 9,342. Other big countries for applications were Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh. In 2022, Albanians were the top nationality with more than 17,300 people (including dependants) claiming asylum. Three quarters arrived on small boats. Its wrong.

My point was that it’s yet another example of a complete Brexit failure. Made it harder and more expensive for ordinary U.K. folk to get around Europe. Made it more complicated to trade with Europe. Compromised security arrangements between ourselves and Europe but look at the figures for arrivals by boat…just look at what has happened here since 2019.

Also, according to the EUAA, Germany, Spain and Italy are the most common European destinations for asylum seekers while worldwide, according to Statista…Iran, Turkey, Germany (again), Pakistan and Uganda make up the top 5 with the UK coming in at 20th.

The migrant crisis is a major issue, I agree, but if it is to be solved it will be via joined up thought and policies, compassion and international cooperation, not bigoted nationalistic nonsense.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Didn't a single hovercraft hold something like 800 passenger? Fill one up, back to France and drop them on the beaches.

Which the French have mined!

[MadAmster]

Which the French have mined!

If true, that isn't deterring the boats so why would it deter a hovercraft?

[Geoff Parkstone]

It wouldn't but it would solve the problem. Except we'd need a new hovercraft

[Trickytreesreds]

My point was that it’s yet another example of a complete Brexit failure. Made it harder and more expensive for ordinary U.K. folk to get around Europe. Made it more complicated to trade with Europe. Compromised security arrangements between ourselves and Europe but look at the figures for arrivals by boat…just look at what has happened here since 2019.

Also, according to the EUAA, Germany, Spain and Italy are the most common European destinations for asylum seekers while worldwide, according to Statista…Iran, Turkey, Germany (again), Pakistan and Uganda make up the top 5 with the UK coming in at 20th.

The migrant crisis is a major issue, I agree, but if it is to be solved it will be via joined up thought and policies, compassion and international cooperation, not bigoted nationalistic nonsense.

You was doing ever so well for a while.

It is NOT Brexit failure, ITS AN EU FAILURE. The EU borders have been as tight as a sieve for years. Only now are they realising they have messed up. Schengan made it worse, with travel being ever so easy and the terrorists loved it.

The demographics alone of who is coming and paying for the criminals to do so, should bother any nation.
Under 35 single men. This isn't a compassion situation at all. Its economic migration , hiding behind asylum.

I'm glad you finally accept it is now a major issue. You didn't want to for a long time. It is now the number 1 concern in the UK.
Every life lost to one of these illegals, is blood on the hands of politicians failing to do their jobs.
Why is it bigoted to want secure borders? It is horse **** like that, that has allowed this problem to explode.
You want international cooperation, better start with your EU mates.
Your country list is misleading. Iran/ Turkey/Pakistan/Uganda are the neighbouring countries of the trouble zones. Germany is only on that list, because of Merkels madness. Something the Germans now acknowledge and has see a massive swing to the right in its politics because of it.
Austria have now joined Germany in deporting back to Afghanistan, defying all the moaning from the ECHR.

If paying £6 for entry into Europe is all you can moan about, then god help you. I'd sooner know who is in and out and the country better protected. You're a well travelled man, I'm sure you have been to countries that take their border checks very seriously.

[Andy_Faber]

I made no attempt to call out Thickys figures, I merely asked for a source. If your so confident my explanation is factually incorrect, then please provide your verification for this claim, because otherwise, as your so fond of telling me in your usual pompous manner, its just your opinion and counts for diddly squat.

Regarding scrapping of the Returns Agreement. The outcome in terms of numbers was that U.K. was raking in more refugees than it was returning, thus increasing net immigration (albeit by minuscule numbers in any event) so why would they continue?