AIBU to think the reason why many Asylum seekers come to UK is...

[SmallBoats]

a direct result of our imperialist past? People come to the UK in many instances because they are English speakers. English is widely spoken due to the massive British empire which used to exist. The British empire milked its territories, greatly increased its wealth despite causing massive human suffering in the process. The direct result of this is that English became a widely spoken language worldwide. It therefore isn't surprising many people seeking refuge from war torn countries try to get to the UK as they already speak English.

Generations along? My inlaws both lived through independence. They are still alive. Of course not every asylum seeker will be influenced by colonial history, but many will be, because it is very recent history.

I blame the BBC World Service.

Most that I know came for family, language and education, but they reason they had to come was war/subjugation.

All European countries are starting to clamp down on illegal immigrants, France, Germany and Holland for example, because of the rise of right wing parties. This is because their populations have had enough of the new arrivals.

Maybe it’s because we’re so welcoming of people from troubled countries? I can guarantee they get a shock when they arrive when they learn that actually not all people who live in the UK as quite as welcoming as they believed.
The number of people that do come here is far smaller than the Daily Mail would have us believe. It’s a shame we tar all immigrants with the same dirty brush though.

I think the rights of a young woman who was brutally gang raped and left with terrible injuries/mental scars are more important than the perpetrators rights. How do you think she felt when a gang of virtuous signallers protested and stopped the flight? I doubt many other countries would tolerate that. They would probably escort the protestors off the aircraft at gunpoint . This piece of shit claimed he would be killed if he went back to his own country, do ya know what?
Its not our problem 😡

I do wonder what the passengers thought later, when they discovered why he was being deported...

You have a point. Having the physical space is important. But it's the working tax paying population that pays for asylum seekers so it's obviously if you have fewer inhabitants paying tax hosting more asylum seekers is more difficult.

In reality, proportionately more Scottish and Irishmen benefited from the Empire. If you look at Victorian graveyards in India, this becomes pretty clear. My Irish and Scottish forebears, and my husband's certainly spent a lot of time in the Empire.

https://academic.oup.com/book/8371/chapter-abstract/154055150?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://academic.oup.com/book/12634/chapter-abstract/162553548?redirectedFrom=fulltext

From 'working/employment' in the Empire, that should say. Not claiming Ireland was made wealthy through the Empire.

Just posting my graph again...

Is this applicants? Ie not acceptance

Our acceptance rate is much higher - see Spain and EU average in pp against ours

For teaching the world English?

How does that happen @EasternStandard?

Because we're all applying the same international law regarding who qualifies for asylum.

That was my question too

I think we do have a different standard applied.

I was working with Asylum Seekers in London until very recently.
it’s sad that there are people in the UK who believe this “we give them 5 star hotel treatment” because it’s really not true. Where they are put in hotels, they are crowded in rooms and it’s far from 5 star treatment. Food is generally given by charities or churches or mosques. They don’t have access to benefits. It’s really not easy for them, not to mention what they have already been through to get here.

However - what is apparent, is that many Asylum seekers or refugees or even those who may be “economic migrants” do genuinely believe that the UK is rich, generous and that they will find work and earn money easily. It’s sold to them (often by traffickers) that it’s the land flowing with milk and honey. They come ready to work and have expectations to be housed etc, and are often frustrated when they are faced with the reality.

I imagine it would cost quite a lot to set up. Ongoing it would drop but the initial issuing of 60 something million would be a massive undertaking. Would we have to pay, which lots of people would object to, or would the taxpayer be picking up the full bill, also lots of objections.

Plus it wouldn’t even stop what pp want it to as it hasn’t in Germany

So many totally racists statements here, I can't believe this thread is still going!
The UK is nowhere close to being at the top of the rank when it comes to asylum seekers.

Iran and Turkey are way at the top, followed by Germany. Turkey's economy has suffered significantly as a result, much much more than us in the UK.

Yet they don't moan half as much as we do about it. No, asylum seekers don't all think how wonderful the UK is and desperately want to come here.

Like I said, you need to really think about what eroding human rights would look like. Justice can and should be served according to the laws of our land. If it happens in our country, it is in fact our problem.

I'd not even thought of that aspect.

No, I meant broadcasting all over the world and setting us up as 'a beacon in the dark', if you see what I mean. The heart of democracy, freedom and prosperity.

Iran and Turkey are way at the top, followed by Germany. Turkey's economy has suffered significantly as a result, much much more than us in the UK.

Yet they don't moan half as much as we do about it

Is this based on mn threads? It doesn’t seem to be keeping up with what’s going on outside of what you see online

‘A combination of anti-refugee sentiment and economic hardships has even led to pressure on politicians to send Syrians back to their home country, despite the ongoing rule there of President Bashar al-Assad, and even a spike in violence towards people perceived to be Syrian.’

Article on rise of nationalism in Turkey here

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/5/16/in-turkeys-elections-nationalism-is-the-real-winner

Also look up AfD in Germany. I wouldn’t say ‘moaning’ but political shift.

@GettinChillyHereFFS I am not sure everything is peachy in Spain.

But then I suppose the average UK holiday maker does not come across the Canada Real.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/15/canada-real-europe-filomena-settlement-madrid-covid-snow

@Schooldinner2

We have textbooks in classroom, they get given exercise books & can usually borrow pens/glue etc We often give revision guides out free to pupil premium students. In lockdown we lent out loads of laptops. I think we're pretty generous in schools. But general opinion seems to be that we're hard done by in the UK.

Here is list of equipment for Germany

www.german-way.com/school-supplies-in-germany/

I honestly think someone arriving with nothing would feel that they could at least access education for free. I'm pretty sure we give asylum seekers uniform too. I think it's good for them that they are able to.