The ongoing stupidity of Home Secretary Priti Patel

[Dogsauce]

“Clandestine Channel Threat Commander”.

That’s the role Priti Patel has just created, appointing a former Royal Marine to pave the way for navy warships to block migrants / turn back boats. This isn’t a sign of defiance, it’s utterly shameful. Priti Patel steps up plans for warships to block migrant crossings despite growing backlash

‘Threat’ FFS. What exactly are we supposed to feel threatened by?

It’s all just a circus to distract us from the utter failure of the government to keep us safe from an actual real threat, and that they’ve been caught with their hand in the till.

 

[Pickman's model]

‘Threat’ FFS. What exactly are we supposed to feel threatened by?

It’s all just a circus to distract us from the utter failure of the government to keep us safe from an actual real threat, and that they’ve been caught with their hand in the till.

I feel threatened by the government

 

[Pickman's model]

I hear Dan O'Mahoney plans to widen the channel by five miles to make the crossing unviable for small boats and Priti Patel has established a working group to explore the feasibility of this

 

[Spandex]

As far as I can see home secretaries have always been authoritarian loons before, after, and indeed during their time in office. Looking at a list that includes the likes of John Reid, Michael Howard, Winston Churchill, William Whitelaw as well as Priti Patel it's hard to avoid thinking there may be an alternative to your explanation, namely that authoritarian home secretaries get authoritarian civil servants, that authoritarian civil servants attract more of the same, and the same poisonous conditions reinforce each other in a department which in any case is unlikely to attract the socially liberal or left-wing

Yeah that's fair. My initial post started with: one of the reasons for this is the culture of the Home Office. It's not the only reason - I just wanted to highlight that Ministers can get steered towards actions or a worldview by their Civil Servants. I don't think for a minute that Pritti Patel or other Home Secretaries were all helpless dupes unwittingly forced into their views by their CSs. For example, this ill-fated plan to fill the Channel with the Navy to reduce migration has Minister's bright idea written all over it.

 

[Dogsauce]

I dunno, I’m not sure a current government minister would have come up with the idea of using the navy, surely they’d appoint a local pizza shop to do the job, or Cumming’s wife’s friend who runs an Etsy shop based out of the British Virgin Isles for tax purposes?

 

[gosub]

Busiest shipping lane

The Guinness World Records Official site with ultimate record-breaking facts & achievements. Do you want to set a world record? Are you Officially Amazing?

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

.

A bit like people running across a motorway full of HGV's

 

[maomao]

Busiest shipping lane

The Guinness World Records Official site with ultimate record-breaking facts & achievements. Do you want to set a world record? Are you Officially Amazing?

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

.

A bit like people running across a motorway full of HGV's

And Patel's plan is a bit like turning up on the M25 with a fleet of tanks to stop them trying.

 

[teqniq]

“Clandestine Channel Threat Commander”.

That’s the role Priti Patel has just created, appointing a former Royal Marine to pave the way for navy warships to block migrants / turn back boats. This isn’t a sign of defiance, it’s utterly shameful. Priti Patel steps up plans for warships to block migrant crossings despite growing backlash

Someone who is a bit of an arsehole obvs.

 

[gosub]

And Patel's plan is a bit like turning up on the M25 with a fleet of tanks to stop them trying.

Fair point. Not entirely sure where the Home Secretary fits in RN chain of Command ....Presume she is expecting some sort of initiative to be used....which will have legal and potential Court Marshall ramifications.....but there are channels and procedures...chances are though is going to create bigger headaches for the civil side down the road

 

[MickiQ]

These people don't want to stay in France, the French don't want them to stay in France. It doesn't matter what deals are struck between London and Paris, Le Plod aren't going to overly exert themselves doing something about it.
These people are also desperate, Our ruling political elite is invariably drawn from people who don't know what desperate means and don't realise that when you have nothing you can afford to gamble it all on one role of the dice.
If the Navy starts intercepting these boats and trying to force them to turn back then sooner or later (my money is on sooner) they will start jumping overboard or holing their own boat to force the Navy to rescue them.
No matter what Priti thinks never mind what people on Twitter or Facebook or who read th Daily Fail think, the Navy will rescue them because if they don't it will be the ship's captain not Priti stood in front of a tribunal explaining his actions.
Once rescued they can't be returned to France since we have left the EU and the Dublin Agreement doesn't apply anymore so they will get taken to the UK exactly what Priti is trying to avoid, she clearly isn't all that bright.

 

[Streathamite]

Streathamite : you seem to be saying that the institutionally prejudiced work of the Home Office goes together with the Home Office's staff being themselves 'right wing headbangers', to use Spandex 's words.

Yes, absolutely that. If your environment, remit and priority is 100% Laura Norder, the rightwingers will rise to the top, and the Minsiters will follow their lead.

 

[Streathamite]

As far as I can see home secretaries have always been authoritarian loons before, after, and indeed during their time in office. Looking at a list that includes the likes of John Reid, Michael Howard, Winston Churchill, William Whitelaw as well as Priti Patel it's hard to avoid thinking there may be an alternative to your explanation, namely that authoritarian home secretaries get authoritarian civil servants, that authoritarian civil servants attract more of the same, and the same poisonous conditions reinforce each other in a department which in any case is unlikely to attract the socially liberal or left-wing

nailed it. Absolutely spot-on - mutual cause and effect.
Incredibly, some people thought Jack Straw was quite liberal before he became home sec

 

[Streathamite]

“Clandestine Channel Threat Commander”.

That’s the role Priti Patel has just created, appointing a former Royal Marine to pave the way for navy warships to block migrants / turn back boats. This isn’t a sign of defiance, it’s utterly shameful. Priti Patel steps up plans for warships to block migrant crossings despite growing backlash

That is absolutely horrifying

 

[DownwardDog]

These people don't want to stay in France, the French don't want them to stay in France. It doesn't matter what deals are struck between London and Paris, Le Plod aren't going to overly exert themselves doing something about it.
These people are also desperate, Our ruling political elite is invariably drawn from people who don't know what desperate means and don't realise that when you have nothing you can afford to gamble it all on one role of the dice.
If the Navy starts intercepting these boats and trying to force them to turn back then sooner or later (my money is on sooner) they will start jumping overboard or holing their own boat to force the Navy to rescue them.
No matter what Priti thinks never mind what people on Twitter or Facebook or who read th Daily Fail think, the Navy will rescue them because if they don't it will be the ship's captain not Priti stood in front of a tribunal explaining his actions.
Once rescued they can't be returned to France since we have left the EU and the Dublin Agreement doesn't apply anymore so they will get taken to the UK exactly what Priti is trying to avoid, she clearly isn't all that bright.

We had all this here in 2014-5. Plenty of people said it was impossible for the Royal Australian Navy to return boats to Indonesia but they did...

 

[two sheds]

nailed it. Absolutely spot-on - mutual cause and effect.
Incredibly, some people thought Jack Straw was quite liberal before he became home sec

lulling us into a false sense of security

 

[Streathamite]

lulling us into a false sense of security

Pretty much, yes

 

[Smangus]

Major issue is that there is no international water in the channel. You are either in British or French waters. The Navy can't operate in French waters without thier permission so won't be able to turn boats back before they reach UK waters.

Once in your territorial waters international law says you have to assist refugees so this idiocy will cost money and solve nothing. One thing we will not be doing is picking up refugees in British waters and dropping them back on the French coast.

 

[MickiQ]

We had all this here in 2014-5. Plenty of people said it was impossible for the Royal Australian Navy to return boats to Indonesia but they did...

Things are fundamentally different, There are hundreds of miles of ocean between Indonesia and Australia which makes crossing it a damn sight more challenging than the Channel, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is very different to that between the UK and France making it much easier for Australia to persuade Indonesia to co-operate. Australia had a number of other options as well it has third world neighbours it can palm its responsibilities off on, the UK doesn't.
The nature of the operation is different, there have been reports of the RAN intercepting smuggling ships at sea and just paying them to take the migrants back again, I suspect anyone aboard who complained about this was chucked overboard once the RAN was out of sight.

 

[teqniq]

Zelo St. has this latest idiocy down as a reaction to Farage's tweeting on the subject. Perhaps it is.

The Sick Exploitation Of Migrant Hatred

Has someone at the Home Office been re-watching You Only Live Twice ? The language coming out of that department on the subject of migrants ...

zelo-street.blogspot.com

 

[Badgers]

 

[Streathamite]

That's really rather excellent.
didn't expect to see Gilbert & Sullivan paraphrased on U75 though

 

[likesfish]

The navy are probably going to deploy a couple of p2000 fast patrol boats that are even smaller than the 3 border force cutters
Or one of these bad boys River-class patrol vessel - Wikipedia
Truly an awesome warcraft

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Apparently she's had some sort of twitter spat with Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Reckon they should bring a new flavour out. Call it Salted Caramel Sour Smirk: Bitter lemon ice cream with really, really salty caramel swirled with big chunks of ultra sour sweets.

Any other flavour ideas?

Priti Patel: Home Secretary takes on Ben and Jerry's over migrant boats

A Home Office source brands the ice cream "overpriced junk food" after comments on Channel crossings.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Smangus]

Yellow snow flava

 

[tony.c]

Blueberry coconut ripple.

 

[Teaboy]

What a tawdry little affair this is and really not becoming of a high office of state. Then again she is a very tawdry person totally unfit to hold any office of state.

 

[Chilli.s]

Those stupid press statements, anyone can see it's impossible to stop this altogether. Proves herself a dummy once again.

 

[teqniq]

Yellow snow flava

'Watch out where the huskies go...'

 

[Pickman's model]

Those stupid press statements, anyone can see it's impossible to stop this altogether. Proves herself a dummy once again.

she should be reminded of the auld adage that it is better to be silent and be thought a fool than pipe up and prove yourself one again and again.

 

[kebabking]

I look forward to her getting the bill for a day's use of an A400M, a Shadow R1, and a Poseidon MR1 - it's an amusing spectacle, when ministers from other govt departments discover that the MOD bills them for using military assets to cover for their catastrophic failures of policy - err... I mean to help them manage unforeseable events...