Asylum Seekers: Sangatte and the Tunnel

Author: Schuster, Liza

Source: Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 56, Number 3, 1 July 2003 , pp. 506-522(17)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $44.11 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

This article takes the crisis that erupted in summer 2001 around the accommodation centre at Sangatte in northern France as a textbook example of a British migration crisis with an added twist—the role of Eurotunnel. It begins with a brief description of the centre and its short history. The `crisis' as it was construed by a number of different actors, and their relationship with the media are then outlined. These include Eurotunnel and the cross-Channel carriers, the Conservatives and Labour in Britain. Although the focus of the article is the British government's handling of the `crisis', the role of the French authorities and their responses to the British government are important and are also examined. The shifts in the approaches of the two governments are explored, before the final solution is evaluated.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/parlij/gsg103

Publication date: 2003-07-01

More about this publication?

Parliamentary Affairs is an established, peer-reviewed academic quarterly covering all the aspects of government and politics directly or indirectly connected with Parliament and parliamentary systems in Britain and throughout the world. The journal is published in partnership with the Hansard Society. The Society was created to promote parliamentary democracy throughout the world, a theme which is reflected in the pages of Parliamentary Affairs.