The "Campers"

I spent a fair amount of time yesterday watching France 24 (a good network for general European news) and RT (Russia Today network, which I will watch but have to take everything and assess truthful nature of what they say).  The chief topic?  The Calais, France refugee camp closed down (dismantled would be a good term), and then as they all scattered.....a large crowd (maybe 5,000) are putting up tents throughout the city of Paris.  Naturally, the Paris residents are a bit peeved.

Folks on the street were interviewed, and the general description would be frustration....can't the government just push these immigrants or refugees into some shelter deal?

The mayor of Paris?  Strangely absent from both RT and France 24 reporting.  You'd think that he'd be out front and talking, but they don't mention much with the guy.

How screwed up was the Calais-tear-down plan?  Based on what is reported by various networks (including the BBC).....I'd give the French plan a "4" out of a ten.  Once they made the decision that it had to be torn down.....the selling of the idea of distributing people around to villages and cities really didn't work.  I would make an assumption that two-thirds of the adult population disagree about the plan and it's objectives.

Making refugees into topic number one for the French presidential election? Well.....yes.

We are roughly five months away from the national presidential election, and seven months from the legislative election.  One might get the impression that this is a loaded cannon and will bring heavy negative numbers to the socialist parties of France.

The topic likely to come up within a year?  Turning off the pipeline of all immigrants and refugees coming into Europe will likely come up.  As much as the EU will try to control the topic and push it back.....I think national themes will erupt out of France, a number of eastern European countries, the Netherlands, and to some degree in Austria and Germany.

The internet and the snowball effect helped to bring the refugee crisis to the level that exists today.  People sat there in marginal third-world countries and saw these great scenes of urban success, jobs, and better lifestyles, and got the idea that by simply sailing there and arriving.....they too could gain the same advantages in life. Strangely enough.....the 5,000 'campers' sitting in tents around Paris had some bigger dream of their life.  I don't see any of this ending well, and a bunch of disgruntled migrants sitting around various urban areas of Europe....simmering in frustration over the next decade because they just didn't find the dream they were seeking.