Just what are they doing there, then?

[New Judge]

The Mayor of Calais, Natasha Bouchart suggests that the UK is to blame for her town playing host to hoards of foreigners sleeping rough. She says they use the town as a staging post in their attempts to cross the Channel, and blames the UK's generous benefits culture which, she says, is attracting them.

Predictably, the Rt. Hon. Phil Woolas, MP, the Immigration Minister has a different view. He says that those sleeping rough in Calais are "...not queuing to get to Britain, but have been kept out by one of the most rigorous border control systems in the world".

Is this but another example of a government minister refusing to accept the blindingly obvious? Or is Mr Woolas correct? And if he is, just what are upwards of two thousand souls living in the most squalid conditions in and around Calais doing there?

[DSnewsKE]

...what about points for trying...

[anotheoldgit]

It is a French problem and we should just ignore them.

Can you imagine if the roles were reversed and these Islands were French and we had France. France would treat these islands like a castle, they would draw up the draw bridge, and '**** a snoot' at everyone.

We have this ideal advantage, so why can't we do the same?