Brexit: Best play yet comes from outside Britain!
Speaking to the Financial Times, French economy minister Emmanuel Macron has thrown a spanner into the British debate to leave or stay in the EU. Macron warns that, of course, France has no obligation to protect the British border by creating a barrier on French territory- in that sense border controls into Britain should be done on British territory, meaning Dover instead of Calais.
That would mean that the much criticized Jungle of Calais could be relocating across the channel. I wonder how the pro-Brexit crowd is going to play this one down? Any minute now I expect Nigel Farage to come out and say he’s going to Make France build a wall, and he’s going to make France pay for it too.
My Mazamet 
“French officials have pointed out that ending the cross-border agreement would be no magic solution for France, and might instead act as a magnet to more refugees eager to get to the UK.”
– The Grauniad
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And they can *all* set up camp in Dover 😀
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Sure, but why would France want to tear up the Le Touquet bilateral agreement (which is not EU legislation) when it may encourage a great many more refugees to travel across the country to its North Western ports – what would it gain?
As you can tell from your last post, Pink, I’m in contrarian mode today – just humour me, eh?
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I don’t think it would actually happen, but as campaigns go, it’s a brilliant move. It pulls the rug from under Brexit supporters by creating a whole new potential problem they’re going to have to offer solutions to.
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And just to touch on the increased influx of migrants… that’s going to happen no matter what we do.
Between the falling price of oil, climate conditions in Africa and deteriorating political situations in the middle east- they’re coming. Some have already been desperate enough to get to Scandinavia via Russia.
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Very true; it’s just a case of passing the buck, but this particular buck has a very long tail, so it never really ‘stops’ anywhere.
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That takes me back to the first post… the situation can only be effectively addressed with a collaborative effort and consensus.
The Brexit crowd are pretending that handling everything alone is an easy, inexpensive option.
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“the situation can only be effectively addressed with a collaborative effort and consensus.” – by the EU effectively forcing the camps to exist outside its borders and in Turkey and Macedonia instead? Or do you mean something else, Pink?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35707665
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Not that at all. I mean EU wide programs with universal policies (so there aren’t more advantages in one country or another.)
We have to move beyond the traditional asylum system to one which addresses the current crisis. A centralized EU information system to identify the migrants and serve as a potential work placement agency which could be consulted by employers.
Various parts of the EU are dying. There’s a demand for workers in a number of professions. Here where I live there’s a shortage of doctors and nurses.
Why not confront this as an opportunity to re-populate the workforce and revive small communities?
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That makes complete sense, though it sounds like something that can only come about once the EU is fully federalised and not subject to a plethora of unilateral opt-outs amongst its member states. There’s certainly very little taste for that kind of uniformity amongst the electorate here in England, so I wonder whether it’ll ever come about? Could the EU survive should Britain leave due to such legislation’s pending imposition, or if Brexit is voted for in June?
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My guess is that it wouldn’t survive in its current form. I think there’s a popular desire to get back to something like the EEC of the treaty of Rome.
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Just discovered your blog. It’s wonderful! Depending upon the outcome of our elections in November, perhaps we’ll see you in Mazamet. 😉
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Thanks. This is where I send my internal dialogue so it stops annoying me 😀
Small town life in Mazamet is lovely – but please promise me mainstream America won’t take that man seriously.
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I do not accept that David Cameron will split my Europeanness into two halves. That’s basically my opinion about the upcoming referendum about the UK’s place in the European Union. Being bi-national, it curiously feels that if I’m being rejected. It’s an irrational feeling, but it’s there. It leads to an irrational response in me.
My hubby Mark and I have talked about this. The thing is that Mark would like to, when he’s done with uni and all, work in a place like CERN. He’s leaning more and more toward theoretical physics, and he’s more and more come around to working in one of the big science institutions. CERN is mentioned frequently as an example. But that requires the UK to stay in the European Union.
The UK government cares little about science. So much science funding for universities and corporations comes from the European Union. If we were to leave, then I think the UK would lose a lot of that funding, and Mark’s future would be heavily impacted.
So, we’re both being challenged. It’s come to the point where I’ve ordered a Swedish passport. If the UK votes to leave, then I’ll use my Swedish passport to keep a tether to the European Union. If needed, I’ll use my right to travel to the continent, set up shop there, and bring Mark along so that he can pursue his dream.
I can work anywhere.
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