The France-Great Britain summit held in Paris, which the press of these countries called “historic” in advance, ended… with the scandalous closure of the most popular football show in Britain
It is enough even to skim through the covers of the main English publications to make sure that the meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak is shaded by the noise around the suspension of the famous BBC TV presenter Gary Lineker, a former England football player, and the disruption of the Match of the Day program in this connection.
Both events are closely related. The fact is that Lineker was suspended from work because he dared to criticize the British government on his personal social networks for the way it announced the very deal that Sunak concluded with Macron in Paris. After hearing Home Secretary Swella Braverman solemnly announce the deportation of all illegal migrants reaching Britain across the English Channel, the football broadcaster exclaimed on Twitter: “My God, this is more than terrible.” And then he said the phrase that caused such a resonance: “This is just a disproportionately tough policy against the most vulnerable people, which is presented in the language of Germany in the 30s.”
That is, to put it simply, Lineker harshly criticized the migration policy of the British government (we emphasize, not on the air, but on his social networks). And for this he was removed from the air by the leadership of the state television company BBC, allegedly for having “violated the rules of impartiality.” This caused a riot among Lineker’s colleagues, who also refused to broadcast in his absence, as a result of which, for the first time in many years of existence, the show was not released last Saturday. Many felt that it was not about “impartiality” at all, but about criticizing the government (which seems to be still permissible). Also a well-known football player in the past, and now a commentator, Gary Neville, bluntly said that his colleague was suspended for “opposing the Tories and the system.”
Meanwhile, in Paris, Sunak and Macron announced the very “historic deal” to intensify the fight against illegal migrants on flimsy boats moving across the English Channel. In recent years, this has become the scourge of Britain. And now the prime minister with the head of his Ministry of Internal Affairs solemnly declared: “Enough.”
According to the deal with Macron, they plan to build a large camp in France to hold illegal migrants (how can one not recall Lineker’s analogies with Nazi Germany). In addition, the French pledged to increase the number of police patrols along the English Channel. For these purposes, London has promised to allocate a significant amount – almost 500 million pounds – over the next three years. This is the “historical” agreement.
The Sunak government is, of course, trying to sell this deal with loud fanfare to drown out the criticism. In its attempts, it does not even notice how it crosses the line of common sense. Thus, the Prime Minister of Britain on his official Twitter posted a poster with an absolutely insane appeal to potential migrants: “If you arrive illegally in the UK, you will be denied access to the UK’s modern slavery system.” Judging by the fact that this appeal was not removed even after a wave of criticism and indignation from compatriots, the Prime Minister of Britain, being of sound mind and memory, presents the “modern system of slavery” as an achievement of his country!
True, the fanfare and scandals did not eventually drown out the reasonable criticism of the deal with Macron. Some newspapers recalled that Britain has already paid France almost £300 million to ensure that the police carry out their direct duties and stop illegal migration. The result was a sharp increase in the number of illegal immigrants moving across the English Channel. Last year, this figure reached a record 45,000 people. Based on trends from earlier this year, immigration authorities are warning that up to 80,000 illegal visitors could arrive in Britain!
Not surprisingly, the issue of Ukraine receded into the background at the meeting between Sunak and Macron. As you can see, they are not coping with their internal problems – where are they even before solving global global problems! This meeting was illustrated by The Independent newspaper. Recalling the classic cartoon of the 19th century, in which French Emperor Napoleon and British Prime Minister William Pitt shared the globe, the newspaper depicted Macron with Sunak in the same way. True, instead of a piece of beef that depicted the world, in front of them on the table there are only gravy boats, symbolizing small boats in the English Channel. “Where’s the beef?” asks the newspaper.
And that’s it, the time of the once great powers called France and Britain has ended. The past bilateral “historic” summit is a clear confirmation of this. Only the fate of the football show can now be decided.
Vladimir Kornilov, RIA
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