The 3 year anniversary of the 0.5% BOE interest rate.

Graham_Devon

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

ILW
Can you name any other business that was bought by the government because it was vital to the overall economy?

Vital to the UK economy suggests something different to what actually went on.

It wasn't vital to the UK economy at all. Not in the way you are suggesting.

It was damage limitation, pure and simple. The UK was put in a corner. You know this, so don't know why you insist on being quite so disingenuous.

Thrugelmir

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

ILW
Can you name any other business that was bought by the government because it was vital to the overall economy?

British Leyland.

hillcats

pbouk wrote: »

are there any people with a 0.5% mortgage?

Not quite that low, but close to it ..... Lifetime BofE tracker +0.62% = currently 1.12%

MissMoneypenny

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Wow... You're properly obsessed with benefits, aren't you?

It doesn't matter if you don''t claim welfare as the new Welfare laws and the new immigration laws, will affect your business. Surely you realise that? Or are you just focusing on "greedy banks" and interest rates?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Now less than 1.5 times income, and reducing rapidly. (Thanks Merv!!!)

Well done, you did, but many haven't used the low interest rates to pay down their mortgage and the interest rises are hitting them hard.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

There is a shortage of housing...
Which by definition means there are less houses available than there are people looking to rent them.

True, but it looks like the building laws will be relaxed and have you looked at all the immigration changes recently that is stopping immigrants from settling in the UK? It includes those who already living here and hoped to stay and those who hoped to move to the UK and settle. The UK is now harder to get into than Australia.

Tier 1 (General) the easiest route for non-EU families who aren't skilled at anything much, to settle in the UK - now closed.

Tier 1 (PSW) the second easiest route for low skilled, non-EU families to settlement - closes next month.

Tier 2 (General) the sponsored visa.

• Already changes to who can be sponsored and what job and wage they must earn. All jobs must now be graduate level.
• Limited numbers of these visas on offer from outside the UK
• New changes to be announced anyday, but widely predicted to close the route to settlement unless they earn a high wage.

Tier 2 (ICT) Inter Company Transfer - now no longer a route to settlement and visa holders have limited time to live in the UK.

Working visa - closed. Those here on this visa will need to now meet a set wage, to be able to remain.

Tier 4 visa (for students) -

• This is no longer a route for settlement.
• Students can no longer bring their partner and children with them while they study, unless they are doing a Phd at a proper university or government sponsored.
• No working at all now for many student visa holders, unless they go to a proper university.
• Must now pass a set English test before they get the visa and this is checked again at the border with Entry Clearance Officers who have been given power to cancel the visa if the student can't understand English.
• Limited time they are allowed to be a student, which stops those who used the "10 years legal stay to be allowed to remain in the UK" rule.
• Must make academic progress which also stops those who used the "10 years legal stay to be allowed to remain in the UK" rule who kept repeating easy and cheap courses.
• Tough new finance rules.

Tier 5 visa - new rules expected anyday to time limit and stop settlement. People who come over as domestic staff with immigrants on a visa, will no longer be allowed to settle here.



'14 years of hiding as an illegal and not getting caught' and then being allowed to settle here, the back door visa that Blair invented - looks like that is being removed after Cameron declared "Report an illegal".



10 year legal stay back door route to settlement- nearly impossible to get now under new rules and may be removed anyway.


Family visa - tough new rules expected on income to stop the burden on the Uk taxpayer. Criminal charges now need to be declared. New laws against those who worked here illegally.

New rules expected for those that settled here and want to bring their parents to settle too.


Ancestry visa - being looked at and maybe closed.



New criminality rules already introduced recently -

• Commit a crime and there will be no ILR visa (access to full benefits) or citizenship, for 5 years, plus person must meet any new immigration rules at that time. This includes driving without the correct licence; no car insurance; dangerous driving; most other crimes too.
• All crimes now to be listed on vias applications and settlement visas, even those that are spent. 10 year ban for deception.

Using the NHS when not allowed - no right to enter or settle here (catches those mainly those hoping trying to use the family route to settlement and EEA citizens and their families who wanted to settle). Non- EUs have to pay their bills to settle and EEAs lose their 5 years to PR halted.




Already calls from many countries already, to stop the treaty rights of free movement for Greece, because of their poor border controls.



UK Ministers are discussing stopping EEA immigration routes to the UK, if the Euro collapes.



You can't help but wonder how long the EEA free movement will last, especially with the Eurozone worries and human rights law problems.

Welfare and immigration chages will affect those landlords who were hoping to keep their rents high to finance their venture. From next year, it will also affect landlords who are claiming or might need to claim, income based welfare payments such as child tax credits and will also affect those who are/become, too sick to work, unless their constant medicals puts them in the Support Group of ESA (was Incapacity Benefit).