Lewis Goodall Profile picture
Nov 23, 2021 48 tweets 14 min read Read on X
Bleak hour or so not far from Calais. Scores and scores of people having to walk up and down the roadside after their camp was broken up by police. They say officers confiscated their sleeping bags and equipment. It’s cold, miserable- saw a couple of kids crying in the street. ImageImageImage
Now they’ll have to go and buy new sleeping bags, new equipment (if they can afford it). And they’ll simply have to settle somewhere else until they try and make their crossing and/or are moved on again.
Spoke to a group from Afghanistan- said they’d fled the country after the fall of the government. Took them several months (and thousands of pounds to smugglers) to reach northern France. Many others from Kurdistan and Iraq. Lots of families here.
I asked them why don’t apply for asylum in France. A few reasons given- either: a) no French but do speak English b) historic ties to the UK c) family in UK d) a belief that France would not treat them humanely, a belief they think vindicated by their experiences here.
And now, as night follows day, the camp reforms elsewhere. Aid providers arrive with clothes, food, new sleeping bags and power to charge phones. At some point, the police will do the same here and the process will start again. ImageImageImageImage
One man we just spoke to has tried to cross the Channel four times already, without success. He says he’ll be trying again tonight.

One man from Kurdistan said he fled the government after they tried to kill him and had paid $10,000 to a trafficker to get him to the UK.
Many have returned from where they were removed earlier. Nowhere else to go, will wait for police to go and set up camp again. It’s an endless cycle. ImageImage
Three people are sleeping in this tiny tent tonight- camp is full of equivalents. No toilet or washing facilitates available save the woods. This isn’t some distant frontier, it’s our own. Image
Spoke to a 20 year old Iranian. Says his father has been arrested in Iran, his Mother is dead, aside from that he’s alone. He says he had to leave Iran otherwise he’d have ended up in prison too- wants to come to UK rather than France as the last family he has are in England.
More of this later in the week on Newsnight.
English Channel. Several boats have left France this morning. I cannot emphasise enough just how dark it is, how cold. In a tiny, rickety, overcrowded boat, hard to imagine how frightening it must be. Image
Reminder of one of many reasons it’s so dangerous- at night, in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, ships can’t see them. Those ships only have to get close and will generate such a wave there’s a good chance the small boat will capsize.
Right now visibility is a mile at most
We understand that 25 boats tried to make the crossing today so far (total number likely to be higher). Also told a short time ago French coast guard issued a mayday for 15 people who have been tipped into the water. One aid agency told us risk is the Channel becomes a graveyard.
Tragically it seems the Channel graveyard is already here. AFP reporting at least five believed to have died in the Channel.
The news keeps getting worse- we’re seeing a human tragedy unfold on our own frontier. French Police now saying more than 20 have died in the Channel.

Everyone we spoke to yesterday said they knew the risks but felt there was no alternative.
Scary thing is I’ve just been told people were still trying to cross as of an hour ago. Terrible weather expected in coming days- lots of people know this is their last chance for a while. So many boats in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world- and it’s dark again.
Just been on PM and about to be on 5live to discuss this tragedy. Tune in for the latest.
Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart has said the death toll now stood is 27. Another local Mayor has said 24.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex calls the shipwreck "a tragedy." Says: "My thoughts are with the many missing and injured, victims of criminal smugglers who exploit their distress and misery." Says he's following the situation.
But big questions for both the French and British governments tonight. For the French in how these people are being treated in France. For Britain in the lack of safe routes for at least some of these people to claim asylum.
Head of Port of Calais saying at least 30 have died.
Once again seeing lots of "why don't they stay in France?" on my timeline. It's a fair question but here is the answer.
And also worth pointing out lots *do* stay in France. German and French asylum applications (and many others in EU too) far outstrip the UK’s. ImageImage
Notable that many in the camps come from countries-Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan- with either historic or recent connections to the UK. Those with French connections (eg West Africa) tend to stay in France. It’s about esteem (many hold UK in high regard), language and family.
French MP Pierre-Henri Dumont tells Sky: "The Channel right now is becoming the new Mediterranean Sea, it's like an open graveyard."

The language of the graveyard has come up again and again while reporting this story this last week. It was completely predictable and predicted.
About to discuss all this with @BBCRosAtkins on BBC News Channel. Do tune in.
Yesterday I reported how many children were at the "camps" near Dunkirk and Calais, living in the woods and streets. Reuters are now reporting that one little girl is among the 31 who have died.
You can watch report from me, @caithanrahan and Jamie Bowles on our Newsnight special tonight. Join us- BBC2, 2230.
I spent the day wondering whether some of the people we met on the French roadsides yesterday died in the sea overnight. We all ought to have a better idea about the tragedy unfolding on our border. Watch this piece from me, @caithanrahan and Jamie Bowles.
Lots of shock expressed by politicians on both sides of the Channel overnight. But this was predictable and predicted. And in a global refugee crisis of some 80 million it is unsurprising that at least some of that number would be at our border. Some thoughts in the clip below.
This doesn’t surprise me. There are lots of Afghans in the “camps” and aid workers told me that the numbers had increased considerably since the fall of the last government. Likewise, as I’ve said above, most of those there are from countries with strong links to the UK.
Again, sadly this isn’t surprising. One of the biggest groups in the camps are Kurds. Several told me how they’d found each other en route and intended to try and make the crossing together.
Vigil tonight for the dead in central Calais. People holding signs aloft saying “No human is illegal”, “Borders Kill” and “Racist lawmakers.” Image
At the centre of the vigil in Calais is a banner. On it are written the names of the hundreds of people who have died on the UK/France border since 1999. You’ll note some are marked with an X- their names remain unknown. ImageImage
Now a march is proceeding through the town. People are holding roses for the dead.
One by one the mourners in Calais are throwing roses into the sea, in memory of those who have died. Some are crying as they do so. A series of prayers are held as they do it. Image
The very cold, very windy beach of Plage des Escardines, near Grand-Fort-Phillipe. One of the main launching points for the boast- can be completely hellish at night at this time of year.
The camp near Grand Synthe has got so much bigger, even since it formed after the dispersal on Tuesday. When we were here it was a few tents, scores of people. Now it’s over 300, permanent structures being thrown up, tents everywhere following the old train track. ImageImageImage
Feeling and hope here is the French police leave them alone for a while, given what happened on Wednesday. If so camp is likely to grow and grow. People are still arriving.
Growth likely to accelerate too given people here tell me the smugglers have largely gone to ground for a while after the arrests. Crossings likely to therefore reduce (weather also a factor) for at least a few days.
Everyone still determined to try and make it. As one person said to me compared to some of the crossings they’ve already made, the dangers of escape from their own country, travel through Turkey, the Aegean or elsewhere, the Channel seems small.
At the camp I was pleased to see a 20 year old Kurd I met on Tuesday, safe and well. He still intends to try and cross. I asked him if there were a legal route he could use to apply for UK asylum in France whether he’d use that instead: “Of course. Everyone here would.”
A grim reality of life here is that some people still don’t even know if their friends or relatives were among those who made it or died on Wednesday. People are so used to people disappearing for days a time, people losing phone battery. People constantly live in the unknown.
Another grim reality is how the gangs lie to these people. One man told me of how the gang members tell them the boats will be safe, they won’t capsize and even if they do the coastguard will always be there to pick them up.
One thing which you find in the camp which you might not expect- hope. The camps don’t feel sad. People are smiley, kind, generous- they’ll give you their last cup of tea, even though they have very little. A common refrain is “I’ll be in the UK tomorrow!” It’s a mantra, a motto.
Something to keep them going. It helps explain why they keep making the crossing. They feel they’ve already beaten the odds to get so far, indeed that providence is with them. Whenever you ask about the risk often they say “it’s in the hands of God.”
You can watch our latest piece from Grande-Synthe, from me, @caithanrahan and Jamie Bowles on Newsnight shortly. Tune in right now.

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More from @lewis_goodall

Nov 6, 2024
For those waking up in US, bewildered in Europe, what happened?

Have been on air for last 12 hours pouring over the data

Here it is

There's no silver lining for Democrats. Trump won everywhere. He's going to win the popular vote. He did better across the demographics. He grew his coalition, better with black voters, Latinos, young voters. The US become less racially divided by party. Harris underperformed Biden virtually everywhere.

Trump improved on his 2020 margin in 2,367 counties. His margin decreased in only 240 counties.
Trump didn't just sweep up in the swing states, and none of them are going to be that close. He closed the gap on Harris in a tonne of blue states. She turned out anaemic victories in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota. He expanded his margins in red states to take huge generationally big victories in Florida and Iowa. He flipped Miami Dade county, winning a heavily Latino county Hillary won by 30 points by 10. He drove down Harris margins in big urban centres everywhere, including Chicago, New York, Austin etc.
This feels a far more devastating loss for the Democrats, even than 2016.

2016 the Dems had plenty of things to console them. A massive popular vote victory. A narrow electoral college loss in a few places. A rock solid ethnic minority coalition which looked like a solid electoral map of the future. Roe was intact. The Supreme Court was still balanced.

They have none of that now. They're staring down the barrel of a transformed Republican Party and a sustained inability to know how to deal with Trump and Magaism. In policy terms, they also have nowhere to go. In Biden's term they governed exactly in line with their own instincts. It's been soundly rejected by the electorate.
Read 8 tweets
Oct 23, 2024
Extraordinary intervention from Donald Trump’s own former Chief of Staff John Kelly. The fmr general says Trump meets the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator and has no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.

nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/…
Kelly says: “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
Kelly says Trump would not want to be pictured with amputee veterans saying that “it wouldn’t look good for me.”

Kelly confirms Trump spoke positively of Hitler as president.

“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too.”
Read 8 tweets
Aug 27, 2024
Thoughts on Starmer speech

Self-evidently highly political. Little in the way of policy, instead a framing of politics to come.

But there’s a paradox to it all
As predicted, Labour are trying to suggest things are worse than they knew. There’s a bit of truth to that though broad contours of state of economy/public realm were known.

We’re clearly in for more pain. Just like, checks notes, the past 14 years.
That itself is an idictment of a generation of policymakers and politics. Voters might be forgiven for thinking they’ve heard all this before. Indeed they have, since George Osborne in 2010. Ernie Bevin said he wanted to be at the Ministry of Labour til 1990, ie to set the terms of thinking on industrial relations for a half century. It sometimes feels like Osborne will be Chancellor til 2050, no matter bow many times his vision of politics/political economy fails. You have to wonder how much more tolerance for it there’s going to be.

If nothing else, politically it was a huge contrast with the politics of optimism at last week’s DNC- instead now we have things are going to get worse before they get better.

Strongest sections of the speech were his diagnosis of the problems of populism and how Tories fell into that reap. Was authentically him and convincing.
Read 8 tweets
Jul 16, 2024
The story of the last time a former president was shot and lived to tell the tale🧵

In October 1912 President Teddy Roosevelt was running for an unprecedented third term in office. He'd left the presidency four years before. On the 12th he was campaigning in Milwaukee. Image
Roosevelt had left the Republicans to found the Progressive Party, also known as the 'Bull Moose' Party.

On the night of the 12th October he was dining at the Gilpatrick Hotel, owned by a supporter. After eating he left to give a speech at the Milwaukee auditorium.

En route he was approached by a man called John Schrank, a German-American tavern owner, originally from Bavaria.Image
Shcrank opened fire on the former president with a Colt revolver. He was quickly wrestled to the ground but not before a bullet penetrated Roosevelt's body.

Fortunately, the bullet hit something else first- TR's glasses case and the folded up copy of his speech, some 50 pages long entitled "Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual"- both of which in his coat pocket.
Read 6 tweets
Jul 15, 2024
NEW: Donald J. Trump is officially selected as the Republican candidate for president at the RNC in Milwaukee.

He becomes the first person since FDR in 1940 to win his party’s nomination three times on the trot (though unlike Trump he won each time).
The GOP has travelled a long way since those early Never Trump days. It’s indisputably his party now, in personnel, in ideas, in culture and the way it does politics.

That’s despite his refusal to accept the outcome of a presidential election, which led to an insurrection, and the fact he’s been convicted of a crime. It is a political journey without parallel, both personally and for his party.
The selection of Vance again shows the grip on the Republican party Trump now enjoys. In 2016 Trump was forced to choose a more establishment VP (Pence) to try and unite the party behind his candidacy. In Vance he chooses someone in his image, a prodigal son of America First.
Read 6 tweets
Jul 14, 2024
The assassination attempt on President Trump is the 1st attempted attack on a presidential candidate for 52 years.

Political violence has a long pedigree in America's history. It haunted its politics in the 1960s. The landscape is darkening again and has been for some time.
Goes without saying that the attempt on Trump's life is heinous and deplorable. There is a lot of blame to go round for the now toxic nature of American politics which long predates Trump personally. However, while the descent of American politics towards renewed political violence did not begin with him it can't be denied he has his own significant part to play. His politics has always been predicated on the idea of existential threat. Of American enemies within and without. He mocked the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, downplayed the kidnap plot on Gretchen Whitmer. And then there is the big lie and January 6th which continues to fray the bonds of American democracy.

In other words, Trump has been part of this change in US politics, of the turn to extreme aggression in US politics, which will probably outlast him. It doesn't justify anything in any way, but it does help to explain part of the context of a democracy which increasingly feels a couple of wrong moves from complete disaster. You can't understand that without Trump and the unique way he does politics.
In the meantime, with only four months to go until the US election, this will reframe everything, especially with the RNC about to get underway.

Trump's position within the Republican Party will be solidified even further. That picture will become a symbol of political martyrdom.
Read 7 tweets

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