Fisheries
Mail
French fishermen last night threatened to cut off crucial Christmas supplies to Britain.
In a major escalation of the post-Brexit row over fishing licences, they warned they could blockade both the port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel.
They accuse the UK of creating a complex and onerous application process and failing to grant them enough permits to make a living.
‘If negotiating fails, we will stop all French and European products reaching the UK, and we will stop all British products reaching Europe,’ said Olivier Lepretre, chief of the powerful northern France fisheries committee. ‘Unless Boris backs down, the Brits will not have so many nice things to eat this Christmas. I hope it doesn’t come to that.’
Families are already racing to buy food for Christmas, including frozen turkeys, party snacks, puddings and chocolate, amid fears of shortages.
Several stores and food industry leaders have warned of gaps and reduced choice for shoppers caused by disruption to global shipping and a shortage of lorry drivers and agricultural workers. The UK will produce around 20 per cent fewer turkeys this year, the British Poultry Council predicts, primarily because processors lack staff.
Parents will also be offered a smaller range of toys because of the crisis, high street chain The Entertainer warned yesterday.
Several of the other media cover this story including Times, Express, Sun, Mirror, Guardian, Evening Standard, Sky News
Article 16
Telegraph
Lord Frost on Tuesday night accused France of making “unreasonable” threats to shut Britain out of the EU energy market amid a mounting post-Brexit row over fishing rights.
Clement Beaune, the French Europe minister, warned that the EU would retaliate if more French fishing boats were not granted access to the UK’s coastal waters or the Government triggers Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Responding to the ultimatum, Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, accused Paris of behaving poorly and claimed it was another example of the EU resorting to needless threats.
France is furious that London rejected all but 12 out of 47 French applications for new licences for small EU boats to operate in the UK’s territorial waters.
Mr Beaune, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, suggested the retaliatory plans could be unveiled “in the coming days”.
See further details in the Express, Breitbart, Independent, Evening Standard.
EU
Reuters
European states will, within days, announce measures to apply pressure on London to abide by Brexit agreements sealed with the bloc when Britain left the European Union, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday.
He did not say what those measures would be, but noted in an interview with the radio station, that Britain depends on energy supplies its receives from the continent of Europe.
He said France felt exasperation at a decision by British dependency Jersey to refuse fishing permits for dozens of French vessels.
“Enough already, we have an agreement negotiated by France, by Michel Barnier, and it should be applied 100 percent. It isn’t being,” he said, referring to the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, who is French.
“In the next few days, and I talked to my European counterparts on this subject yesterday, we will take measures at the European level or nationally, to apply pressure on the United Kingdom.”
“We defend our interests. We do it nicely, and diplomatically, but when that doesn’t work, we take measures,” added Beaune.
“For example, we can imagine, since we’re talking about energy, … the United Kingdom depends on our energy supplies,” Beaune also said. “It thinks that it can live all alone, and bash Europe.”
Illegal migrants
Breitbart
Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed that the British government is working with the armed forces to develop “sea tactics” to “turn back the boats” to France in response to the growing migrant crisis in the English Channel.
Speaking at the Tory party conference in Manchester on Tuesday, Priti Patel said that there is no justification for alleged asylum seekers to travel to the UK from France, which she said is a “safe country, one not riven by war or conflict.”
“We make no apology for securing our borders and exploring all possible options to save lives by ending these horrific journeys.
“Boris and I have worked intensively with every institution with a responsibility to protect our borders … Border Force, the police, the National Crime Agency, maritime experts, and yes, the military to deliver operational solutions including new sea tactics, which we are working to implement, to turn back the boats.”
The speech was criticised by Migration Watch UK, with chairman Alp Mehmet saying in a statement provided to Breitbart London: “A very disappointing speech. It may have gone down well with the audience but contained little of substance or new. The flow of illegal Channel crossings, already over 17,000 this year, is not about to slow as a result of what the Home Secretary said.
“There was also nothing in the speech about the overall scale of immigration, which the points-based system was to have controlled and reduced. It won’t. Limits have been abandoned, earnings and qualifications thresholds have been lowered, exposing some seven million jobs to workers from around the world, new uncapped routes into jobs at all pay levels have been opened and employers don’t have to look locally before recruiting overseas. Some control.”
Vaccine
Mail
France ‘stole’ almost five million coronavirus vaccine doses which had been destined for Britain, it has been reported.
President Emmanuel Macron plotted with European Union chiefs to halt the export of jabs to Britain earlier this year.
A huge batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which had been expected to arrive in the UK was instead diverted from Holland at the last minute, The Sun reported.
The UK’s relations with France and Brussels hit a low in March when the domestic vaccine roll-out tore ahead of the EU’s.
Mr Macron incorrectly claimed that the AstraZeneca jab was ‘quasi-ineffective’, whilst European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen threatened to stop the Pfizer vaccine from being sent to the UK.
On March 22, Astra Zeneca’s boss Rudd Dobber stated that a batch equivalent to several million doses had been expected to arrive from its production site in Holland.
However, it never arrived and was instead diverted to the EU-wide scheme.
A government source told The Sun that the diversion of the doses was ‘outrageous’ and akin to an ‘act of war’ which could have ‘cost lives’.
The Sun and the Express also run the story.
WFH
Telegraph
Civil servants should get off their Peloton exercise bicycles and return to work in their offices, the Conservative Party chairman has said.
Oliver Dowden, who was moved to central office from the Department of Culture in last month’s reshuffle, said the Government ought to “lead by example” and urged civil servants to “get back to their desks”.
Mr Dowden disclosed that the party’s long-planned move to the north of England would be complete within six months – but he himself would work part of the week in London.
Mr Dowden’s remarks came after Sarah Healey, his former permanent secretary, told a conference last week that she enjoyed working from home as she could use the extra time to work out on an indoor exercise bike which typically costs over £1,500.
Ms Healey had said: “I have a Peloton and I can just get on my bike whenever I have a teeny bit of time. That has been a huge benefit to my well-being, the lack of travelling time eating into my day.”
This story is also in the Mail and the Times.
GPs
Mail
GPs could be freed from the burden of writing so many prescriptions to boost the number of face-to-face appointments.
Sajid Javid wants to slash paperwork so family doctors have more time to see patients in person.
The Health Secretary hopes that by cutting bureaucracy, fewer patients will have to make do with telephone or online consultations.
One idea being considered is to put more of the responsibility of writing prescriptions on hospitals and pharmacies. Another is to free GPs from writing sick notes for patients.
Mr Javid yesterday underlined his commitment to get to grips with the problem, telling delegates at the Conservative conference that patients ‘expect’ to be able to see their doctor ‘in the way that they choose’.
He promised next year would see ‘reform’ in the NHS by improving leadership at the highest level of hospital management.
‘Our undeniable commitment to the NHS is what should drive us to make it as effective as it can be,’ he said.
Virus
Telegraph
Scientists from Wuhan and the US were planning to create new coronaviruses that did not exist in nature by combining the genetic codes of other viruses, proposals show.
Documents of a grant application submitted to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), leaked last month, reveal that the international team of scientists planned to mix genetic data of closely related strains and grow completely new viruses.
A genetics expert working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), who uncovered the plan after studying the proposals in detail, said that if Sars-CoV-2 had been produced in this way, it would explain why a close match has never been found in nature.
So far the closest naturally occurring virus to Sars-CoV-2 is a strain called Banal-52, which was reported from Laos last month and shares 96.8 per cent of the genome. Yet scientists expect a direct ancestor to be around a 99.98 per cent match – and none has been found so far.
See also the Mail.
Police
Mail
Priti Patel today announced there will be an independent inquiry into the ‘systematic failures’ that allowed Wayne Couzens to serve as a Met police officer and murder Sarah Everard.
The Home Secretary said that ‘recent tragic events have exposed unimaginable failures in policing’.
She said that the public ‘have a right to know’ why Couzens was able to be employed by the Metropolitan Police.
Addressing the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Ms Patel said: ‘I can confirm today, there will be an inquiry, to give the independent oversight needed, to ensure something like this can never happen again.’
The inquiry will look at Couzens’ career in the Metropolitan Police and determine if red flags were missed to identify him as a threat.
The probe is likely to be viewed as a warning shot at Met chief Cressida Dick who has faced calls to quit following the murder of Ms Everard.
Ms Patel also used her speech in Manchester to announce tough new laws to stop protesters disrupting critical national infrastructure and plans to expand drug testing on arrest.
The Times also covers the story.
World War Three
Mail
China warned that World War Three could be triggered ‘at any time’ on Tuesday after it sent dozens of warplanes into Taiwan‘s airspace.
An article in the state-backed Global Times newspaper said that ‘collusion’ between the US and Taiwan was so ‘audacious’ that the situation ‘has almost lost any room for manoeuvre, teetering on the edge of a face-off.’
It claimed that the people of China were ready to back all-out war with the US, which backs Taiwan, warning the island nation against ‘playing with fire’.
Taiwan, a democracy which considers itself a sovereign state, urged China and president Xi Jinping to put a halt to ‘proactive actions’ after nearly 150 Chinese warplanes breached Taiwan’s airspace since Friday, including 56 jets on Monday in a dramatic increase in aggression.
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday vowed to ‘do whatever it takes’ to guard Taiwan against invasion as she indicated that without help from the country’s allies ‘authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy.’
Meanwhile, Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth was shown in pictures sailing in the Philippine Sea in a joint exercise with two US aircraft carriers – the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson – and Japan’s helicopter destroyer JS Ise.
The armada, which also includes a number of warships from six different countries in total, trained together over the weekend in the region amid the rising tensions.
The recent voyages through the Strait of Taiwan by the British and American navies, coupled with the new Aukus defence pact have infuriated Beijing and sparked more shows of strength in the South China Sea.
Breitbart also has the story.
Oh and Hungary can supply all the foie gras we need
Olivier Lepretre : should he not be in jail with threst of the pervy priests for kiddyfiddling
Children, children. Can’t you see that all this ego strutting (on both sides) is exactly why we are in the situation we are in? Asserting “I’m right, you are wrong” never ends well. Never.
If the French block Calais and the Channel Tunnel then maybe we should bring in European imports, and send out our exports to the continent through Dutch and Belgian ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp. France is not the only way into and out of Europe.
Phillip. It’s the Energy Supplies that most worry me.
If there is overt retaliation, shouldn’t we suspend payment of ransom instalments ———–/permanently.
Indeed Roger but don’t expect BoJo to show any testicular fortitude. Even if he were inclined to do so his globalist chums would say no.
I don’t know which news items or even TGS’s latest comment below to be most disturbed by this morning
When I must agree with him we are as mushrooms kept in the dark for far too long, the only problem I would now add is that the process is virtually completely weaponised, Parliament is captured, the law is captured, MSM is captured and common media is captured
Under our present system of government by nudge,edict and enabling legislation we are effectively RULED with no effective form of redress and any news we are dished or leaked out is FAKE, even that in this present charade of a conference..
The other options being war with France/EU or war with China, both implied in press reports above, I said disturbed, rather than frightened and I think that is because the situation I have outlined means that any reaction our “government” may take to external events will not have the sanction of the population and we can certainly have confidence that with the record of this lot’s incompetence, never mind their ulterior purposes; there is no way they will act to enforce our complete Sovereignty as the United Great British nation.
By Brexit, we meant the return of our COMPLETE SOVEREIGNTY from the EU, the Great to be put back in Great Britain and the restoration of our standing (and that of the Commonwealth) in World Affairs.
That the population of this nation is in effect slavery while wrong is less of a sin than that our masters are aggrandising a select few and selling off that sovereignty wholesale
NB I regard both as treasonous, Enslavement of the population (probably enhanced with deliberate genocide – deliberate spread of imported Covid) and just for one cited other reason; failure to resist the invasion of waterborne illegal immigrants many of whom are pillaging our social system
I do wish people would follow my example- I have not knowingly purchased any eu products or farm produce since we voted to leave. I will not be bullied any French trash.
Stop tourism to day then the eu would quickly realise we are stronger than them.
The trouble is Roger Turner, France/EU do rather have us by the short and curlies over energy supplies.
That’s no excuse of course. The present lot in power have caused it.
And no way will they admit that is the reason they dare not act to enforce our complete sovereignty.
No they don’t have us by the short and curlies we can still open up coal fired stations apparently
However if you say we haven’t got the guts to say boo to their goose and call their bluff……that’s another matter
If it’s not bluff it’s WAR
China. In China I understand that 65% GDP is the building industry. Evergrande has £225 billion of debts and 2 other Chinese property firms, Sinic Holdings and Fantasia Holding have missed debt payments as well. This is impacting global financial markets and jeopardising investors and ancillary markets. Evergrande owes money to 171 domestic banks and 121 other financial firms. This article gives an interesting insight into why building a portfolio of long lease flats is so important to the Chinese and why what seems to be a ponzi scheme is about to blow wide open. I take issue with one of the concluding statements that the author doesn’t think China is spoiling for a war. It has Australia and New Zealand on their knees – without firing a bullet – and it’s surely only a matter of time until it reclaims Taiwan. Hong Kong has already been trampled into submission.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2021/10/our-chinese-woes-get-ever-grander/
I. have just listened to Sajid Javid and read your take on the newspapers. I can reveal that ” he’s a prize numpty ” He’s been in the job what ?,, 2 months, . and those are his agenda. I ask you. Sick notes, Improving leadership,. In the words of Charlie Brown. “Good Grief !. Mary-Anne” Read them again . Do you think he’s been making speeches to Medics ?,. I can only assume he’s a stalking horse to be dumped later.
Just as a matter of interest why was Javed so avidly urging hip and knee replacements on the NHS rather than going private, was it because it only emphasises there are two health services or could it be he intends to hog all outlets both public and private to himself so he can demonstrate how he is getting the waiting list down, after all he has got a wad of cash from the tax payer, readily available to buy up all the spaces in the private market.
He can posture pose to his hearts content and even if some of us notice – so what! That’s only the plebs as usual, being revolting
Immigration
Patel and Boris have done a fine job of advertising our available routes into our benefits system..
Also Advertising how our children up to 18, are uneducated, and how we can train them for our high income profession, and guaranteed jobs. With training in population suppression.
I have been in this position many times in the form of a mushroom. Kept in the dark and fed manure. I have not heard a single word that will change anything. Unless Boris changes something. He’ll have to go.As will his cohorts of anti people in the Civil Service who are not living up to their purpose. Empire building is not a job.. Yesterday seven differently worded Departments were quoted as evidence that they were doing something. But nothing has happened. And as foe Javid . He’s balmy. He’s promising INNOVATION from the NHS. Innovation.? Every businessman has it in his bones. Innovation is incredibly expensive . It breaks companies. It destroys careers. Innovation needs money. The Industrial happened because the elite had money. Silicon valley was because American Banks flooded the place with investment throwaway cash. But in Britain we stopped throwing cash at real science. Now the cash is in the hands of bureaucrats and crooks, People whose instinct is to hoard wealth for its own self, not to use.
I think we get the immigration that we advertise for. With a booming and pointless Agency, Yuman resources , and Elf and Safety pointless industry. Benefits for international tramps.
So the speeches so far have left me with a chilled spine. So much to be done, so many lies. So much waste, and so little actually happening, And they actually have thr brass neck at the same time advertise for high skilled immigration. Education ought to have solved that. instead we bring in, train, and employ educated kids up to 18 train and employ because our kids are too few and woke.and unemployable.
thomas glendinning spokes at 10.35am. I quite agree about Javid. He apparently is under the illusion that G.P.s actually WRITE prescriptions !!
He has never heard of computers then ??
I also agree with most of the rest of what you say.
Fisheries:
We can do without imports from France and trade elsewhere; indeed we should boycott all French products. The French politicians are behaving like a load of spoilt brats. A dose of reality will do them a world of good.
EU:
Move along please; no surprises here.
Virus:
Well what another surprise (not). Time to waken up to the evil globalist’s plot and stop shouting “conspiracy theory”.
Are they seriously claiming that we can’t do Christmas without French and European goods? Well, our children receive far too many crap presents as it is, so maybe there will be a little less choice, but if we are more discerning about what we buy who’s even going to notice? These days we have our pick of wines, especially from the new world, which shows that the French do not always represent the best, and our cheeses can compete with theirs any day.
Many of us, especially since Brexit, have been supporting home production, personally I have very few European items on my shopping list – and unless the press continues its dishonourable attempts to cause panic-buying, we’ll be fine.
Besides, with the import/export balance heavily in France’s favour, do they really think French producers are going to willingly close that market, thereby shooting themselves in the financial foot?
The arrogant Macron should be treated with the contempt he deserves.
Naa that’s a way of shifting all Christmas stocks early, should give home producers time to get another batch manufactured and shifted by Christmas also.
However I do keep an eye on goods sourced from the EU, but I distrust Aldi who seem to source everything in Atherstone and I must say it’s easy to backslide in fact I’ve already gone down that road . I banned Cadburs some years ago, but somebody bought me a bar of Fruit and nut and unfortunately I’ve been moved to buy another myself which I devoured within a day.
………….I know I shall do it again soon, the road to hell is paved with good intentions