Alteredbhoy

I am pleased that many British Rabbis have openly stated their support for our Government's actions against settler violence.

Ah. So the Israeli security services were lying when they said there were no risks of this happening. Or you are a drama queen suggesting there are big concerns over things for which there are no risks. Or most likely, you were just making it up.

At the 9/11 Memorial today, Trump gave a speech and made it all about himself. He told how he was rescued from the rubble on the day by firemen. Except he wasn't there. On the day after the towers had fallen he was interviewed live on TV claiming to have seen the towers fall from the window of his office in Trump Tower (another lie). The lie to claim he was there and a victim is sickening.

Lovely, both Lesley and Woodhall. I've never stayed there, living so close, but I have eaten there. If I was staying, I would take my dog. Because my Pet would love it, lol.

The Israeli security services say there is no risk that terrorism threats will not be shared. Is there anything else you want to make up?

Quite. The RNLI rescue people in peril and at risk of death in the sea. For the knuckle draggers to suggest that the bravery of the RNLI volunteers equates to delivering a taxi service is extremely insulting.

Still at least 50 miles as the crow flies from Dover, and ruby is like Dodo, flightless.

That makes no sense. The Junction of the North Sea and the English Channel is at the Strait of Dover. https://distanceasthecrowflies.com/ puts the distance between Dagenham and Dover as 58 miles. But the distance a crow flies is irrelevant, because whilst you appear to have intellect of a crow, I doubt you have the aerial ability. You do not live 20 miles from the English Channel as you claimed. It was at a best a mistake (and a stupid one) or a lie. The fact when I point it out that you claim I am wrong suggests a lie is the more probable reason.

Haha, only a few days ago you were wanting to compare the Reform Conference with 4,000 attendees to the Carnival. But now you are claiming that you cannot compare a Premier League football match with 60,000 attendees because the Carnival is so much bigger. Are you too blinkered to see the inconsistency in your argument?

Southampton Port Authority were very clear in their announcement. They did not allow the disembarkation of the RNLI lifeboats because they had no reception facilities and the migrants on the lifeboats were not in any danger. They did not say that there had not been any previous emergency, as you seek to imply. Just that the immediate danger had been relieved by the RNLI. Once more ruby seeks to twist the facts to accommodate his dishonest version of events.

Oh ruby, you are a totally dishonest bullshitter. The English Channel is the area of water between the English and French coasts. It stretches from the Celtic Sea at Lands End and Brittany to the North Sea at the Strait of Dover. You have indicated that you live in Essex, on the North coast of the Thames River, probably somewhere near Dagenham or Brentwood. The nearest point of the English Channel to you is probably Dover, some seventy miles away. Is it any wonder that nobody believes a word you post?

But they not "unchecked". The numbers making the crossings this summer are down by 50% as a result of the actions of the authorities. The Oxford Migration Observatory states that irregular migration into Europe is down by 40% this year and that will lead to further reductions in Channel crossings next year. The criminal gangs are having to launch their boats from further East and West, because the actions of the authorities have made it far more difficult for them across the shorter routes. Reform (and their supporters on this Forum) are desperate to exaggerate the numbers of crossings and to disregard the successes of the authorities in checking the number of crossings. They have to portray the issue as worsening, even though it is improving, to keep fanning the flames of righteous outrage amongst their fanbase.

Once again you claim to know more about a specialist subject than the professionals. Determining whether 150 people in a relatively flimsy rubber boat in the Channel are at peril is a matter for the Coastguard. I place more faith in the ability of Coastguard Officers at sea to make that decision, than in the ability of a retired car mechanic who lives 100 miles from the events and spends all day watching Talk TV news and scouring Instagram and YouTube for AI and Russian sponsored conspiracy theories to support his views.

It is interesting to note the apparent Memorandum of Understanding signed between Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella of National Rally, unveiled at Reform's Conference. It is interesting on several points. Firstly, it seems to be an acceptance by Reform that their previous (and only recently announced) policy of using the Royal Navy and Marines to return migrants to France against the wishes of the migrants and the French authorities was unworkable. It suggests that this policy was nothing but political theatre aimed most likely at gullible Restore voters. There have been several posters on the Ontario Topic Forum who have supported the military suggestion, without being able to explain how it would work in practice. Secondly, this appears to me to be simply a magnification and adaptation of the current arrangement that Starmer negotiated with France whereby migrants can be returned. It removes the need for the UK to take asylum seekers in return and ramps up the numbers being returned. But to stop the crossings, it needs the deterrent of return to prevent the crossings. Reform argued that Starmer's policy would not work, though it does appear to have had an effect. Now they seem to be arguing in favour of it. And thirdly, it is all hypothetical. It depends upon National Rally winning next year's French Presidential election and Reform then winning the 2029 General Election in the UK. And if Bardella fails to win, then Reform's winning becomes otiose. I don't understand why Bardella has agreed to such a strange deal. Agreeing to take potentially tens of thousands of asylum seekers from the UK does not seem like an obvious vote winner for an extreme Anti-Migrant party like Nation Rally. Marine Le Pen has already cast doubt on the policy. It seems like yet another piece of performative theatre dressed up as policy.

You seem to have missed the point Jessica that the RNLI are called upon by HM Coastguard. The Coastguard determines whether RNLI attendance is required and the RNLI simply responds to the Coastguards instruction/request. The Coastguard determines that people are in peril and the RNLI goes and relieves that peril. I cannot see any reasonable grounds for criticising the Coastguard for their factual determination of whether people are in peril, or the actions of the RNLI to address that peril. The blame lies with the criminal gangs exploiting the situation. People criticising the RNLI, or terminating their donations, are not doing anything to reduce peril at sea. Their actions are at best performative. They are not the obvious actions of those concerned with saving lives. I suspect that those who threaten to remove donations, most likely do not make donations in the first place.