WanderingChild: Kemi is badass. Her questions are raising the issues confronting us daily - energy bills, hospital appointments, teachers, police, etc. What is Starmer's response - word salad.
I feel for Rachel Reeves because whether she likes it or not, she dey catch stray bullet for every PMQ. 400+ fewer teachers, 1200+ fewer police officers, 93k+ extra appointments lost to doctor's strike and over £185 average increase in energy bills. Add more taxes, higher job losses, faster business delinquencies and increased welfare spend and you start seeing Nigeria in Polaroid.
That Starmer is unable to even know the state of the different sectors in the UK is alarming. That the education secretary doesn't know what is publicly on the DfE's website is alarming. However when you watch Yes! Minister, you realise oh, this is the UK, nothing new.
I have to keep coming back! Starmer is a tout. There is no difference between him and MC Oluomo. What kind of "agbero" response is this? What kind of garage performance is this? A whole PM shouting out lies and untruths and unable to provide responses to questions. Is this how the UK will generate innovation? Is this how productivity will be generated and sustained? What nonsense is this now? Is it not enough that the immigration policies are quite death squads but to add this level of "agbadoism" and rubbish karaoke dance to a shambolic presentation as PM during the PMQs is nothing short of comic relief.
I know that what will kill UK households are only three things - energy bills, inflation and interest rates. "Ed Milipede" is clear on his plans to impoverish UK households. The "buffalo*" is building nuclear power plants and supporting all kinds of nonsense renewables in Scotland. UK has no transmission network to evacuate that power. UK still uses gas as its pricing base ensuring that renewables are more expensive. Nuclear is like 10-20 years away from coming online. All the expenses being made by energy companies across the grid will see energy prices rising by up to £500 in the next 12-24 months. In addition to this will be inflation driven by government. As the ONS and OBR has shown, inflation will add £41 billion every year to the tax base till 2030 (when you see your property price increasing in value, please discount inflation to know what's up) ensuring that fiscal drag keeps salary earners poorer. Lastly will be the dem*ns at the BoE whose job is to act like confused "ewure" and add the last straw to the camel's back to ensure total decimation. Those clowns will claim that higher interest rates will be crucial to combat rising and sudden inflation - always sudden as if inflation happens by magic.
Bottom line - higher energy bills (which if government intervenes like during Covid, then be rest assured we would pay it in form of higher inflation), higher interest rates meaning finance will get more expensive and higher inflation (government will print money like never before because that budget cannot be financed by tax receipts alone).
Kemi sure has improved giving Starmer and his hand woto woto from all angles. His answers to everything is after 14 years of the conservatives, they had 14 years to know how not to run a country and here we are. I like how she gave them numbers, at least those don't lie. What's with Starmer and £150 given to families for energy bills, energy bills have increased by X amount and will increase in January again and they will give you £150 back, no thank you.
NewT123: Is it possible for someone to pull out of buying a property? All searches has been completed and both solicitors have agreed. Waiting on the lender to complete mortgage offer as valuation was just made on the property awaiting feedback.
What if at this stage, someone finds a better property for the same price. Is it okay to pull out? And what can be lost if one pulls out?
As long as you have not exchanged contracts you can pull out at any time without penalty. The only thing lost is what you have spent so far and possibly solicitors fee.
elengine: Hello everyone. In the light of recent ILR brouhaha, I'm already considering canada and my PR should arrive in 8 months all things being equal. So we are considering selling our properties. The property has appreciated but it is a 5 year fixed and we are just 1 year into it. So we would be 2 years by the time the property is put up for sale. Early Repayment Charges is 8k. My question, is there no way to renegotiate the contract now? Im willing to pay a restructuring fees?
you will possibly have to bite the bullet and pay the early repayment charges if you sell.
Alternatively, you could apply for a consent to let from your lender and put the property up for rent. This could be additional revenue for you as well as potential increase in property value over time - plus all the other advantages of being a landlord.
Goke7: The Uk needs urgent tax reform to reflect a more fairer society where everyone pays their fair share and Brexit ought to have triggered this as a huge chunk of revenue source plummeted. It’s as if there was no concrete post Brexit economic framework to come to terms of reality exiting the EU. It was like once we leave the EU we will have more money for ourselves after deceiving people that it was their money that was funding the EU but alas yawa don gas and everyone has to bear their papa name. The politicians are so lost as to which way forward and approach that won’t further annoy the people after lying to them about an Eldorado post Brexit that was never there in the first place. The convenient thing now is to continue to divert the attention of the people to put the blame where it’s not and hang on or grab power wherever, whenever and however.
I agree. As Brexit don be, no need to look back but look forward and try to make the best of what we got.
RodgersAkpafu: This post is soaked in neoliberal lies and misleading narratives that these guys have sold for decades
The reason why these rich prixks can leave the country in the first place is because the laws permit them to.
Draconian laws implemented WILL TRAP them here China style. That's what this country needs right now but are not ready
The rich of every country OWE that country a sense of responsibility and this new age narratives of not wanting to pay tax is crazy
please educate me on what you think is the truth. no ideology is perfect. but when every time the problem is one particular class is the problem.
your draconian laws cannot work here, now China is the standard? Besides there is a level of capitalism in China and they do this to keep the capital in country rather than chase them out. it is the industries that drive the Chinese economy and they heavily subsidize industry not stifle it with taxes. take energy for example, we had the windfall tax on oil and gas, industry that supports 10s of thousands of jobs and created GB energy. the companies are not investing in the UK and that is risking lots of jobs have been lost and lots still at risk, potential tax revenue for the govt and keeping people employed and out of the benefit system. What does GB energy do - their first major initiative solar panels on schools and govt buildings, where did they source the panels from - China - £200 million. We have manufacturers here in the UK and where is the money sent.
All the taxes rises that this govt has implemented has been counterproductive, tax takes has reduced - Stamp duty threshold reduced, FTB have to save a lot more to get on the property market because they have to pay the tax. Landlords will buy houses but who will offset the cost - tenants. Besides tax takes on stamp duty has reduced, counterproductive is it? the economy grows by 0.1% MoM/YoY every time but inflation is ~4.2% they say. The economy grows not because we have more money to spend but we are paying more for less.
What the country needs is people who have capital and are willing to invest not being stifled with taxes on everything.
The chancellor in my opinion would have done a better job if she did not do anything at all.
politicians just want to win elections, they don't care about solving the problems. there have been some good takes on the issues going on in the country but then who will bell the cat. Some of these issues require some tough decisions which if a PM comes out to address, will be labelled racist, far right and other names.
the country needs to be productive, increasing taxes does not help that. Someone commented on removing some form of benefits and someone else replied that these benefits scroungers will always find a way, same with the rich people we are always looking to tax. was it inheritance tax that was increased last year, the govt take from that reduced despite the tax going up. the rich people will always find a way usually the money invested in other countries and overseas tax haven when we need the investments in the country. Cost of everything is up, they say YoY % change in inflation is 4.2% but my grocery shopping is up over 40-50% for same things in my cart.
ReesheesuKnack: Australia had problems with illegal arrivals on boats. How did the Aussies solve it? The UK Labour Govt should use the Australian model. It worked before, it can still work for the UK.
All this talk about ‘smashing the gangs’ and 1-in-1-out is nonsense.
While in opposition, David Lammy uses EVERY single opportunity he has to cry out and advocate for SAFE LEGAL ROUTES for asylum seekers. What happened to that?
Now, most of the illegal boat arrivals come in from France, right? The UK has a consulate in France don’t they? Can the UK not open small consulate office annexes in Calais? Then the UK post their officials there. All prospective asylum seekers go to the UK-manned posts in Calais to apply for asylum. Any successful applicants are granted asylum visas and the UK facilitates their travel via Eurostar.
With this firmly established, No ‘asylum’ seeker can arrive in a boat and be expected to not be treated as an illegal.
With that firmly established, the UK now applies the Australian model. Infact, if they can’t get a 3rd country (like Rwanda), they can place huge ‘Bibby Stockholm’s’ at sea. Any dinghy arrivals are put in the Ships and taken back to their home countries, without their feet touching the ground.
The EcHR cannot accuse the UK of breaking the law, since the UK can point at the consulate/embassy annexes in Calais.
Problem solved. Nigel no longer has a small boats argument. Labour succeeds where the Tories failed.
Labour becomes the darling of the UK. Everyone is happy. Even our previous Nairaland Labour Party chairwoman will return to this thread.
Happy Days!
Funny how they had all the answers until they got into government, then they became clueless.
jedisco: Hehe.. what would he done? Walk out and face Putin?
For all Trump said- he reminded Z he doesn’t have the main cards here. Z is the one seeking help and he should be playing his cards well.
Just like at the onset of this war, I still continue to wonder how Ukraine would gain.
Before the war, when UK and U.S warned Z that Russia were amassing troops on his border, he laughed them off as being war mongers. Appears he had no idea which is shocking for 2 nations so closely intertwined.
Many nations have gained- China and India get cheap energy North Korea got a nuclear power behind them with security guarantees Some European countries used the distraction to quickly join NATO U.S used this to appraise and deplete Russian capabilities/demography, test new and deplete old weapons plus fund their military industry.
Ukraine is not more likely to join NATO now than they were at the beginning of the war. Russia has also suffered and any 'victory' now would be phyrric and looking to prove a point which is not what Ukraine wants.
We all agree Russia is the bad bear and America the dominant lion. Could Ukraine not extricate itself from being cannon fodder between the two? What effort did Ukraine make to avoid this? This was largely foreseeable. The reality of the world today is that if a nation decided to make the Soviets (or now China) their best friend, they probably don't want to share a border with America.
For all the huffing, how long can the EU unilaterally support Ukraine without the U.S? How long before the 1 million young NEETs in the UK question why we are sending billions to Ukraine when their benefits are being cut?
My sentiments exactly. £Billion pounds more, more people dead, more territories lost, country is in greater debt, keep digging into a bottomless hole. The only way Ukraine gets anything out of this is if Russia loses.
jedisco: In other news, my prayers for this 14yo British lad who now is receiving court-sanctioned straightening and cultural enlightenment in Ghana currently.
Not a fan of such moves... but sometimes.. it's necessary. I wonder if the parents would have been forced to bring thier kid back should the Judge had ruled against them.
I'm sure in a couple of years he'll thank his parents for saving his life, that's if he gets with the program. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Kudos to the parents and the judge.
jedisco: That it happens in certain areas (and is actively fought against) is not an excuse to perpetuate that or speak in its favour. Afterall, same could have been said if homophobia, apartheid e.t.c I remember speaking quite strongly about the recurrent theme of posting any crime commited by a Nigerian here under the guise of 'warning us' to do better. Thankfully, it died down. We dont need it. There are over 200million Nigerians and over 1billion black folks. The activity of a random black person somewhere does not weigh on my psyche is thesame way I do not except every white person to be remourseful or 'warning themselves' beacause of crime commited by random whites.
Lastly, this appears isolated. Is there any evidence to show that this crime is a systemic issue and if so, is there an overrepresentation of Nigerians? If the answer to both is yes, my concern would first be how to guard against profiling and then how to address underlying drivers in a decent manner.
We all have some bias and I believe it is inherent in everyone of us as humans based on environment,information or experiences. I was profiled recently. I was on a project in another country with people from different nationalities, we went to the football field at the end of the day to relax. It was time to pick teams and I was one of the first to be selected, why because I am a Nigerian, tall and look atlethisc. most of the guys there grew up watching kanu, okocha and the rest. In my circle,I am always the last to be picked or never even picked because I cannot play football to save my life. However, I represented as a naija guy, I did not let the country down they even asked me to come back the next day. There are 200 million Nigerians but they had a positive perception of Nigerians being good footballers based on their experience/knowledge of a dozen Nigerians that did represented well in the area of football.
In my line of work, if a particular tool/part fails, the whole batch is quarantined and each tool from that batch is investigated to prevent failure. Even the bible says a little yeast ruins the whole batch. I am for judging people based on their merits, but we are from the same batch. It's Not a good place to start from but I believe by your actions in your environment, you have probably changed people's mind about how they perceive us.
jedisco: I don't get. Are you really arguing in favour of profiling? That some parts of a system are still that way is well different from speaking in its favour.
Not to long ago it was revealed the home office it was revealed the home office had same approach and many African nationals were on the reveiving end of vague requirements inappropriate visa refusals. Unsurprisingly, they were quick to abandon this following the expose. It wasn't difficult to see how this self-reinforcing system became increasingly unfair.
With profiling first you have the issue of reinforcing a negative spiral with resultant far-reaching effects. Secondly, it creates a gaping blindspot which is almost always taken advantage of.
Recently, whether its black lives or end-SARS riots or police brutality, or going father back and you have senseless killings, apartheid e.t.c. Many recent genocides always started on that narrative until they blew out of proportion. As a black person, we have enough experience of certain things to know what to oppose.
Profiling in reality is what happens. Instead of getting angry at the 'profilers', as a black man, I would rather educate and encourage our set to do better because it is the same brush that we will all be painted with. If you don't give anybody any weapon to to use against you, there would be nothing to profile against
Zahra29: European men of a certain age who are profiled when visiting certain South Asian islands because of the likes of Gary Glitter = racism
White British football fans who are profiled or even banned when visiting an European city due to previous occurrences of football hooliganism by other white British football fans = racism
Eastern Europeans who are subjected to greater scrutiny because of offending benefit fraudsters from Poland and Bulgaria = racism
All the above, and many more, are regular occurrences. You're right, it's all racism. Unfortunately, the above is also a fact of life. And most profiling is covert in any case. Most people don't even know that they are being scrutinised unless they are stopped, and the majority will not be stopped.
To the bolded, nobody said they shouldn't speak out and protest. If innocent, you have every right.
No disrespect to anybody, but I just want to understand your argument.
When data shows that there is a particular set/group of people are disproportionately committing a particular offence, to curb it, isn't it prudent to put that particular set under greater scrutiny to reduce the problem?
The average lifespan of a television set, is between 8/15 years (I think)......
They would have to charge about 15 years of TV licence fee, from each TV sale.... That TV set would be so expensive, no reasonable person would buy any TV set.......
That defeats the purpose....... 🤣😂
Then go for the smart phones, tabs, laptops as well since we use them for subscription video on demand.
I moved to the UK in August via dependent visa. I work with a company outside the UK (in Nigeria) that pays in USDt. I'm trying to figure out how to pay tax here in the most efficient way possible without long term negative repercussions.
Can I use direct self assessment or I should register a business and pay myself through the business? Or any other options?
Best you speak to an accountant.
I think you do a self assessment and tell HMRC about the money you bring into the country, that is what you will pay tax on. One negative is if you need finance, you will be assessed based on what you declare. Again if you pay tax on your income in Nigeria, you can do the assessment and claim your tax back- something called dial taxation treaty but every income you make in the UK will be taxed.. this is my layman understanding on this, best speak to an accountant to advice on your specific situation.
jedisco: Hehe... Capitalist + democracy = democratic Capitalist. Abi my eye dey do me strong thing?
Renters bill? I'm almost regretting having cold feet earlier cos rents are on the increase as older landorn have cashed out. With other assets hoing bokers and interest rates dropping, wouldn't surprise me if house prices pick up. I called an agent regarding a well located property I saw over Christmas, chap said they had over 20 viewings and vendor has already asked for best and final offer.
Rent controls in Scotland has caused a severe spike in rent. In Argentina, eliminating rent controls caused a 40% drop in rent. I gather parts of Germany its very difficult to find a rental in some places. Sometimes, the best way to intervene in a market is by going back to the basics of supply vs demand
I would tread with caution wrt btl especially with the increasing regulations, besides why should you own more than one property when people are struggling to and can't afford to buy their own homes. Have you considered short term rentals, seems to give more returns than traditional BTL. It's folks like you that increase demand thereby cause house price inflation. The stamp duty on second homes generate tax revenue for the govt, you are rich we need to tax you more.
Interests rate coming down, no one can predict. With the trend on inflation turning back up and economic uncertainties plus trump in a couple of days if you ask me id say hold and have a sense of where things a will go.
PrettyPacy: Short post alert… Good evening everyone, I have come to give God the glory and appreciate everyone here who encourages and give free and detailed information about mortgage, thank you. I got the house keys today and the feeling can not be described… thank you everyone, thank you.
Just in time for Christmas. Congratulations and well done!
elengine: Please oh the seniors. An update to my previous post:
1. I have reserved the first new build and the solicitors recommended by the Builder has commenced work. Their recommended broker is also working on my mortgage approval. Hopefully it comes back soon.
2. I have another DIP obtained from another broker and that one is for old build. I am still negotiating with the Estate Agent. I want to take advantage of the fact that I already have a bird at hand and so I slashed the asking price thinking they may say yes and if they insist on no, I move.
I also have another DIP with another broker bit don't let me bore you with this.
My question, can I have more than one mortgage applications at the same time? And I hope it doesn't have any effect? The idea is to go for the best even if the 3 applications says yes to me.
Lastly, for new build, is it possible to solicitor to conclude e everything within 1 month. Note that the solicitor was recommended by the Builder.
I will be waiting in one corner here with a cup of zobo to read your useful comments as usual.
Hard or soft searches on your credit? Might affect credit rating/profile if too many searches.
Typically for new builds with developers, if you go with their recommended solicitors, completion is usually faster because solicitor already has all the info about the property.
Bukad: Please can elders clarify on the bolded. So assuming one has a building with tenants in Nigeria and have a LISA account , AIP, and booking viewings here already you can't be seen as FTB
Guy, you need to show them that you can walk away. The agent threatened to put the property online multiple times, and I said go ahead…we are not in a hurry, a better property will come to the market, and the wait would be beneficial since mortgage rates would drop soon. After their initial threats, they came back with an 8K reduction, and we still said no. In the end, we ended up settling on 10k off.
walked away. Seller wants premium price without handling the issues raised. it would have constituted a liability in the long run after all considered so we move. It wasn't in our preferred area, just the land and potential that came with it.
Funny thing, something close to madam's dream house was listed around the corner from this one 75k cheaper, a little less land with a lot more house.
PrettyPacy: Good evening everyone, I need some advise, my mortgage has been approved and the estate agent is insisting completion date should not be later than the 20/12 but my solicitor is saying they require 8-10weeks for conveyance and paper work and the completion date is not feasible what do I do ? I’m confused . Have contacted 2more solicitors and they confirm same.
It's out of your hands. I'd call the bluff of the EA on this and let them know all I can do is get a responsive solicitor . If they're really interested in completing before 20.12, then relisting is is not an option.
In such cases, I'd take more caution and if not a new build would do a good survey
id take the advice quoted above.
Call their bluff. Estate agent probably wants his commission for the Christmas holidays. Let your solicitor do that which needs to be done and if they are not happy, they can relist the property, get a buyer and complete on their preferred date.
ReesheesuKnack: If madam president had won, I would have celebrated her too. That would’ve been 1 more story for me to tell my daughter. Unfortunately, it appears the Trump guy only beats women, but not men (Hilary in 2016 & Kamala in 2024). The conspiracy theorist in me thinks even the (probably senile) ‘sleepy joe’ at the head of the ticket would’ve beaten the Donald.
Any way, we Move.
No chance, that is why they (democrats) insisted he step down. Easiest way for Kamala to be president if it was sure Joe would have beaten Donald.
Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 3) by deept(m): 2:37pm On Apr 16
