Preparedness for when

elona

Can I suggest that anyone who has prepped and has let anyone know about it even accidentally, says they have used the lot as - they needed to move- or were short of money or space etc.

GreyQueen

elona wrote: »

Can I suggest that anyone who has prepped and has let anyone know about it even accidentally, says they have used the lot as - they needed to move- or were short of money or space etc.

Seems like a good idea to me. Not that I mention prepping IRL...........

An acquaintance of mine struggled to get back into Britain via car through the Chunnel late last week, bringing their return journey plans forward by two days and just managed to get across before things got really bad. Shortened their hard-earned holiday, but they couldn't risk not being back in time to go back to work.

It's interesting and not a little frightening to think how porous this island's borders now are, and that both the authorities here and in France seem incapable of controlling matters. Of course, there are very serious and mortally-dangerous ways of controlling matters, if you are prepared to have governments authorise police and military to stop people at all costs, even if that means shoot to kill.

I hope things never come to that. But even if there are very concerted non-violent security efforts to control the entry of illegal migrants into the tunnel directly, or via hanging onto/ climbing into vehicles, this would cause a dramatic slowing of transit, with attendant costs. Are TPTB willing to go that route? And talk of sending the Army - how would that work, can one sovreign nation send its army onto another sovreign nation's territory, to prevent citizens of other sovreign nations from crossing borders which they have no right to cross? Your right to claim asylum is to claim it in the first safe country you reach, I believe, not to traverse a continent of safe countries first, to reach a preferred goal.

It's an interesting problem. I worry about people coming into the country who may have drug-resistant TB, and who may be living under the radar, with no healthcare, in squalid conditions, and spreading this deadly disease.

moneyistooshorttomention

miss_corerupted wrote: »

Didn't think of that! Duh. I live on a farm and I would really like to be able to spend more time at home with my son.

Part time would be an option with no mortgage

Do bear in mind that part-time would mean that your pension would only be based on part-time pay (not full-time pay).

Do bear in mind that redundancy pay would be based on part-time pay and not full-time pay.

One of my friends (ex public sector) is ruing the day she cut her hours from full-time to part-time. Its because her redundancy payout was subsequently based on that lower income than she had actually had for most of her time working for them. I did tell her she would be made redundant at some point and the writing was so clearly on the wall this would happen and advised her to stay full-time - but it was taking forever (ie whilst the Make Life Hell policy of the civil service with unwanted staff was being dragged out over a long period).

The Civil Service can make the whole redundancy process take some years in total - by the time they've first spent an awful long time (probably years) following the Make Life Hell policy and driven out a lot of staff that way. They then go off into ratcheting it up by actually telling staff they are as unwanted as they've known very well they are for literally years and have them asking for Redeployment into a very limited number of jobs that lots of other staff are also asking for and are quite probably unsuitable anyway.....and so it goes on.

I doubt anyone who has only ever worked in the private sector would quite believe just how long-drawn out the whole process can be from when they first decide staff aren't needed any longer. But it honestly can take years in total. It's not possible for staff to bring the whole charade to an end either. If a staff member turns round to them and says "Look - you know I'm obviously redundant and I know I'm obviously redundant. So why don't you get on and just make me redundant/compulsory Early Retired?" they will just blink owlishly at you and pretty much change the subject fast.

moneyistooshorttomention

Re the Channel Tunnel and migrants - the reason why I believe the Tunnel needs to be closed immediately (and permanently) is as the most non-violent way available to stop these mini-invasions.

We have watched it go from a few migrants trying to sneak surreptitiously into vehicles, to lots of migrants trying to do so quite openly, to these mini-invasions and it has all "ratcheted up" in intensity and frequency over a pretty short period of time. I believe the size and frequency of these mini-invasions will increase over a pretty short time period if the Tunnel is left open.

The army is very much a last resort and would be at "our" end of the Tunnel obviously - or in the Tunnel itself - and hopefully not on French territory. We have to face facts and realise that, if it comes to that, it would not be the intention to have them actually use their weapons. We would expect them to be a deterrent but we also have to realise there would, in all probability, be a few incidents of people actually getting shot before the message got through to "Stop Trying". Might as well be honest - there would definitely be a few incidents of people getting shot - and I cant see how that would be avoided - as there would be a few migrants who wouldn't believe it and would "test" it to see.

I hate saying this - I may have an ex-military father - but I'm a peace marcher personally...hence why I say "Shut the darn Tunnel" instead.

Hence - Tunnel closure and that will be a peaceful solution.

mardatha

I have this really strong urge to knit. Nowt to do with the channel tunnel lol but possibly an inner voice warning me about a bad winter. I'm going to start on the socks early this year
Learning to sew and knit would be good prep to have if you don't already.

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

can one sovereign nation send its army onto another sovereign nation's territory, to prevent citizens of other sovereign nations from crossing borders which they have no right to cross?

Yes they can, but only at the request/with the permission of said nation's government.

I think, ultimately, the only way the French government can be pressured into taking proper action, is for people and organisations to completely stop using Dover and the Eurotunnel.

[Deleted User]

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

We have to face facts and realise that, if it comes to that, it would not be the intention to have them actually use their weapons.

A weapon you aren't willing to use, is no weapon at all.

It's like threatening a naughty child with a sanction, then not carrying it through.

The child very quickly realises it's an idle threat, and goes straight back to defying you, probably even more determinedly.

[Deleted User]

mardatha wrote: »

I'm going to start on the socks early this year

A case of "stocking up".

Frugalsod

mardatha wrote: »

I have this really strong urge to knit. Nowt to do with the channel tunnel lol but possibly an inner voice warning me about a bad winter. I'm going to start on the socks early this year
Learning to sew and knit would be good prep to have if you don't already.

I think if you are willing to learn a knitting machine could be a good investment if you do your research. You could produce plenty of scarfs or blankets to start with and migrate to more complex jumpers. Whether you do this to supplement income or only to get decent jumpers is another matter.

Though simply getting a pair of knitting needles and wool can also be therapeutic in its own way.

moneyistooshorttomention

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Yes they can, but only at the request/with the permission of said nation's government.

I think, ultimately, the only way the French government can be pressured into taking proper action, is for people and organisations to completely stop using Dover and the Eurotunnel.

I agree with you Bob.

I was thinking further on that I think we all need to boycott the Tunnel now. If we aren't using it - then it presumably wont generate enough revenue to keep going.

Its actually only enlightened self-interest not to use it now - with the way things stand currently - as I know I would certainly be very wary I was going to get hold-ups because of all the various shenanigans in that vicinity (be it strikes or migrants). I would also regard the odds of migrants leaving my vehicle alone and not trying to get into it as not that good and getting worse. If they did try and board any vehicle I was in - then the odds go up to virtual certainty level I'd swing for them physically with whatever I had to hand that would double up as a weapon. I know myself - and, if the only thing I had to hand to clobber them with to try and keep them off my vehicle, was a handbag swung at them or a knee somewhere rather "personal" - then that's what I would do.

Correction = I know myself well enough to know I would have deliberately taken something with me in my vehicle anyway precisely in order to clock them one with if they came too close. Strong full-length umbrella/walking pole/whatever - some ordinary possession I wasn't planning on having with me - but I would have a valid excuse for having it on me.