Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

By Holly Watt, Whitehall Editor12:01AM GMT 18 Nov 2014
Labour has been accused of “catastrophically misunderstanding” the immigration system, after the Home Office attacked a flagship strategy before it was even announced by Yvette Cooper.
The Shadow Home Secretary was due to unveil the recruitment of 1,000 extra border guards, funded by a new electronic visa waiver, but Home Office sources said that her plans would only fund 59 new staff.
Under Miss Cooper’s plans, nationals in countries enjoying a "visa waiver" system of fast-track permission to enter the UK would be hit with a charge of around £10 per visit.
The Labour party said would more than cover the £45 million cost of the additional staff.
However, Home Office sources immediately said that the charges would not cover the 1,000 new staff, pointing out that only a few countries were affected by the visa waiver system. Only visitors from Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates would be affected, with Kuwait due to join the scheme next year.
Given that less than a quarter of a million visitors from these countries would pay the charge a year, Home Office sources said that less than £2.5million would be raised by the new system.
“It is catastrophically wrong,” said a Home Office source. “They have completely misunderstood the whole immigration system.”
The source added that If Labour planned to extend the electronic visa waiver scheme to visitors from all countries that do not at present require a visa – such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – they would be creating a complicated new system that would cost more to operate than it would recover in fees of £10 per person.
In her speech on immigration, Miss Cooper is due to accuse the Conservatives and the UK Independence Party of engaging in an “arms race of rhetoric”, making the debate polarised and unhealthy.
Her speech comes after the party leader Ed Miliband said last week that Labour would be "talking more about immigration as a party", but “always on the basis of Labour values, not UKIP values".
“Enforcement has got worse in the last five years. Under Theresa May basic checks are just not being done, and that is undermining confidence in the whole system,” Miss Cooper will say, highlighting concerns about border guards. “The number of people stopped and turned away at the border has halved.”
Miss Cooper will also highlight the dangers of human trafficking, as well as warning that the amount of drugs being seized at the borders has fallen.
“At Calais there are now serious and growing problems - where we have seen not just abuse but tragedy,” she will warn.
“Awful cases of young men camping by the roadside then leaping onto the wheel arches of passing lorries, only to be crushed and killed.”
The success of Ukip, who are likely to win a by-election in Rochester and Strood this week according to polling, has driven the main political to set out their views on immigration.
David Cameron is trying to control the number of immigrants from the European Union, but is facing fierce opposition from other European leaders.
The former Prime Minister Sir John Major has warned that public concern about EU immigration could push Britain out of Europe altogether.

Manuel.,

Greed and jealousy have their links.

Many old people are asset rich and cash poor. Where I live, every road is full of houses over £2m. They are mainly owned by pensioners who are living on small pensions. They couldn't pay a mansion tax. They bought the houses when they were quite cheap or they were left to them by parents. The tax is only going to apply to properties in London and the South East to any great extent. Even Milibands party don't like the tax.

We dont let them in.....simple. (or only a few that are needed for essential jobs if we are short here)

But we go about it the right way.

We dont make false promises that we cant carry out like Deceptive Dave eg, the European Arrest Warrant which all along was out of our hands but a Tory cover up went on to hide Deceptive Daves embarrassment.

Some more older links but worthy of a read I think.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2835646/Romanian-scrap-worker-pledges-bring-wife-five-children-join-UK-s-right-25-000-benefits-four-bedroom-house.html

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2014/11/eu-court-supports-germany-on-migrant-worker-benefit-refusal.php

SNP hails leads in Westminster & Holyrood polls.

A NEW POLL has given the SNP record leads in both Westminster and Holyrood voting intentions.

The Survation survey for the Daily Record put support for the SNP for the coming general election at 45.8%, compared with 23.9% support for Labour.

The Conservatives were on 16.7% and Liberal Democrats 6.1%.
According to the poll, support for the SNP at Holyrood was 50% in the constituency vote and 40.6% in the regional vote, ahead of Labour at 23% and 20.3% respectively.

The SNP said they were the largest leads for the party in Westminster and Holyrood voting intentions that Survation has ever recorded.

The Daily Record poll also found just 2% of Scottish voters completely trust Labour leader Ed Miliband.

• Alex Salmond: SNP ready for Westminster campaign

According to the study, 59% of those questioned distrust Mr Miliband, 62% distrust Prime Minister David Cameron and 63% distrust Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, while 48% distrust outgoing First Minister Alex Salmond and 41% First Minister-in-waiting Nicola Sturgeon.

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said: “This new opinion poll giving the SNP our biggest ever lead in a Survation poll for both Holyrood and Westminster elections is enormously encouraging. It reflects all recent surveys in underlining the strength of the SNP vote, and is a further demonstration that Labour and the other Westminster parties are facing a major backlash in Scotland.

“With a majority of people in Scotland saying that they distrust Ed Miliband, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, this poll is a disaster for all three Westminster parties.

“We take absolutely nothing for granted, and know there is a huge amount of hard work to be done in the weeks and months ahead - but there is no doubt that the SNP have momentum going into next year’s Westminster election.

“These record leads for the SNP - for both the UK and Holyrood elections - reflect the fact that people are putting their trust in the SNP to stand up for Scotland, and ensure that the ‘extensive new powers’ we were promised by the Westminster parties in the referendum are delivered.”

Survation interviewed 1,001 Scots online between November 6 and 13. The results were weighted by age, sex, region, 2011 Holyrood vote and the referendum vote.

A separate poll earlier this month suggested support for the SNP standing at 45% ahead of next year’s general election.

The Panelbase poll, which asked 1,000 people their Westminster voting intentions, found 28% would back Labour.

Excluding those who did not know how they would vote, the Conservatives secured the support of 15% while 7% said they would vote Ukip.

Some 3% intended to vote for the Lib Dems followed by the Greens on 1%, according to the poll commissioned for pro-independence politics blog Wings Over Scotland.

Japan has just announced that they have moved into recession. The Eurozone is borderline for recession at present. We are one of the few countries in better shape, but we may be dragged down by the others as our export markets dry up.

What Hays doesnt tell you is that the mansion tax doesnt have to be paid every year it can be deferred until after death, plus people on less than £40 grand income per year wont pay it.

So no old grannies in most cases wont pay it.

Deception again you see, hes picking it up of Deceptive Dave.

LOL...

During Miliband's beating last night on ITV, viewers took to twitter to comment!

Ed Miliband says he'll take on terrorists, two minutes later he loses an argument to Myleene Klass. #TheAgenda

Viewers took to Twitter to comment on the row, with some suggesting Klass had done a "Paxman" and had left Mr Miliband "looking like a rabbit in the headlights"

You know it's gone truly surreal when Myleene Klass goes full Paxman on Miliband. #theagenda

Poor @ed_miliband. Looks like a rabbit in the headlights in the face of an onslaught from, um, er, Myleene Klass. #TheAgenda

Ed Miliband totally trounced by Myleene Klass on ITV The Agenda. Tom Bradby had to stop the fight.

Myleene Klass is wiping the floor with Ed Miliband on The Agenda

How many people on average incomes will be caught out?
Almost zero. Despite reports that the tax will hit average homeowners who have seen their properties inflate in value, forcing them to sell up, the likelihood is very low. Labour said the “asset rich, cash poor” may be allowed to defer payment of the tax until they sell their property (or on death). “We’ll do it in a fair, sensible and proportionate way, raising the limit each year in line with average house prices and putting in place protections for those who are asset-rich and cash poor,” Balls said.

Aye, David must be laughing his what's it off.

I see Hays is preaching from the gutter again, alongside the right wing press and Deceptive Dave who have all got the colly wobbles this week because of the Rochester By election.

Yes, and the Guardian is so middle ground LOL!!!

Just like every other post war government, Osborne believes as does Balls that they can close the deficit through taxation, which is why these idiotic schemes are announced. Loop holes for the rich set up and failure announced. Its a no win policy the man who goes to election stating that he will cut back spending and do it hard!! But that really is what UKIP are about, lets stop spending our money within the EU and spend it here at home instead to benefit the BRITISH economy... Those foreign migrants that don't have jobs and can not support themselves or their families can be shipped off back to wherever they came from. And new migrants arriving will no longer we welcomed with open arms but sat and be means tested before entering the country, in English without interpretation. I would also like every immigrant to agree as part of their migration into the country that they will make every effort for fit into our culture and society agreeing that should they not it would be valid grounds for later deportation...!

Hays doesnt tell you is that the mansion tax doesnt have to be paid every year it can be deferred until after death, says goldfinger.

So as well as death duty you will have to pay a mansion tax going back decades all in one lump sum

pension £113 a week £5876 and if you have savings over 16k you can get no credits to push it up £6812 how do sigle pensioners live
min wage £264 a week living wage £320 a week
would they be better off in prison

The idea of the mansion tax is to help fund the NHS. If the tax can be deferred then how will this help with tax receipts now. It is just a silly populist policy that the public can see through. Just another opportunity to show what an idiot Miliband is.

You will have to ask the numerous "Con" Party supporters on here that.. of which there are a few already behind bars I'm sure Tanks.

Geldof has been complaining that companies don't pay enough tax. Well, it is interesting that Saint Bob has all his companies registered in the tax haven of British Virgin Islands. He also has a collection of businesses that have been set up to profit from activity in Africa. He uses his name to get preferential treatment from the governments there.