“I Paid £1,400 to Cross the Channel on a Migrant Boat” | The Sceptic Ep.94

An undercover journalist’s extraordinary journey onboard a migrant dinghy, the risk of war with Russia and Canada’s energy standoff with America. In Episode 94 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges sits down with undercover reporter Christian Drogan to hear how he infiltrated migrant camps in northern France, paid €1,400 to cross the Channel and came face to face with smugglers, migrants and French authorities. Strategist and ex-Royal Navy Commodore Steve Jermy on the West’s incompetent approach to the war in Ukraine, the risks of escalation with Russia and whether a negotiated path to peace is still possible. And for our premium subscribers, Ellie speaks to the Daily Sceptic’s Energy Editor Dr Tilak Doshi about the growing trade and energy row between the US and Canada, and whether Mark Carney’s brinkmanship gamble will pay off. Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content.  Follow Ellie on X. Follow Christian on X. Follow Watchman on X. Support Watchman here. Watch the Undercover Migrant here. Read Steve’s Mor Gallos – Using Power Wisely in the 21st Century Substack here. Follow Tilak on X. Read his article here. Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.   00:00 Intro   01:51 Christian Drogen on His Undercover Channel Crossing   03:32 Getting Into the Migrant Camps   04:36 Timeline of the Operation   05:30 Posing as a Criminal on the Run   07:14 Life Inside the Camps   08:38 Danger in the Dunkirk & Calais Jungles   09:17 Why Migrants Want Britain   11:28 Demographics of the Boats   13:13 What it Felt Like on the Dinghy   14:13 Who Was on the Boat   14:49 Border Force Reaction   17:22 Home Office Criticism   17:54 Could Anyone Repeat This   19:42 How Smugglers Sell the Dream   21:10 French Police Involvement   24:22 How to Stop the Crossings   28:29 Finding the Documentary   29:15 Steve Jermy on the Ukraine War   30:48 What the West is Getting Wrong   33:06 Europe Preparing For War With Russia   35:40 Why Supporting Ukraine And Nato is Flawed   38:53 A Negotiated Path to Peace   42:04 Does Negotiation Reward Aggression   44:13 What the British Public is Missing   48:16 Tilak Doshi on Carneys Gamble   51:31 Who Has the Upper Hand   56:00 Could the Dispute Backfire On Canada   58:34 Ottawa vs Alberta   01:00:38 A Larger Geopolitical Reshaping