I havent blogged for weeks because I have been working on an article which is linked here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1qr98DlhMv_YXJVRVdQS0VlMEU/edit?usp=sharing about the UK’s cruelty towards asylum seekers. It has been a hard task. The article attempts to understand the cruelty in order to make suggestions about what to do about it. First though I had to establish the case that the UK system is cruel. Sadly that wasnt hard.
And it still amazes and upsets me each time I encounter another detail about the extent of the cruelty. If you find the article useful or it strikes a chord in you please distribute the link as widely as you can. I hope one day enough people will get behind this cause so that we learn to welcome genuine asylum seekers into our country and give them our best possible support and a safe haven.
This is a monumental work and appears to be well researched and informed. I have only managed to read about ¼ to date although I fully intend to read it all and will, no doubt, have additional suggestion / comments at that time. However, I have one initial reaction, which may be personal due to my ignorance, it is that I’d like the article to start with context. By this I mean the overall statistics. How many immigrants does the UK accept yearly? 1) How may asylums seekers are there annually? I know that even one person treated with indifference and distain is bad, you notice I didn’t say with cruelty as this is such an emotive word although I know that you use it for the startling impact; I’d like to know the total number which of course makes it worse. 2) What is the present population of the UK? 3) What is the UK birth rate? (I know that it is now below replacement level)
I suggest that you could develop a theory that today’s birthrate means that the UK needs immigration which could well include asylum seekers. I tout this theory in reaction to a recent Wall Street Journal article which analyzed population growth and pointed out that in all the affluent nations (UK, US, Europe, Japan etc.) birth rates are so low that the population is decreasing.) The article quoted the amazing statistic that in Japan last year adult diaper sales exceeded baby diaper sales The article went on to point out that to date each country’s economic health has always been dependent on population growth citing Japan as a prime example. Ergo if the UK population are not having enough babies a few additional immigrants would be a good thing.
Thanks, all this is interesting feedback Jane, and I may well incorporate some of it – particularly the need to clarify early on for some readers the broad context. If you read on a bit more you will find that some of the statistics you requested are covered later. FYI for now though: about 17K asylum seekers per annum come to the UK, this is less than 4% of all immigrants to the UK, only 1 in 3 get asylum and the uk population is about 60m. Also I hope you will find that indifference and disdain (though I consider both to be a type of semi-conscious cruelty) just arent strong enough words to describe all the practices referenced in the article (see in particular the section on deportation). I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you have finished.
I’ve read it all now the plight of UK asylum seekers. Your writing makes one want to see the whole bureaucratic mess addressed immediately. It brings home that those managing this “problem” may have lost sight of reality and the needs of a few people in comparison to the gifts that so many residents of the UK take for granted.
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