In todays news...

[Horse]

A guy from the port was on telly this morning saying they had installed the extra booths but the French hadn't sent enough staff over to fill them. France blamed a technical fault in the tunnel and the UK called bullshit
Don't know what the problem is but it doesn't look like a lack of booths.

So it's the fault of the French. Don't they realise that they need us more than we need them?

They seem to have taken back control.

[Hoonercat]

All the passport booths were in operation today, but still the same traffic chaos. So much for blaming the French.
Just watched an interview on C4 with Chief Executive of Dover port, who stated that pre-Covid passenger levels were 15,000, compared to 8,500 yesterday. Doesn't bode well for the next few weekends.

[Mussels]

Passports were always checked so I wonder if French customs are being deliberately attentive, the Spanish often did that at Gibraltar to make a point.
If you accuse then of it they just say they are doing their job properly.

[DefTrap]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to. Plus the added fun of the continuing covid hurdle. Hardly unforeseeable.

You'd think they would just plug numbers in to their modelling software, watch it freak out and plan accordingly. But no.

[slowsider]

I queued at Munich airport to get out recently. Neither EU nor Other passport lines were moving particularly quickly. I was early for the flight, as I had been outbound from Dublin, where I expected delays but hadn't had any.

[Horse]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to.

Liz Truss says it's nothing to do with Brexit.

Tory leadership candidate and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the disruption at the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone has been caused by a lack of resources put in place by French authorities at the border.

Speaking during a campaign visit to Kent today, she said: "I'm very clear that we need to see action from them to resolve the terrible situation that people are facing."

She adds that she has been "in touch with the French authorities".

When pressed on whether the situation has been caused by Brexit she insisted a lack of resources was to blame.

[Noggin]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to.

Liz Truss says it's nothing to do with Brexit.

Tory leadership candidate and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the disruption at the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone has been caused by a lack of resources put in place by French authorities at the border.

Speaking during a campaign visit to Kent today, she said: "I'm very clear that we need to see action from them to resolve the terrible situation that people are facing."

She adds that she has been "in touch with the French authorities".

When pressed on whether the situation has been caused by Brexit she insisted a lack of resources was to blame.

Well, there's a surprise!! Wouldn't be anything even remotely connected to the uk government now would it!!

[mangocrazy]

Liz Truss - Woman of Density

[Mr. Dazzle]

I queued at Munich airport to get out recently.

I've been to Munich a few times recently. I've always queued for ages to get in (EU citizens queue moves dead quick) and then for a while longer when leaving too.

Heathrow has been slicker than a greased pig for me every time recently.

[Hoonercat]

A couple of Frenchies turn up late for work and the south east of england grinds to a halt. So much for taking back control.
Kent highways manager today said he expects the chaos to continue until Tuesday, then a repeat next weekend, and possibly repeat through the rest of summer.

[DefTrap]

A couple of Frenchies turn up late for work and the south east of england grinds to a halt. So much for taking back control.
Kent highways manager today said he expects the chaos to continue until Tuesday, then a repeat next weekend, and possibly repeat through the rest of summer.

All jollity aside, this silly avoidable nonsense is just symptomatic of this careless, and firefighting government. It's almost as if they do this on purpose so that the 'real news' is pushed down the running order. Each drama's chaos only impacts a select few (presumably primarily middle class Francophiles with kids, in this instance) so that the noise is high but the overall impact relatively low. And yet also easy to blame on furriners, again. Double whammy.

[irie]

This goes some of the way to explaining the queues at Dover.

https://www.cityam.com/govt-rejects-33m ... re-likely/

To the contrary, this goes some way to explaining the queues at Dover ...

... the extra boots were built and the requested digital systems installed. Unfortunately, on Friday only 4 French border officials arrived to man the booths thus leaving 6, more than half of the booths, unmanned.

[irie]

A couple of Frenchies turn up late for work and the south east of england grinds to a halt. So much for taking back control.
Kent highways manager today said he expects the chaos to continue until Tuesday, then a repeat next weekend, and possibly repeat through the rest of summer.

All jollity aside, this silly avoidable nonsense is just symptomatic of this careless, and firefighting, [Emmanuel Macron] government. It's almost as if they do this on purpose so that the 'real news' is pushed down the running order. Each drama's chaos only impacts a select few (presumably primarily middle class Francophiles with kids, in this instance) so that the noise is high but the overall impact relatively low. And yet also easy to blame on furriners, again. Double whammy.

ftfy

[irie]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to. Plus the added fun of the continuing covid hurdle. Hardly unforeseeable.

You'd think they would just plug numbers in to their modelling software, watch it freak out and plan accordingly. But no.

The numbers were plugged in and the number of booths increased from 7 to 10. But as said before, only 4 French officials arrived to man them.

If you know anything about queuing theory you'll know what the inevitable outcome of the reduction of service points from 10 to 4 would be. If you don’t know about queuing theory please say so and I'll provide references to help you.

(In another life I worked for Beecham Pharmaceuticals in Operations Research dealing with these sorts of problems).

Cheers.

[slowsider]

I queued at Munich airport to get out recently.

I've been to Munich a few times recently. I've always queued for ages to get in (EU citizens queue moves dead quick) and then for a while longer when leaving too.

Heathrow has been slicker than a greased pig for me every time recently.

I came out via Memmingen last time, and it was slicker, apart from the late inbound a/c.

[DefTrap]

ftfy

It really isn't though and even if it was, just how predictable was it? (Very). And how little thought has been given by the UK government to avoid it? (Zero).

So, almost as if they though, feck it, it'll make awesome front pages for that irie to cut out and keep.

[DefTrap]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to. Plus the added fun of the continuing covid hurdle. Hardly unforeseeable.

You'd think they would just plug numbers in to their modelling software, watch it freak out and plan accordingly. But no.

The numbers were plugged in and the number of booths increased from 7 to 10. But as said before, only 4 French officials arrived to man them.

If you know anything about queuing theory you'll know what the inevitable outcome of the reduction of service points from 10 to 4 would be. If you don’t know about queuing theory please say so and I'll provide references to help you.

(In another life I worked for Beecham Pharmaceuticals in Operations Research dealing with these sorts of problems).

Cheers.

Thanks, exactly what I said then

[Horse]

To the contrary, this goes some way to explaining the queues at Dover ...

... the extra boots were built and the requested digital systems installed. Unfortunately, on Friday only 4 French border officials arrived to man the booths thus leaving 6, more than half of the booths, unmanned.

While completely ignoring such questions as:
- why didn't they turn up?
- why that day?
- if, as said in this thread, there are still massive queues when they have turned up, what else is going on?
- if it is some form of protest, about what?

Those are the things that might explain the causes rather than the symptoms

Perhaps someone who knows about this could post?

[MingtheMerciless]

[irie]

It's a proper border now and not the easy and slack inter EU border that we've become used to. Plus the added fun of the continuing covid hurdle. Hardly unforeseeable.

You'd think they would just plug numbers in to their modelling software, watch it freak out and plan accordingly. But no.

The numbers were plugged in and the number of booths increased from 7 to 10. But as said before, only 4 French officials arrived to man them.

If you know anything about queuing theory you'll know what the inevitable outcome of the reduction of service points from 10 to 4 would be. If you don’t know about queuing theory please say so and I'll provide references to help you.

(In another life I worked for Beecham Pharmaceuticals in Operations Research dealing with these sorts of problems).

Cheers.

Thanks, exactly what I said then

Reported that today (Saturday) 10 French officials did turn up to man the booths as had also been requested for Friday. So no, exactly not as you said.