Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

[Rorschach]

They didn't turn up for work today.

Had to have a passport check before Brexit to go through the tunnel, have to have one now. No change there.

I read there was a signal problem coming across from France which meant only half were there that morning, but the rest showed up later. Sounds like bad luck for that.

However the checks at the border are not the same as before and take longer. How could they be? And that coupled with the missing staff all contributed to the problem. This might not have been as bad if the tory government had not rejected a £33m proposal to double the capacity for French government passport checks at Dover over a year back. That's on them.

 

[scaramanga]

I read there was a signal problem coming across from France which meant only half were there that morning, but the rest showed up later. Sounds like bad luck for that.

However the checks at the border are not the same as before and take longer. How could they be? And that coupled with the missing staff all contributed to the problem. This might not have been as bad if the tory government had not rejected a £33m proposal to double the capacity for French government passport checks at Dover over a year back. That's on them.

Checks are exactly as they were.

I've been through the tunnel a number of times before and after Brexit and there's no change. They look at your passport to see you're a British citizen and then they wave you through. Sometimes they stamp the passport if they feel like it.

When everyone's doing their jobs it's no different to before. I read this morning that when the French submitted their planned staffing numbers a couple of days ago, they were told it wasn't even half enough for the holiday rush. Then the French did what the French do and decided not to bother working, which compounded the situation.

 

[Rorschach]

Checks are exactly as they were.

I've been through the tunnel a number of times before and after Brexit and there's no change. They look at your passport to see you're a British citizen and then they wave you through. Sometimes they stamp the passport if they feel like it.

When everyone's doing their jobs it's no different to before. I read this morning that when the French submitted their planned staffing numbers a couple of days ago, they were told it wasn't even half enough for the holiday rush. Then the French did what the French do and decided not to bother working, which compounded the situation.

They are not. There are new checks to see if you are overstaying your 90 limit in the Schengen zone and get your passport stamped. It is not optional.

 

[scaramanga]

They are not. There are new checks to see if you are overstaying your 90 limit in the Schengen zone and get your passport stamped. It is not optional.

My checks were precisely the same as before - passport in a scanner, look at my face and done. I've been through twice but only have one stamp so it's clearly at the discretion of the guard.

I've also been to Italy three times since Brexit and only have two stamps there too.

I've never been in a queue for the tunnel before or since Brexit. My parents, on the other hand, have had a couple of queues that lasted hours before Brexit - so this is nothing new.

 

[Gutter Boy]

If that has always been the case it makes you wonder what has changed to mean that getting across the Channel has become so difficult over the last couple of years.

Hmmm…what on earth could it be?

Shirking from home? The same reason the passport office and GP services are falling over

 

[Rorschach]

My checks were precisely the same as before - passport in a scanner, look at my face and done. I've been through twice but only have one stamp so it's clearly at the discretion of the guard.

I've also been to Italy three times since Brexit and only have two stamps there too.

I've never been in a queue for the tunnel before or since Brexit. My parents, on the other hand, have had a couple of queues that lasted hours before Brexit - so this is nothing new.

LOL. So nothing has changed but it has changed, and there are always queues so these queues are fine. Schrödinger's Brexit.

Without those stamps on your passport, which are mandatory, you can be deported (to Rwanda) for overstaying or refused entry next time. I doubt if the border guards care if you were willing to risk it.

 

[Lost Mango]

Shirking from home? The same reason the passport office and GP services are falling over

Except the passport situation has nothing to do with people working from home.

9+ million (because people didn't renew during Covid) rather than 7 million applications being processed by the same size workforce and poor planning.

According to the Commons Home Affairs Committee.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Some of Pie’s videos on freedom of speech and the gender pay gap are great, but this one is excellent too.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

My checks were precisely the same as before - passport in a scanner, look at my face and done. I've been through twice but only have one stamp so it's clearly at the discretion of the guard.

I've also been to Italy three times since Brexit and only have two stamps there too.

I've never been in a queue for the tunnel before or since Brexit. My parents, on the other hand, have had a couple of queues that lasted hours before Brexit - so this is nothing new.

As long as we are subjected to the same checks and no more then non EU countries I don't have a problem. Have my suspicions as far as the French are concerned.

 

[SpurMeUp]

La fukers! How are we letting them sabotage us freedom-loving Brits!? We must exact revenge and make those frogs queue like the English!

Of course entering the EU takes more time than moving freely within it. That is a surprise? I think we can safely say another Brexit Myth has now been fully busted. Along with phone companies won’t charge roaming fees, British businesses won’t move into the single market, Brexit won’t impact the UK economy…we can safely add ‘there won’t be queues at ports’ to the garbage pile.

Still we get to bottle sparkling wine in plastic bottles if we so desire. Thanks Jacob!

 

[scaramanga]

LOL. So nothing has changed but it has changed, and there are always queues so these queues are fine. Schrödinger's Brexit.

Without those stamps on your passport, which are mandatory, you can be deported (to Rwanda) for overstaying or refused entry next time. I doubt if the border guards care if you were willing to risk it.

Nothing of note has changed and certainly nothing to produce these queues.

If the French understaffed the border checks before Brexit, there were queues. Same as now.

I know you're desperate to blame anything you can on Brexit, but this can't be.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Nothing of note has changed and certainly nothing to produce these queues.

If the French understaffed the border checks before Brexit, there were queues. Same as now.

I know you're desperate to blame anything you can on Brexit, but this can't be.

What has changed is you were often waved through when in the EU. Checks could be minimal. Pre 9/11 often there were no checks at all. If busy more recently they’d just let people through. Now every passport needs recording. That adds 30 seconds to a minute per person. When busy with cars of 4 people going on hols the system breaks.

Even the government are not as deluded as you on this as they planned for these eventualities turning parts of our motorways into lorry parks.

 

[scaramanga]

What has changed is you were often waved through when in the EU. Checks could be minimal. Pre September 11th often there were no checks at all. If busy more recently they’d just let people through. Now every passport needs recording. That adds 30 seconds to a minute per person. When busy with cars of 4 people going on hols the system breaks.

Even the government are not as deluded as you on this as they planned for these eventualities turning parts of our motorways into lorry parks.

I've been through that tunnel dozens of times, both on foot and in a car. I have never seen anyone waved through by the French without passport scans.

Often, in a car with UK plates, the British would wave you through the other way if you all waved passports as you drive past. Never in the other direction though.

 

[SpurMeUp]

I've been through that tunnel dozens of times, both on foot and in a car. I have never seen anyone waved through by the French without passport scans.

Often, in a car with UK plates, the British would wave you through the other way if you all waved passports as you drive past. Never in the other direction though.

Even flying I've walked through customs with no checks at all. Not anymore of course as we're 'Outside EU' lane, which tightens things up. Often it was a guard opening and closing the passport. A cursory glance while you hardly broke stride. But if you have to record an entrant into a zone, that adds time as you have to scan and stamp the passport. Let's not even discuss the lorries and goods, they must take up huge amounts of capacity...

Still at least you can concede the phone roaming one? That seems 1O1% cut and dry.

 

[Rorschach]

Nothing of note has changed and certainly nothing to produce these queues.

If the French understaffed the border checks before Brexit, there were queues. Same as now.

I know you're desperate to blame anything you can on Brexit, but this can't be.

I guess my operating thetan level is not high enough yet to see the sunlit uplands.

 

[scaramanga]

Even flying I've walked through customs with no checks at all. Not anymore of course as we're Outside EU which tightens things up. Often it was a guard opening and closing the passport. A cursory glance while hardly breaking stride. But if you have to record an entrant into a zone, that adds time as you have to scan and stamp the passport. Let's not even discuss the lorries and goods, they must take up huge amounts of capacity...

Still at least you can concede the phone roaming one? That seems 1O1% cut and dry.

They always scanned the passports as that's how they check if you're on any one of a number of lists they want to look for.

A stamp takes about two seconds. Multiply that up and on a busy day, that's one or two extra guard on duty. Not really a difficult issue to solve, and one we've found ourselves perfectly capable of dealing with in the other direction.

Edit:

When flying you did go through passport control, it was just at the other end. Mostly automated, but still passport control.

And I still don't pay roaming charges. Not a penny (not that it actually matters, roaming charges are cheap, I'm sure) and no plans to start according to our provider.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

" Scara wrote, "A stamp takes about two seconds. Multiply that up and on a busy day, that's one or two extra guard on duty. Not really a difficult issue to solve, and one we've found ourselves perfectly capable of dealing with in the other direction."

Yep a simple thing, but it did not occur to the dumb Tories.

 

[Mikey10]

They always scanned the passports as that's how they check if you're on any one of a number of lists they want to look for.

A stamp takes about two seconds. Multiply that up and on a busy day, that's one or two extra guard on duty. Not really a difficult issue to solve, and one we've found ourselves perfectly capable of dealing with in the other direction.

Edit:

When flying you did go through passport control, it was just at the other end. Mostly automated, but still passport control.

And I still don't pay roaming charges. Not a penny (not that it actually matters, roaming charges are cheap, I'm sure) and no plans to start according to our provider.

So taking back control quickly falls apart if the French don’t provide a couple of extra guards? Interesting definition of having control.

The real issue is, of course, that the infrastructure on both sides of the channel was constructed to deal with free movement between the two countries. That’s no longer possible. Therefore that infrastructure needs to change significantly.

According to the weekend papers the government were told a few years ago that they needed to spend £33 million on it urgently post-Brexit. They probably needed to hold that money back for dodgy PPE contracts for the landlord of Hanrooster’s local though.

 

[SpurMeUp]

They always scanned the passports as that's how they check if you're on any one of a number of lists they want to look for.

A stamp takes about two seconds. Multiply that up and on a busy day, that's one or two extra guard on duty. Not really a difficult issue to solve, and one we've found ourselves perfectly capable of dealing with in the other direction.

Edit:

When flying you did go through passport control, it was just at the other end. Mostly automated, but still passport control.

And I still don't pay roaming charges. Not a penny (not that it actually matters, roaming charges are cheap, I'm sure) and no plans to start according to our provider.

Checks are greater now, it is not even up for debate. Whether goods or people the light touch open flow ended with free movement.

Maybe check your phone contract. I also don't pay for roaming, but the phone contract is seriously out of date and expensive. I think we pay about £20/ month, and there are things like this https://www.plus.net/mobile/sim-only-30-day available! Unrelated tip. I’m changing our biz phone contracts atm. The point was you were intransigent: phone companies would not charge roaming post-Brexit. You were sure. Yet here we are, with most phone companies charging for EU use now. If this was the "red tape" we got rid of, while adding heaps of border bureaucracy, we really were sold a kipper. The no-hassle days of popping to France, Spain, Italy etc aren't over but we have made things more cumbersome. A step backward especially regarding movement of goods.

 

[Baleforce]

We’re fudged, whoever wins,

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551662878037622784