A sad day to reflect

WAS honoured to attend Folkestone’s service of Remembrance.

It’s the Kent port where so many brave, patriotic young men set sail from to do their bit for King and country during World War One. Many, obviously, simply never came back.

Heartbreaking and haunting. A sobering reminder of the true horror of what so many went through.

It’s also the base for the amazing Gurkha regiment who led the parade. A fearless fighting force who have been our allies since 1815.

The Gurkhas had to apply that same fighting spirit against the UK government to get the equality, pensions and UK residential rights they so richly deserved.

So the sight of these brave men, proud in their uniforms marching past a group of young, fit male Channel boat migrants lolling and smoking outside one of Folkestone’s formerly grand hotels was indeed sobering.

Whether bunging the French another £63million on top of millions we’ve already given them to patrol their own beaches will make any difference is debatable.

Given that our Gallic neighbours can spot a solitary British trawler from several miles away but mysteriously miss 40,000 folk in dinghies, it’s probably best not to hold le breath.