Welcome back @justwise
For a moment, I wondered the worst

Lexusgs430:


The immigrant inturn, would now have to ensure they get all the benefits they have been taxed for ........💰

Absolutely! Anyone legal and settled migrant can can rightly state they've paid (and continue to pay) their dues and more. It's for them to demand the benefits whenever the need arises.

IridescentAge:
(I'm a Brit. Hope you don't mind me posting here).

The problem that Reform or the Conservative party have with their current agenda is that it tends to mostly appeal to old ppl.

The UK has a generational gap in attitudes between generation (I'm 34) and the older generation.

I talk to my grandparents and they're worried about illegal immigration from channel crossings, knife crime in London etc. Their generation also has a number of ... quite racist people in it but they won't necessarily show it openly.

Now, it is possible that this changes in the future. In Europe we're seeing a far right swing among young people but that hasn't materialized in the UK ... at least yet.

I have seen young people having concerns around immigration but that seems to mostly be focused around house prices and inability to afford a property due to there not being enough.

(This is what I've observed from personal experience)

By 'Brit' you mean? Cos there are good number of Brits and soon to be Brits who post on this thread.

The Tories have stuggled to attract 30-50 yr olds as in times past. The UK has recently not seen much of the Right wing tilt that happens as people get older and richer. Perhaps, this is due to a stagnant economy and rising inequality but then, viewpoints can change quickly.

The conversation around immigration has increasingly deflected people's attention from more pressing issues. Like I've said multiple times, attaining zero net migration (or even negative) is easy. All it takes its a simple policy directive and capped visas. I wonder why its taking over 20 yrs to achieve such a simple task.

Stumbled upon this and found it interesting moreso in light of recent conversations here.
Contrarian economics is odd. Just like the article pointing out that more affordable cities interestingly have a higher ratio of vacant properties than say London.

House prices up, rents up despite high interest rates. Most striking is the fact that Scotland who have recently introduced some rent controls have had the largest rise in rents. Higher tax is not the answer to everything. Landlords have been taxed heavily over the past decade. Many are selling and putting that cash in less stressful and potentially higher yielding investments. Has that helped renters? Nope. Increased owner costs, less options would ultimately lead to higher rents


Rents increased to £1,301 (8.6%) in England, £736 (8.5%) in Wales, and £957 (9.3%) in Scotland, in the 12 months to May. In Northern Ireland, average rents increased by 10.3% year-on-year in March.


https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uk-house-prices-rise-first-time-buyers-103303440.html#

Lexusgs430:


Don't worry, reform wouid never form a government, not even if the election result is hung..........

All reform would continually be would be disruptor, noisemakers etc etc...... Where is BNP & UKIP today........ 🤣😂

Finally, the whole narrative is becoming increasingly insulting moreso with the significant societal ignorance around immigration e.g saying students come with parents. Just like with Brexit, a part of me wants them to win so lessons can be learned. Only that the initial downsides for my people still already on the pathway may be steep.

My issue it that the noise gives alot of people whose lives are heavily bankrolled on the sweat of migrants and who otherwise would be taking notes the room to cast aspersions.

I now see why some European professionals simply left the UK with Brexit and many more stopped coming. Perhaps they found the whole talk insulting. Oddly enough it was recently muted in some quarters that the UK was looking for a deal with EU to get EU workers to come over hehe.. I wonder if its arrogance or ignorance. Its like seeing humans like items on a shopping till.

The whole narrative of immigration needs to be elevated above base discussions. First how many immigrants are needed for the economy to stay afloat. In what sectors are they needed? How can they be supported to reach the pinnacle of their potential and not milked by the state for every penny.

This is what our police men have been reduced to.

For such disgusting show, the DPO and commissioner of police ought to be suspended

Born2conquer:
I HOPE I WILL GET A RESPONSE.

Abeg, where I fit get Zobo leaves in the UK? I started working Night shifts in the UK and it has been very hard for me to sleep during the day.

I barely get 2hrs of sleep daily. I believe drinking Zobo will help

Search for Hibiscus tea - loose leaf options (dried leaves without bags) are also available.

Never induced sleep in me though. Perhaps I never took note.

@op

Your question should be why do people have issues with accountability? I have met fraudulent men and women in equal measure.

Secondly, there is a gaping hole in this story. Lots of details are missing and its odd you can't see that. It makes no sense that two lovers in speaking terms would have a big fracas to the extent of throwing abuses and cancelling their engagement because of that question. There is a background to this you are not aware of.

Lastly, that she's not married does not mean she made a wrong decision by cancelling that engagement. Also, the man may have learned from that and moved on. I'm sick and tired of folks making a big deal of marriage and blackmailing people cos of it.

kwakudtraveller:


No one is dismissing the value of hard work, sir. There's a distinction between working hard and overworking oneself, and then assuming that others who don't push themselves beyond their pay grade are lazy or unwilling to work. Given your level of intellect, I believe you should grasp the core of this conversation.

I might have sounded 'spiky', but then, where do you draw the line?
I have met Brits and immigrants who many would equally consider 'hardworking' and also many who'd be considered 'lazy'. These are all anecdotal statements full of stereotypes. The bottomline is that the country needs certain skills and if those cannot be normally met locally, then something would need to give.

I have met a lot of people with little who live happier lives than those with much more. I met someone recently who wondered why I don't plan holidays every 2-3months to certain destinations. I said, it's simple- it does not interest me. I clump my major holiday into 4- 6 wks taken once or split 1-2 x a year and I many times travel to Nigeria. When I'm back, I work pretty hard cos I aim to retire early and hope to enjoy the process. Does that mean I chastise my colleagues who want to work till retirement as not wanting to enjoy life?

In summary, while the theoritical expouse of a good balance is enviable, there is no universal rule to what constitutes good work-life balance.

kwakudtraveller:


And this is the exact reason why a lot of immigrants assume that Brits do not want to work. They are so used to seeing their co-foreigners at these low-level jobs that they’ve assumed that the Brits are lazy and do not want to work or that Brits aren’t doctors, etc. Whereas the Brits are the ones in the top positions, they also own the hospitals or Care homes that hire these Brown doctors or carers, but they always ensure that they prioritize putting in their countrymen as managers, etc. 

Nigerians also see Brits as lazy for leaving work on time or not doing more than their job description. The Brits value work-life balance, whereas Nigerians overvalue working long hours. Like this comment, Nigerians like to dey boast about overworking themselves as if they must suffer before they enjoy.

Generalisations are almost always wrong. No great nation is built without hardwork.

You'd need to widen your horizon so as not to box yourself into a corner. While some immigrants who arrived in the 60s - 80s took on such narratives, others pushed boundaries and produced the likes of Rishi and Kemi.
Yes there are barriers but if you want to get to the top and start 'employing' others, you need to put in the hard work and realise that somethings take time.

I have always found it interesting how the headline of a story can drive the narrative even if its thesane facts brung reported on. This is even more obvious in this election season.

Prime example are these two below by The Telegraph and The Guardian.

Disgraceful. Is this what our politicians have reduced us too? Is Festus now the mouthpiece of the UAE govt?

Can't such a gesture be replicated and we forget about them?

All these sensational headlines by mediocre news media. When they run out of what to report, they look at the closing exchange rate and even if its 1 naira difference when compared to that of the last day, they'd scream 'rally' or 'crash' . No one is even talking about even basic rolling averages to get a better pocture. Its all about retarded headlines

How does something going from 1478 to 1483 signify a crash? These are normal intraday movements in any market.

missjekyll:


Bravo/Brava!!!
Was just about to say this.
Jedisco, do have a gander at this

https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/why-so-many-empty-homes-in-london-b1077385.html

Have you ever wondered why most everyday folks think the conservatives historically do a much of managing the economy than Labour despite the latter being the ones who are traditionally keen to tax folks. It is easy to think 'tax them to the teeth' so I can have more. In reality, it works differently.

Your quoted link does a good job of pointing out facts as against populist narratives.

Cyberknight:


Your points are well made, but I disagree with all of them.

Foreign investment in property in the UK has been largely negative in terms of consequences. Effectively, people in the UK, with its lowish levels of pay and high costs of living, are competing against the middle to upper classes of the whole world to own property in their own country. The only slightly positive effect has been additional government revenue from tax on property related transactions, but in my opinion any benefit is outweighed by the overall negative consequences.

While the government was gorging on Russian and sundry other dodgy origin money, and dashing out residency and citizenship to anyone who rocked up with enough money of any provenance in their pocket to pay, its people were slowly being priced out of their own capital city and other desirable locations. While most people have the impression that its mainly luxury property in upscale postcodes that foreigners are flogging among themselves, that's not the case - they're everywhere, buying up new developments offplan, etc. Oxford, for instance, is full of rich foreign students and it sometimes seems as if all of them buy property before they leave.

Hehe... most of what I said was factual and not opinionated. Landlords have been selling, house prices and rents have hardly 'crashed' as expected but rather rents have shot up. Who would have thought? There are different market groups here. The house being bought by the Russian oligarch in Mayfair would not be in the hands of working class Brit before they bought it and even now if they are seized and sold or 'taxed to the teeth'. Don't forget it was the Russian money that the likes of Chelsea and the Premier league gorged on to generate such huge revenues for the country.

Coming to Oxford, forget the populist talk of 'foreigners taking over our land' because a few Chinese people own a home. People have also insinuated same about me despite my county being over 95% British white. Can you state what ratio of houses in Oxford are foreign owned and how this compares to other UK cities?

This is not saying that there shouldn't be effective taxation. There's already selective taxation in place for second and foriegn owners. All I'm saying is that taxation should consider the far reaching consequences, understand the very complex nature of housing and be progressive.

Drebal:
I thought you were referring to the caregiver route

Nope. That's new

Drebal:
is it open?

Was introduced last year and I've not heard about it being closed

mike2130:
please we need advice on the next thing to do concerning an issue about a Canadian visa. A nigerian travel agent assisted us to apply for a visa and told my brother that it was an internship. to cut the long story short we never heard anything from the canadian visa center after biometrics for over 1yr. so we asked the agent to cancel the application. right now hes not talking to us. we re trying to apply for a canadian tourist visa and the agent is not saying anything to us because we need the previous details he used for the other application. what do we do now? how do we get the information's he used previously? please advice pls on how to retrieve my brothers information so we can go ahead to apply again.

thanks

Another agent issue. Keep wondering why folks can't do this themselves

IyawoTM:
Please can anyone confirm what the different codes mean
Like W698654329
V109875098


Is it possible for an application to start with a V, but when the visa comes out the code will come out with another Alphabet initial?

Just wondering... is there a reason you can't sort your application yourself?

exclusiveoloori:
Pls house, my own question is, How safe is it to invest in T-bills with this rate?? I have been doing it for 12 years and the highest rate was 14% seeing it stop at 20% for a while now still amazes me. Yes I know inflation rate is high and other factors may have contributed to the sudden rise but pls experts in the house, are our monies still safe?. Hope we won’t wake up one day and hear stories. This our current government no get mercy o

What are the potential risks you are worried about?
If the Nigerian government defaults on its naira debts, then there'd be bigger issues to worry about. Worse case, they print more money and inflate the currency to paper.

Ghana had to renegotiate its debt recently but those we foreign denominated bonds

Vikkystar:
Pls does anyone know a financial institution that lends money with interest in Nigeria? I want to use it to complete my tuition fee, I have more than half of my tuition and also a place to stay over there.
I want to pay my tuition in full so that I would just be paying back the debt and not worry about outstanding fees issues that is currently affecting students in the UK.
My course is within the health sector and i have experience as a caregiver and a cardiorespiratory physiologist in Nigeria, I was told i would be able to get a job in both field as it is under short occupation.
Pls I need help with the student loan.

Given your experience, it might also be worth considering the healthcare draw for the Canadian express entry. That could be done over a period whether in Nigeria or the UK

lavida001:


If they are not careful Chinese will buys all their houses.

Chinko people have been able to manipulate the housing and many other sector of their economy.

All the blame on foreign ownership has all the trappings of the current immigration issue. Populist and a vote winner but just like chasing away immigrants it's hardly ever results in higher standards of living for the local polpulace. Even 9ja fcked around and found out.

Certain considerations:

1. Recently, due to tax changes, alot of landlords have been selling. Now combine that with higher rates which were supposed to 'crash' house prices and tell me how much of a drop we have had. Have landlords selling made renting or home ownership any more affordable?

2. The ratio of foreign ownership in the UK has remained quite small and has served as a good impetus to the building sector. Forget talk, is the nation really reafy for a drop in house prices just like in Japan?

3. Many countries (NZ, AUS, Can) with higher ratio of foriegn ownerships have banned or severely restricted foreign ownership- have their house prices become affordable as a result?

4. Most foreign owners buy in cash or with less mortgage due to higher interest rates. If they buy with mortgage, local lenders benefit. For those buying in cash- remember this is cash not yet in the economy, the person has say £300k in their pocket. They would only invest it in a place they see a reasonable chance of profit. The UK economy needs that inflow- remember we are largely a service based economy. Investors can as well put those funds in other economies or a global index funds and get 7% after inflation with good liquidity and dodge all the issues around rentals e.g non paying tenants e.t.c. Even with good rental yield, how long do you think it would take for such a person to recoup their capital? Its largely a longplay game.

5. This is not saying it should be laissez-faire for foriegn investors. There shoud be progressive regulation but the narrative to keep pressing the increase tax button is hardly the answer.
Its for every host nation to understand how to maximise benefits from such inflows they need while making sure thy remain a sought after investment destination.

missjekyll:


How do you get somebody on the waiting list for a knee replacement into work? Untreated anxiety ? Depression?

Until they are treated, it's wishful thinking

While not excusing the multitudes of this truly unable to work cos they are awaiting treatment, why not listen to those who interract with a good number of those daily?

Remember one morning seeing a chap who was describing vague unconnected symptoms all in search of a fit note. The next day, chap turned up at my house in his van (hot off other jobs) to fix a plumbing issue. While he was shocked, I was not even bothered. I had seen worse. The funny thing I notice is that while I'm virtually pleading with those on zero hour contracts (e.g builders) who are struggling, to take sometime off to recover, those with a well rounded work package e.g the government workers want 3 months off at the bat of a hat. We need a balance.


Do you think that the paediatric admissions for mental health issues like paracetamol overdose, self harm, earing disorders e.t.c now rivaling admissions for physical health issues is also all due to a failure of the NHS?

Do you think immigrants go to work everyday because they dont have mental health issues?

Waking up everyday to go to work in this country is not easy. I work overnight and manytimes ask myself why I'm not in my bed asleep. If labour does not tackle the longterm sick issue head on by making work pay, it's one thing that would quickly destroy them and sure bring in a conservative government to 'fix' just like in times past.

Cyberknight:


Interesting how the current government is now seeing migrants as a convenient goose to pluck.
Well, in line with the theory of turkeys and Christmas, I shall certainly not be voting Tory, no matter how much the rest of their platform might otherwise have made some sense to me.

LibDem all the way. EluDee till 2034.

Lol... EluDee!. Thats a new one

Students don suffer finally. They are dehumanised and milked at same time.

What I find interesting about that this projected IHS fee rise for students is that current students would have already paid this fee hence unaffected. Just like the last hike, what no one is asking is what is the projected number new of students they'd need to make this reachable/sustainable?

The last immigration fee increase was fairly smooth. Another 25%? No problem. They can leave if they want to.

Odd thing is the student cash cow has been milked to subsidize fees paid by local students, support universities, pay civil servants higher wages, this is aside the labour, rent e.t.c students contribute and yet they are refused from bringing dependents cos they are deemed not to contribute enough. How much more do they need to contribute for it to be deemed enough?

There needs to be good oversight on buildings in the nation.
Investigations needs to happen whenever things like this occur and culpable persons prosecuted. If its the owner, builder, architect, site engineer e.t.c, they need to go before a judge.

What is the role of government regulatory agencies?
We can't just sit around and let buildings collapse right and centre

missjekyll:


Very good .Tactical voting is where it's at. Are these plans costed?

They have posted an document ( https://www.libdems.org.uk/sums ) on how these would be funded. Largely by reversing some tax cuts to banks and by higher taxes but not on ordinary citizens. While there might be some areas needing further details, overall nothing jumps out. At least, it does not include further tax on migrants/students and not the air castles Reform are promising.

The IFS has also reviewed their plans and nothing odd so far:
https://ifs.org.uk/articles/liberal-democrat-manifesto-reaction

The gift that keeps on giving. Keep milking the cow.

You don't want immigrants but after paying tax and NI, they are the one which are needed to susidise fees for local students, taxed specially for the NHS (which they seldom use), fund a rise in pay for civil servants and now fund 8000 more police officers.... and yet, you still don't want immigrants. As migrants, its worth knowing the burden we carry and our importance to the system.

It's odd how the populace wants lower taxes, low immigration and at same investment (whatever that means) in the local labour force. Ask where the money would come from and folks start twiddling their thumbs.

Perusing the libdem manifesto- they seem to be a breath of fresh air and are ready to have a grown up conversation on topical issues. e.g immigration- they are looking at it from a need perspective and deciding where and how many rather than the Tories (Reform) who go would the populist narrative of 'we dont need them' but then turn around and open the flood gates.

Also, they seem to be the largest part with a reasonable percentage in England looking to reenact Brexit. I'm mixed on this. Rejoining the EU would not necessarily favour the African community in the UK esp those looking to move in. It would favour those already here as they can traverse Europe and retire wherever easily. Regarding the effect on the economy, its a mixed bag.

I'm leaning towards them. It also helps that they have a good chance in my area.

https://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto

coldzobo:


Thanks a lot for this insightful response. Id be watching btc dominance chart more closely now

There'd always be opportunities to ride alyts
If you've been through a full cycle, youd know. Let Bitc0in do its thing. Once it starts breaking all time high and in full price discovery, the opportunities to jump into alts would be sooo obvious. That way, knowing when to exit would also be clearer.

jedisco:


Following it and betc dominance chart closely along with a few others. Been hardly as active in the market this time.

.....

A quick follow-up from this..

Just a reminder then when a major coin starts dumping (esp for no clear isolated reason), it usually brings the brings the market down with it.

Case innpoint, this market dump being preceeded by a dump in BNB yesterday.

Many of us would loose money in crypt0 by buying/selling too often. As a matter of fact, crypt0 is dangerous, fairly unregulated and the majority would loose money- not because the market hasn't been in a good uptrend but because of emotions.

Worth zooming out, avoid leverage, ride the bigger move. Have a target and what profits would be used for and be ready to take money off the market/derisk when the time comes and euphoria is crazy.

Good one- club and fans need to learn.

Turnout was good. The NFL should keep up with this so funds can flow into the league

Papilagreen:


Lol I like the end where you say single person.
Let us wait till you married with minimum of two kids with a take home pay of 2000 then you will understand what bills are but for now, let's leave it at that and revisit this topic as you said it's a no brainer.
I can only argue with people with kids at least minimum two or someone who pus child support so if you don't fall in this category then I see no reason taking it more with u.
And I bet you don't know how the full taxation system works because we are immigrants if you have spend up to 5 to 10 years working there then come back and lets drink over this topic on an open table and discuss lol.

No need to revisit this discussion. I've spent over 5 years in the UK and know the nitty gritty of how taxes work both for an individual and a company.

Manytimes families are much better off than a single earner as the government understands families need to be supported. Reason why before the recent change, the only way many masters students were able to meet up with their fees was to travel with their spouse.

For example, as a family - one person in fulltime employment and the other in a flexible role (which is plentiful), they would easily bring home a combined income well above 3.5k. Both can at least enjoy their taxfree allowance of 23k combined. If one works in certain government or health sectors, (which many Nigerians do) then they have access to generous maternity leave of upto 1yr. With 6 months of full pay and 6months half pay.

Even after rent and council tax and heating, they'd have well over 1k to spend. Unlike Nigeria where living essentials like food, clothing, electronics, care e.t.c are terribly expensive. In the UK (and many western nations), basic needs like food are quite cheap relatively. The only thing that might eat into their income would be if for anything, they have to pay for someones labour e.g child care but this is optional and many avoid it. There are loads of families on similar pay who with good planning have gone on to get mortgages, decent cars, and live a decent life.

And mind you, this is not a comparing like for like. Someone earning 500k in Nigeria is a top earner. Someone earning £2k in the UK is not far above minimum wage. That person still has room to improve income by picking up some overtime and advancing their career.