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of the BBC taking a group of speed boats to France to ferry back stranded passengers according to Radio Kent, certainly picked a nice day for it.
Publicity seeking........
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
thats the dunkirk spirit,or should i say the calias spirit.
Guest 695- Registered: 30 Mar 2010
- Posts: 426
How is it publicity seeking? It's reported as being due to his friend's wife being stranded which gave him the inspiration. He's managed to secure the use of 5 vessels to carry stranded travellers and is asking for donations to Help for Heroes so if it's raising publicity for that cause what's the problem?
Help the heroes great cause
I've never understood why the campers at Calais never caught on to this.
£2000 will get you a nice 4.5m RIB with a 35HP engine through E-Bay. Buy it with three others for £500 a piece. A nice calm day and you'd be half way up the M20 with the boat left on Folkestone beach within a couple of hours!
Guest 695- Registered: 30 Mar 2010
- Posts: 426
Seems the authorities in France have put an end to the rescue mission. Good on the Dover firm that stepped in to supply the craft though.
It was just a devilish comment Tony; it's what I do. Stir the pot and all that.
FFS.It used to be repressive regimes which stopped people from LEAVING the country! From BBC News:- Dan Snow's rescue mission halted
TV presenter Dan Snow's mission to bring back home people stranded in France has been halted by officials.
The historian had filled three rigid inflatable boats with 25 people but was told by officials in Calais that he would not be able to return.
Snow and his team had been planning on ferrying people back to Dover throughout Sunday. Each round trip was expected to take two hours.
A spokesperson for the group said they did not know the reason why.
He added that the team have been told that once these boats leave, they will not be able to return.
"It is hugely disappointing, particularly for the hundreds of people who were making their way to Calais, as well as for Dan and his team."
" We have been shut down! No reason. Rescued 25 on way home shortly. No more boats we are very sorry. "
Dan Snow's message posted on Twitter
Dan Snow said the idea came about after his friend's wife became stranded as airspace across Europe was closed following the Icelandic volcanic ash alert.
He said it was also inspired by a recent project for the BBC marking the 70th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation.
Speaking before he set off, he said: "Why can't we go and get some people - a few things have changed nowadays; health and safety, passport control, but I think we've dealt with all of that."
The pair had borrowed boats from a Dover yachting firm and had appealed to people who urgently needed to get back to the UK to make contact with them via Twitter.
But a tweet on Sunday afternoon said: "We have been shut down! No reason. Rescued 25 on way home shortly. No more boats we are very sorry."
It came after a series of tweets had drummed up excitement ahead of the operation.
One, posted in France, said: "We are still loading the boats, plenty of room at the moment. Get to Calais!"
Snow and the team have now arrived back in Dover.
Dan obviously forgot that as citizens of a free Europe the British still have to show their passports, unlike other member states citizens who cross borders without let or hindrance. Successive British governments have enforced this penalty on the British, whilst at the same time, censoring what radio and television broadcasts we can receive from our fellow European states.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
Bloody french.. thats all i am going to say.. I vote Dan sues them for stopping freedom of movement within the EU!!
Why not if they were that flipping bothered did they not work with him and organise a passport fella both sides.. because then the french ferries wont make any money of course.. unless of course they plan on blocking the port as normal...
Jenn, reading Bobs posting it seems to be the Brits doing the blocking.