Originally Posted by
ORAC
From the press reports the French already know where they are launching from - they just and watch them. I’m not sure what value providing additional confirmation would provide.
The French police do not have powers to prevent people going to sea in dinghies, or leaving the country if they so wish. Just as UK police do not have powers to stop people going to sea in UK , and sailing out of UK water if they so wish.
It is thus actually legally difficult for the police to stop the dinghies going to sea.
They can intervene if they are in breach of the rules concerning safety at sea. But If they have equipment to "categorie 6" - which generally they do - then they are entitled to go out to 2nm.
Thus the police have to prove that they are illegally in the country (not easy). Or that they are intending to commit a crime (again not easy, because sailing into UK waters is not a crime).
These people do not want to be in France (or elsewhere in EU) because it is too difficult to live and work. Here in France it is very hard to work in the black economy and there are heavy sanctions for both worker and employer if they do. Also, there is no access to any healthcare without "carte vitale" which you only get if you are registered worker and paying tax and social charges. Also, impossible to get anywhere to live without ID card and registering with local community, and there are rules about how many can be registered at same address. Similar rules in most other EU countries.
By contrast, in UK you can easily work on the black market. Nobody has ID cards so you can easily pretend to be somebody else to work, and as long as you keep your head down, you are unlikely to be caught. Also no rules preventing people living in overcrowded squats because you don't have to register your address. And if you get ill, the NHS will not turn you away even if you have never paid a penny of tax. So hardly a surprise they all want to go to UK.
So UK should sort out the reasons that make it so attractive to illegal migrants before they blame France (and EU) for not stopping people who do not want to stay in France from leaving, and blaming French police for not exercising powers which they don't have...