And the correct question to ask you is....So where did they go and how did they get there?
As most of those leaving this country probably returned to their original EU country or emigrated via traditional routes by applying for visas for their chosen destination.
Should you or I simply be able to decide that say for 6 months of the year we wish to live in the Bahamas and then maybe the rest of the year in Zurich? It cannot simply be down to choice for simple ecnomic reasons or on a whim.
Once you decide and agree that there has to be some form of immigration control you then have to look at the legal routes and how you enforce those rules. Without some form of enforcement then the rules are pointless.
Its sad to say that those poor people in that dinghy today were sold a dream, probably by smugglers who have realised it is more lucrative and less risky to smuggle people than drugs. the penalties are less stringent and they have willing accomplices spurred on by their personal desperation.
When dealing with peoples lives it almost seems immoral to point a number on it, but i think there does need to be a number that the UK says we will accept each year. Get people to register whether it be for some sort of "lottery" as the USA used to do, or for some sort of Humanitarian scheme.
Whilst doing this at Embassies or at centres in Northern France/Belgium, there would not doubt be concern from those in those places. This being due to them being required to provide biographical details at the time of any application. The risk being, that they get turned down and then the UK can then prove that they have actually been in those countries and so can actually be returned there, more under Chicago rather than now the defunct (for us) Dublin rules.
Forget the blame game...change the game...clear the backlog by granting residence to all those currently in the system. Open asylum registration centres outside UK and focus resources on the smugglers and removal of those who do not go through the new "humanitarian" route
