If in doubt, blame the French – that seems to be the Tory mantra over Channel tailbacks
When in doubt, blame the those on the Continent. That was certainly the political tactic adopted by Nigel Farage and the Europhobic wing of the Conservative party when the UK was actually still in the EU, and public disquiet about all manner of social and economic issues was growing, particularly after the opening up of the British labour market to Eastern European workers, and the financial crash and subsequent era of crisis and austerity.
Genuinely startling things were happening, and few Eurosceptics admitted the complexities and were all too willing to ignore the taxes EU workers paid and emphasise the state of (underfunded) public services and (underinvested) housing.
In any case, in the 2016 referendum, it worked as a political weapon. Yet now that the UK is out of the EU, has taken back control of its borders, and ended free movement, blaming our European neighbours, and particularly the French, for our problems is still the first instinct of politicians who should know better. Over the fishing disputes of the past, the continuing refugee crisis in the English Channel, and now the travel chaos in Dover and Folkestone, the first recourse of a desperate politician is indeed to blame the French.
