Quotes

Below are a sample of comments from people within organisations, and subscribers writing in their personal capacity, quoted with permission, after a user surver in October 2003 and one in May 2004.

All comments are the opinions of individuals and do not necessarily represent the view of any organisations mentioned.

"Asylum policy changes with a frightening regularity. The Asylum Policy Information Service is therefore an essential and invaluable tool to keep abreast of policy developments in Britain and abroad. The service has also become an important means of telling others what we are up to in terms of news, campaigns and events."

Ian Duncan, Policy & Communications Manager, Scottish Refugee Council - www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk

"www.asylumpolicy.info is a free and indispensable source of up-to-date news and information about refugee issues in the United Kingdom and the wider world. Essential reading for all researchers and practitioners with an interest in asylum policy"

Jeff Crisp - Head, Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit - United Nations Refugee Agency - Switzerland - www.unhcr.ch

"I find it a fantastic information resource"

Tony Fletcher - Research and Information Officer - Refugee Legal Centre - www.refugee-legal-centre.org.uk

"The work you do makes a vital contribution to the difference we are able to make in people's life expectancy and health. It helps tip the scales of justice. It helps us do a better job by making us better informed."

Chris Morley - Policy and Publications Coordinator, George House Trust - www.ght.org.uk

"Your service is extremely useful"

James Sutherland - The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) - www.nyas.net

"This is an excellent service to us at Coventry Refugee Centre and has helped us to keep a daily account of what is going on such as the recent EU accession debacle."

Jane Longville - Asylum Team Manager, Coventry Refugee Centre

"Your indispensable service is ... indispensable! Makes a real difference to the speed and effectiveness of our work."

Richard Stanton - Greater London Assembly - GLA - www.london.gov.uk

"this source is indispensable in helping us work in an informed and challenging way for asylum seekers and refugees. For me it has been instrumental in the development of my understanding, knowledge and skills in this area, which in turn I believe has helped me work more effectively and has benefitted those I work with"

Mala German - Educational Psychologist, Enfield Child Guidance Service Refugee Team - www.enfield.gov.uk

"I am a specialist health visitor for asylum seekers and I find the emails a valuable source of information and helps me keep up to date with asylum news."

Helen Robinson - North Tyneside PCT - www.nhs.net

"The service is very useful and my main source of information - saves me a lot of time and is much appreciated."

Sarah Cutler - BID - Bail for Immigration Detainees - www.biduk.org

"I go through your emails each morning and they serve as a good and easy way for me to keep informed on issues relating to immigration, asylum and racism. It is of great help to have your news resource arriving by email at work, saving us time by avoiding the need to search for the stories you provide. Your web site helps our campaign and policy work by ensuring we keep abreast of all developments in the news."

Pierre Makhlouf - Hackney Community Law Centre - Link

"Thank you very much for the excellent service provided, I find the www.asylumpolicy.info updates extremely helpful and useful in keeping me up to speed with developments in asylum and immigration policy and practice"

Dr Heaven Crawley - Associate Director - Institute for Public Policy Research - www.ippr.org.uk (now Director of www.amre.co.uk)

"The devotion and dedication with which asylumpolicy.info tracks the tragi-comedy of asylum legislation in the UK, and investigate continuing human rights abuses - here and abroad - is a gem for journalists, students and conscious citizens."

Kyle G. Brown - Freelance Journalist

"We find this service incredibly useful. It manages to summarise the vast area of asylum policy and media in a very accessible way. The daily e-mail service helps us keep up to date with developments in areas of legislation that we do not specialise in but that affect us. It also allows us to be aware of what other organisations are doing which helps to promote joint working and a responsive and well-informed sector."

Kat Lorenz - Information and Policy Co-ordinator, Asylum Advice, Refugee Action - www.refugee-action.org.uk

"your daily emails are THE source of what's going on. I use it as my main way of keeping up to date, which is important for any campaigner. I think all campaigners use their archives of your material in making their campaign tools."

Emma Ginn - Campaign To Stop Arbitrary Detentions At Yarl’s Wood - SADY

"I think it's first rate and use it all the time to access documents, policies etc"

Don Flynn - Policy Officer, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants - www.jcwi.org.uk

"I find it an incredible up-to-date source covering most areas of issues regarding immigration in the UK."

Berhanu Kassayie PhD - Research & Development Coordinator- Praxis - www.praxis.org.uk

"I've only been subscribing to your service for a short time but find it really useful as a means of keeping up to date with what's happening in the world of asylum. I certainly wouldn't have the time to trawl the internet looking for all the reports you find, some of which are connected to websites/organisations I have never heard of."

Rebecca Bowry - Asylum Projects Manager, Legal Services Commission - www.legalservices.gov.uk

"find the service more than useful and use it every day"

John O - National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns - NCADC - www.ncadc.org.uk

"I find information for appeals in your documents that I have been unable to source elsewhere. The human rights reports on individual countries are really useful. A big thank you is extended from everyone in the Refugee Legal Service Galway"

Maria Maguire - Refugee Legal Service, Galway

"Through this valuable service, I have been able to sign up and join a host of useful organisations, both for myself and Redbridge Refugee Forum. For example, the refugee children's consortium, community care live, associated immigration practitioners etc. In fact, all of the staff that I am responsible for are also subscribers. Working in a busy advice service for refugees and asylum seekers, your service is an indispensible tool."

Duduzile Moyo - Casework Manager - Redbridge Refugee Forum - link

"In a complex and ever-changing area such as asylum and migration policy, your daily bulletins are invaluable."

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah - Research Fellow, Migration, Institute for Public Policy Research - www.ippr.org.uk

"Since I stumbled upon asylumsupport.info what seems like ages ago, I have subscribed to the newsletter and spread the word with evangelical zeal."

Michael Collins - Housing and Welfare Team Leader - Scottish Refugee Council - www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk

"I have found this service very useful for keeping abreast of current developments."

Dalibor - Asylum Welcome - www.asylum-welcome.supanet.com

"I work with various statutory organisations, legal advice providers (CABx,solicitors etc), refugee/asylum seeker community groups etc and my experience has been that everyone who has accessed the service agrees that it is truly worthwhile and an indispensable service."

Karen Winnard - Project Officer, Legal Services Commission - Yorkshire & Humberside Region - www.legalservice.gov.uk

"The service you provide is extremely valuable, it highlights articles that help with our work and which I may otherwise totally miss."

Beryl Randall - The Employability Forum - www.employabilityforum.co.uk

"your service is irreplaceable! useful, timely and user friendly"

Zrinka Bralo - Executive Director, Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum and Co-Chair of the Asylum Rights Campaign - ARC - MRCF

"It is the only service that brings information from the regions and the other countries in the UK that is not reported in the national press."

Tony Smith - Citizens Advice - www.citizensadvice.org.uk

"I find the service invaluable as I rely on it to get up to date information to schools."

Mus Bagum - Lambeth Council - www.lambeth.gov.uk

"I think your service brilliant and very easy to use and non-judgmental."

Helen Pollock - Camden Libraries refugee project officer, Camden Council - www.camden.gov.uk

"I do find your service very helpful. There are often articles which I would not come across were it not for your mailing."

Richard Solly - Churches' Commission for Racial Justice - www.ctbi.org.uk/ccrj/welcome.htm

"your service is really the best resource I have access to on a day to day basis, it really is invaluable."

Jackie Matharu - Refugee Forum - www.refugeeforum.org

"Your service makes a significant difference to my work which in turn makes a significant difference to the lives of migrant children in my locality."

Richard Beckett - Manager, NCH Sandwell Community Development Project - www.nch.org.uk

"I have nothing but praise for the email service - it is really comprehensive and brings together news from an incredibly wide range of sources. The layout is great"

Liza Schuster - Lecturer and researcher - COMPAS and LSE - www.compas.ox.ac.uk - www.lse.ac.uk

"we find the information service you provide to be very useful, always up to the minute in the information you sent, a wonderful resource to small organisations such as ours - we would never have the time or the capacity. I am always referring other people to your service!"

Louise Zanre - Country Director, Jesuit Refugee Service - www.jrsuk.net

"extremely valuable for organisations such as ourselves"

Rachael Tyndall - Administrator & Volunteer Co-ordinator, Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund - www.prisonersofconscience.org

"It is all really useful but I particularly like to get the links to the local news reports in dispersal areas."

Alice Webb - Outreach worker, Refugee Women's Resource Project - Asylum Aid - www.asylumaid.org.uk

"This is an invaluable resource"

John Horgan - Development Officer, North West Consortium (East) for Asylum Seekers and Refugees - NWCASR

"I find your daily information service to be a very valuable resource.Keeps me up to date on events at a UK level."

Billy Singh - Manager, Sighthill Community One Stop Shop - Glasgow - Link

"I've worked with refugees in a variety of different roles over last 10 years... now working for a project training refugees/asylum seekers to become CAB advice workers in Glasgow. Of all the email sources I use, I find yours the most comprehensive and useful."

Tim Cowen - Training Co-ordinator, Maryhill CAB Asylum Seeker & Refugee Project - Link

"I find your emails very useful - quick information and useful follow-up websites."

Suzanne Long - United Nations Association-UK - www.una-uk.org

"It fills an important vacuum in the flow of information on asylum."

Rosemary Byrne - Director, International Process and Justice Project - Law School - Trinity College Dublin - www.tcd.ie/

"It's a really wonderful service and helps to keep me and my colleagues informed"

Marina Spiegel - London Language and Literacy Unit - www.lsbu.ac.uk/lllu

"The service can be counted on to pick up on any important developments in asylum in the UK, as well as internationally. I consider it indispensable to my work as a researcher."

Trine Lester - Brighton

"Asylumpolicy.info is an invaluable resource for me; I work as an advice/support worker with HIV + asylum seekers/refugees & find the legal bulletins, re s.55 & Social Services support especially useful."

Julie Barton

"would like to say how valuable the email service is"

Chris Whitwell - Member, Brighton & Hove's Refugee Forum

"I find this resource extremely helpful. It keeps me up-to-date with domestic and international issues."

Emma Stewart - Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography - University of Dundee - www.dundee.ac.uk

Below are some comments from people writing in their personal capacity, for reasons of privacy, their names have not been provided.

"I find it very useful in my work and very interesting in a private capacity."

"Excellent service, very useful and it saves so much time."

"an important tool for asylum-seeker representatives."

"I quite commend your efforts in disseminating news about all that is going on in the world to the collective psyche of the entire citizenry of the globe."

"its a really useful and good service -thank you"

"is excellent and I have recommended it to a number of colleagues working in the field."

"Its brilliant - completely rely on this source to keep me up to date."

"I look for information to: get a overview of public opinion, have specific quotes to share with agencies, M.P.s, teach-ins and supporter newsletters. I find it personally very helpful."

"I find your service an invaluable source of information as I work with asylum seekers under the NASS system. I find that you often provide information that NASS fails to and through your regular e-mails I can ensure that all my staff are up to date with changes either in legislation, NASS policy or future legislation. It is also useful to keep abreast of asylum issues from an international perspective."

"I have just completed my dissertation on the representation of asylum seekers in the media and I found your emails to be invaluable. Please keep sending them as I would like to be kept informed."

"The speed of changes, and the grey areas within the world of Asylum coupled with NASS/ Home Office being well nigh uncontactable mean that your service, with its independent view, becomes even more important."

"The service you provide is amazing in its comprehensiveness and extremely valuable to those working with asylum seekers"

"In my view the service is excellent and indispensible for anyone dealing with asylum matters."

"An excellent service keep up the good work - only 1 suggestion develop an archive because the stuff you are sending will be invaluable as an historical record"

"Feel the service is very valuable. It is unbiased, to the point and it is everything that I, in a business capacity, need."

"I think I have been reading your newsletter religiously in the past year or so, and have found it extremely useful and informative."

"Any journalist determined to try and cover asylum issues properly should be a subscriber."

"I am involved weith several organisations helping asylum seekers in Liverpool and it is essential to know just what is happening - so, many thanks for a unique contribution to the cause!"

"I have been on your email for less than a year and I think its brilliant! and can speak for friends who say the same."

"It is very helpful to me in my work, running a multi-cultural community centre."

"As a person working with assylum seekers in another country I find it very helpful to find out what is happening in the UK since "

"It is interesting to compare refugee politics and practices of our 2 countries. Some people think Australia is leading the way in appalling attitudes towards and treatment of refugees - that other countries do notice and are copying!"

"I think this is a fantastic service as it gives accurate and up-to-date information that supports me in my work with asylum seekers both locally and natiionally. It also motivates re campaigning."

"I am a refugee advocate in Melbourne, Australia, and receive the service and I think it is great.Also, I have often used the links when gathering info for research."

"In the hostile environment of Oldham, it is good to know that the research part of keeping informed is so much easier because of your service."

"I work with people from the refugee community and its really good to be able to be upto date with funding news etc. Also its good to keep an eye on stories in papers that I wouldn't normally go"

"As a Community Liaison (Policy Officer) in Thanet I need to know what is happening locally, nationally and globally, without ploughing through a ton of newspaper articles - your source gives me that - as I am required to know the local position."

"Over the past 2 years I have been able to gauge public opinion and tensions which is crucial in a job which seeks to 'disperse racial tensions'."

"I find your daily e mail service of tremendous use and know of no other which trawls so many different news sources to give such in depth coverage."

"I find it very useful indeed for: background information emerging issues information on key personnel conferences and other events"

"As a US reader I find your service useful as a guage of the extreme xenophobia unfortunately sweeping the UK. What happens in the UK seems to infect us shortly thereafter - thank you for the alarming, but useful, look forward to an ever meaner, nastier global refugee regime."

"Your emails are excellent both as a news resource but also as an education and information resource."

"I am a Refugee Support Teacher and find your e-mails are very useful and inform my work."

"I think the service you provide is very enlightening and very informative. It saves time going through lots of websites to read a bit of information and your site combines everything."

"I received the information from the Home Office, which was always very helpful."

"It is also good to be able to find news in one central place. It saves me a lot of time. It also keeps me in touch with stuff happening around the country."

"Just to say that the news service has been extremely valuable - enabling not only mysrelf to keep up to date, but also to archive essential information for developing citizenship ..etc materials for the classroom"

"I am a Scottish Advocate ( the equivalent of barrister ) and find your service to be invaluable in keeping up to date with developments, not just in law but across the wider policy issues and the international legal and non-legal scene."

"I am a campaigner however sometimes due to other commitments I fall behind on what is happening in the world but I can always count on your service to keep me up to date and informed"

"you're doing a good job in highlighting all the important isues on the asylum debate. no one else has managed to weave the various strands of information and reports on an issue that concerns hundreds of thousnads of people in the UK"

"I find the service amazingly useful (I would do anyway but particularly so as I'm disabled and find it hard to use libraries)."

"I am addicted to you emails and read them at work and home. I feel I am always up to date with all information re: asylum issues. This help me to understand wider issue affecting asylum seekers and especially in daily practice."