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Calais ... again


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So this sorry saga continues. It seems the French authorities have no guts to tackle this strike action and are happy to have massive disruption both sides of the channel. What an appalling state of affairs.

This should be taken head on - police, military, whatever it takes. 

I find it hard to believe there is no political will to resolve this.

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[quote user="DerekJ"]

I find it hard to believe there is no political will to resolve this.

[/quote]

Why the political will created it. It seems the strikers are attacking the victims Eurotunnel, they didn't want to loose the MyFerryLink, they were forced to shut down but the agreement of 5years wasn't it before selling on the ships, typical short sighted interfering ............

I hope it stops by Thursday next week 

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Derek J wrote : It seems the French authorities have no guts to tackle this strike action and are happy to have massive disruption both sides of the channel.

Norway. Denmark Germany Netherlands Belgium Ireland . All countries that provide reliable ferry

crossings to England that are free from employing union dominated idiots that just want to cause the most damage they can Given the current situation the French should be asking themselves why this should be and hanging their heads in shame but they wont be they are a nation of talkers who wont do anything ....Unless their German masters tell them to perhaps the UK should appeal to Angela

to tell Holland to get the strikers sorted out ...he listens to her about most things most of the time .
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Well France didn't go through the Thatcherite revolution that occurred in some other European Countries. Here the Unions still have a lot of power and are seen to be untouchable. Twas ever thus in France, which ever since the revolution has always guarded the right of the working people to protest in any manner they see appropriate. I shouldn't think the fact that a few holiday makers have been inconvenienced will change that fact in a hurry.
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[quote user="lindal1000"] I shouldn't think the fact that a few holiday makers have been inconvenienced will change that fact in a hurry.[/quote]

You should have a look at the disruption being caused. This isn't just "a few holiday makers" being inconvenienced it's causing disruption to trade and major communication links both sides of the channel.

It's one thing to withdraw your labour in an industrial dispute. It's quite another thing to stop other businesses and people going about their legitimate lives. They are trespassing, causing criminal damage, putting people's lives in danger etc, etc.

Does that sit well with you?

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They will get the message when people die .... If and when a Eurostar service ploughs into them at 200mph if they continue with tresspassing onto the track its got to happen ... Then of course it will be the drivers fault for not stopping on a sixpence when he saw them ..
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I never said I approved of it DerekJ, I was just trying to understand why in France there is a different attitude to people striking. Some level of physical disruption, including disrupting people going about their daily lives, seems to accepted as much more of the norm here in France and I don't see that changing anytime soon. One of the many cultural differences. I doubt most French people approve of it either but they don't get quite so hot under the collar as people from other countries.

Actually, I'm sure it will slowly change but not with military or heavy police action.
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I gather those on strike are now talking with the bosses.

Still long hold-ups, lorries are being allowed to exit operation stack this side but I think it is still a very slow business and long wait.

Listening to BBC news I understand there are some but not many ferry crossings at present.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-33359337

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Listening to the Jeremy Vine show today, some of the lorry drivers called in with their stories. All of them said that while the UK police were active and they were given water etc, on the French side, there was nothing, no facilities, the police did absolutely nothing and the drivers were not even offered any water.
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[quote user="Cendrillon"]Thibault, I heard that on the U.K. side toilets had been provided, water distributed and even some light meals.

We all have to feel really sorry for anyone caught up in this mess.[:(]

[/quote]

And all goes to show that on the North side of the channel is where the nice people live who will help others in difficulty. And on the South sde of the channel is where the NOT nice people live who will turn their backs on them .
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We set off driving to England this morning, currently in the Auvergne for tonight. We bought a mifi so that we could keep up to date with what's happening with the strike. We are booked to cross on Saturday and sitting for hours or longer wasn't an option; we would cancel our Eurotunnel booking and head off for a few nights until it was sorted. It's good to hear that action is suspended, but it could easily kick off again.

Many of our French neighbours and friends are appalled about the action taken, some say that the police ought to have waded in and sorted it - the most upset was our 94 year old neighbour, who thought it a very unFrench thing to do, depriving people of their holiday and French businesses of their income!
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[quote user="gardengirl "]We set off driving to England this morning, currently in the Auvergne for tonight. We bought a mifi so that we could keep up to date with what's happening with the strike. We are booked to cross on Saturday and sitting for hours or longer wasn't an option; we would cancel our Eurotunnel booking and head off for a few nights until it was sorted. It's good to hear that action is suspended, but it could easily kick off again.

Many of our French neighbours and friends are appalled about the action taken, some say that the police ought to have waded in and sorted it - the most upset was our 94 year old neighbour, who thought it a very unFrench thing to do, depriving people of their holiday and French businesses of their income![/quote]

Apparently suspended action until Tuesday so you should be ok once the backlog has cleared, good luck.

I will wade in on Friday next and spark an international  incident if they haven't buggered off by then, It won't be tyres burning!

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I thought that this would affect me but its been swings and roundabouts, Yesterday was the busiest day of the tourist season (commémorations of 1st day of battle of the Somme) so I was pretty piqued to get a cancellation on Sunday due to ill health, even worse the person phoned and didnt follow up by cancelling with booking.com so it couldnt be re-let, it wasnt so much the money but knowing how many people could not find accomodation as it was all booked out at least a year ago.

Anyway the ferry strike meant that people in Gardengirls situation quickly took up the spaces and it continues to happen, I havnt yet directly lost a booking from the strike but I have filled empty spaces, if they start their bêtises again I'll probably get some cancellations but hopefully they again will be filled, the good news being that as I put my prices up some while back the new bookings bring in more than the lost ones.

At the commemoration at 7.28 am which was chock full of British visitors  I was told that many had not been able to get over, they will be especially annoyed as the majority of them will have planned the visit one or two years ago.

There is definitely an air of uncertainty which must affect bookings which would otherwise be made now for the next couple of months, given France's reputation for strikes I would not risk it if I had a choice of another destination.

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[quote user="Chancer"]given France's reputation for strikes I would not risk it if I had a choice of another destination.[/quote]

That's the truth, I wouldn't let France run an egg a spoon race, business wise they are stupid as the Greeks.

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I read today that the cost of the destruction of fruit and vegetables as a result of actions by French strikers and the immigrant problem in Calais is in the region of 10 million pounds worth so far this year. Maybe we should deduct that amount from the next lump of money we have to pay the EU . Money drying up every time there is action to stop " Free Movement " that Brussels claims is so important to them may result in the French being leaned on to make sure "Free Movement " to drive where you want always takes place as a " Human Right " someting else that they claim to hold so dear ......but holding my breath they will act ...I am not !
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I'm not sure that the 'free movement' that you refer to has much to do with the Calais situation. If the migrants at Calais were allowed 'free movement' they wouldn't need to jump on the back of a Lorry as they could just walk on a boat legally. Free movement simply applies to the right of any EU citizen to live and work in any other EU country. It is why I can live in France without the need of a residence permit. It doesn't prevent the UK for enforcing border controls, something I am acutely aware of every time I fly back and have to queue up at passport control before I can enter.
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Woe there, free movement, well just about, for people from within the EU, NOT from every other country in the world.

It is currently some sort of invasion of the EU, as with all invasions, maybe should be repelled and the french should do something about these invaders on their territory. Why the french are namby pambying, I have no idea, they don't in Paris and other cities.

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I think it suits a lot of countries to blame this problem on the EU and/or individual countries within it. Ie: It's a British problem, French problem, Italian problem etc. I think it's an International problem that requires cooperation between all countries to try and solve it..and as we have discussed on here, there isn't a very obvious simple answer. However that's what people want and politicians soon become unpopular if they can't provide it, so much easier for them to say it's all someone else's problem.
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[quote user="lindal1000"]I'm not sure that the 'free movement' that you refer to has much to do with the Calais situation.[/quote]

Actually, the "free movement" referred to in the EU treaties was and is as much about goods (and services) as it is about people. The French authorities, by failing to prevent recurrent illegal blockages of the port of Calais and Eurotunnel by both migrants and strikers could be held to be in breach of their EU treaty obligations.

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[quote user="lindal1000"]I'm not sure that the 'free movement' that you refer to has much to do with the Calais situation. If the migrants at Calais were allowed 'free movement' they wouldn't need to jump on the back of a Lorry as they could just walk on a boat legally. Free movement simply applies to the right of any EU citizen to live and work in any other EU country. It is why I can live in France without the need of a residence permit. It doesn't prevent the UK for enforcing border controls, something I am acutely aware of every time I fly back and have to queue up at passport control before I can enter.[/quote]

I am, aware of what Brussels means by Free Movement Its a pity they dont extend the defination to preventing Unions permiting their members to stop people from physically excercising it when trying to go about their business or trying get home . .
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I have a sneaking suspicion that the French thinking goes along the lines of:

Nearly all of the people being inconvenienced/suffering losses do not have a vote in France.

The strikers DO have a vote in France.

We need votes ...

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