Despite it being the 60^thanniversary year of the United Nations Refugee Convention the problems facing those forced to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution or natural disaster continue to grow. Despite the blurring of the difference between refugees and ‘immigrants’ in much of the national media, the fact remains that fewer and fewer asylum seekers are presenting themselves to the UK authorities. We are not being ‘flooded’ with asylum seekers.

Latest figures from the UK Border Agency cover the second quarter of 2011 and show the total number of asylum applications was 4,787, a continuing downward trend. In the same quarter there were 4,253 asylum decisions of which just 23% were offers of asylum. Also in the second quarter 2,806 appeals were determined of which 26% were successful.

The continued high level of appeal successes shows that the initial asylum decisions being made are still generally poor. We’re sure the government is hoping the situation will ‘improve’ (i.e. fewer appeals will be successful) now that they are curtailing the availability of legal aid and so many community law centres have had their funding support slashed.

Right wing think tank Migration Watch has been on the warpath once more with a recent report claiming that the asylum system has cost the UK £2 million a day since 1999. The organisation claims it is ‘serious about protecting genuine refugees’ but continues to grab inflammatory headlines in the sections of the press that delight in whipping up fury about anyone seeking sanctuary, as is their legal right, on these shores.

It would be genuinely more helpful if Migration Watch were to join the Refugee Council and Amnesty International and others calling for asylum seekers to be given the legal right to work so they can earn money and support themselves while awaiting an asylum application decision.

It would also be a revelation to hear the anti-immigration lobby voice the opinion that if Britain were able to resist the temptation to keep invading or attacking foreign countries then we might not have quite as many refugees from those countries seeking sanctuary here. Iraq and Afghanistan are among the top three or four countries of origin of people seeking asylum in the UK. Not surprisingly the numbers fleeing Libya have increased as well. The government makes a great deal of noise about supporting and protecting those arguing for regime change in the so-called Arab Spring but doesn’t seem prepared for the influx of new applications for asylum that inevitably follows such upheaval.

1/09/11