You really have to hand it to the politicians. They possess a special kind of talent. It is the ability to stand in front of a camera, puff out their chests, and promise the world that they are going to do something big and scary. They use words like "assertive" and "crackdown." They make it sound like the hammer of justice is about to fall. And then? Then they go to lunch. Meanwhile, reality continues on, completely ignoring everything they just said.

Case in point: the English Channel. It is that narrow strip of water separating the United Kingdom from the rest of Europe. Recently, the UK government made a very loud, very serious vow. They promised "assertive action" against Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet." These are the oil tankers that help Russia make money despite all the sanctions the West has slapped on them. We were told that the UK was getting tough. We were told the free ride was over.

Well, it turns out the ride is not over. In fact, the ticket booth is wide open. According to a new analysis, forty-two sanctioned tankers have casually sailed right through the Channel since mid-January. Forty-two. That is not a slip-up. That is not a mistake. That is a parade. That is a conga line of rust buckets carrying oil right past the White Cliffs of Dover, while the people who promised to stop them are presumably busy writing another press release.

Let’s look at what is actually happening here. The UK government, along with its friends in the European Union, loves to announce sanctions. Sanctions are great for politicians. They are pieces of paper that say, "We are the good guys, and we are punishing the bad guys." It makes for a great headline. It makes everyone feel like something is being done. But the problem with the real world is that it is messy. Enforcing these rules is hard work. It requires more than just stern words. It requires stopping ships. It requires checking insurance papers. It requires potential confrontation.

So, what do we have instead? We have the "shadow fleet." These are not shiny, new ships. These are old, beat-up vessels. They are often owned by shell companies that hide who the real boss is. They don't have proper insurance. They are basically floating disasters waiting to happen. If one of these old tubs cracks open in the Channel, it won't be the politicians cleaning up the oil spill. It will be the seagulls and the local fishermen.

Yet, they sail on. The BBC verified the numbers. Since January 11th, dozens of these ships have passed through. Why? Because the ocean is big, and international law is tricky. The UK says it wants to be assertive. But "assertive" in political language often just means "watching closely." It is the equivalent of a parent counting to three but never actually doing anything when they reach three. The child—in this case, the Russian oil industry—knows this. They know the threats are empty. They know that as long as they stay in international waters, they can pretty much do what they want.

It is almost funny in a tragic sort of way. We live in an era where we can track a pizza delivery on our phones in real-time. We have satellites that can read a license plate from space. The authorities know exactly where these ships are. They know their names. They know what they are carrying. They watch them enter the Channel, they watch them sail past, and they watch them leave. It is the most passive form of "assertive action" ever invented.

The excuse, of course, is freedom of navigation. You cannot just stop ships in the open sea without starting a bigger fight. And nobody wants a bigger fight. So, we end up in this theater of the absurd. We pretend we have blocked Russia from selling oil. Russia pretends they aren't using a fleet of junk ships to sell it. The ships sail past our windows, and the politicians tell us that the sanctions are working wonderfully.

This is the state of modern governance. It is all about the announcement. The implementation is someone else's problem. The UK government vowed to target the shadow fleet. They said they would make life hard for these tankers. But the only thing hard about this situation is trying to keep a straight face while reading the news.

When you strip away the fancy speeches and the diplomatic jargon, the truth is simple. Money moves. Oil moves. And bureaucracy freezes. The shadow fleet isn't sneaking past in the dead of night with the lights off. They are chugging through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, right under the noses of the people who swore to stop them. It is a perfect example of why you should never trust a crackdown until you see the handcuffs. Until then, it is just noise. And right now, the only sound in the English Channel is the hum of engines and the splash of waves against the hulls of forty-two ships that weren't supposed to be there.