However difficult sitting, typing, in a warm office in Milton Keynes becomes, I always have the thought that it could be worse. I could be driving a lorry through Calais. 

I have some sympathy with the people who are trying to escape from what must be a horrific existence in Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.  If I lived there I’d probably want to get out too.  But if that really was the reason I was leaving I wouldn’t care much where I ended up – just somewhere safe would be good. 

It seems to me that the motives of the people in ‘The Jungle’ in Calais have changed.  They are not looking for safety anymore; as far as I know their lives are not in danger in France. They have their own reasons for wanting to come to the UK and are determined to have their way at any cost. That cost includes breaking into vehicles, holding drivers at knife-point, jumping trains, trespassing, criminal damage and, most recently, storming a cross-Channel ferry.

David Cameron, the UK Prime Minister, said that the situation is “totally unacceptable”.  Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Her Majesty’s opposition, wants to “reach out to fellow human beings”.  Meanwhile the French police have arrested 24 people who broke into the ferry, presumably then to send them on their way with nothing more than a hard stare. Richard Burnett, Chief Executive of the RHA (Road Haulage Association) on the other hand, is calling for the French army to be brought in before one of the drivers gets killed.

Other cultures might be different, but Brits don’t respond well to threats. Brits are welcoming of others, they are a nation of immigrants, but they don’t like being pushed around.  To be accepted by Britons it’s not a great idea for immigrants to demonstrate their criminal intent before they’ve even set foot on the soil. If anyone else committed the crimes that these ‘so called’ asylum seekers have they would be in front of the magistrates very quickly and wouldn’t be seeing daylight for some time. That’s the way we like things here: nice and orderly.

I don’t know the answer. Perhaps Mr Burnett is right or maybe Mr Corbyn is right that these people just need to be understood. Whatever the solution, this situation cannot be allowed to continue and those people who, whist on the hustings told us they knew the answers to all the difficult questions, better get their skates on before it’s too late.