Calais Jungle to be closed down

This post has been cross-posted at Harry's Place

The announcement that the French President Francois Hollande is to close down the Calais Jungle immigrant camp and deport all those who are not granted asylum (or do not claim it) is welcome news to Calais locals, tourists and lorry drivers who have had to put up with dangerous and disturbing scenes on their way to the Channel ports and the Eurotunnel terminal.

Why have the French not done this before ? I have tried to find out both by asking French emigres and looking at news analysis. It appears they just did not want to have to process these people properly because its too much trouble, costs too much and the legal process takes too long. Did they also want to annoy and embarrass the Brits their allies and fellow EU partners. Well who knows but if they did it was a disgusting tactic that I find hard to comprehend.

I wonder how many peoples views on the EU were affected by the Jungle fiasco ? Personally mine were. What is the point in being part of a group one of whose main members behaves in such a manner ignoring the rule of law in this way ? How can you be in a close union with countries that behave with such bad faith ?

The other thing is how our media has reported this issue. They have reported in all seriousness the nonsensical pronouncements of French politicians on how the UK government needs to do something about this totally French problem. That might have some sense if the French had documented the Jungle occupants as they were required to do and processed their asylum claims - then perhaps there could be some kind of agreement to take eg children with family in the UK. But they have up until now just left the people living in squalor and done nothing.

We never seem to get such sensible questions asked though, it is always about how our government needs to do something, not the ludicrous behaviour of the French. No wonder people are losing faith in the establishment and the MSM, and this is probably another one of the reasons they voted for Brexit.