vladi

If not taxing remittances, then something should be about reducing the scale of these remittances. It represents negative investment in the UK to the amount estimated to be £28 billion p.a. That's equivalent to half the UK defence budget at a time when the fiscal deficit is massive and increasing. It is a crisis. The last time there was a crisis similar to this was in the post war period. For 3 decades post ww2, the UK enforced strict exchange control measures. These were designed to conserve foreign currency reserves, particularly U.S. dollars, which were vital for post-war recovery. The system restricted the movement of money abroad and tightly controlled foreign investment, overseas travel allowances, and imports. British citizens needed official permission to externalise funds. Exchange controls reflected the economic difficulties of the time, including balance-of -payments pressures.

I hope he survives as it wasn't quite a hanging offence. He does tend to be a bit accident prone such as saying that Henry V11 succeeded Henry V111 and that Marie Antoinette won the Nobel prize.

What would you suggest that government should do to tighten up the black market?

I get that but what I can't figure out why someone would read a particular post for a wanted item when they don't have an item to offer? Like on Monday, I made a post wanting a "garden bench". It got 495 views! So what would prompt 495 people to view the post if they didn't have something to offer? To further this research, I will adjust the header of my post and see what happens.

We are currently de-cluttering so I regularly look at the “Wanted” section to see if someone is looking for something that I may wish to dispose of in the near future. I am amazed at the number of views for posts which appear not to have elicited a single response. Some posts have zero responses despite recording between 1,000 and 2,000 views. This far exceeds the number of views per individual item in the “For Sale” section. Any suggestions?

Well spotted; read "Dulwich area"

There's a new repair workshop in the process of being in established in the Dulwich. The organisers are in the process of organising a group of volunteers who have a variety of skills. They had their first meeting last week so I suggest you keep an eye open for an announcement.

Would it make a good site for a petrol station - given it's location on the South Circular?

Yes, Dulwich Village commands a premium and justifiably so given access to the City via London Bridge plus the top rate schools within walking distance. The bus services are really good also - 37, 42 and P4. The P4 is useful for connecting to the Victoria line at Brixton. It's worthwhile waiting for the right property. I know of one which will be coming on the market in a few weeks - 4 bedrooms and south facing garden circa £2.5m.

Definitely not intended to come across as "gleeful". Quite the opposite, because developments such as this will only encourage extreme right-wingers such as Reform. And heaven help us if they ever formed a government. It's incumbent on Labour to come up with an effective policy to "smash the gangs" otherwise we are facing Farage and his gang further down the road.

Is the decision by the High Court not to deport an Eritrean man to France on Wednesday anything other than a massive boost for Farage and reform. Farage has made a commitment for the UK to exit the ECHR which limits the independence of our justice system The UK Government’s “one in, one out” has failed at the first hurdle - just as the Rwanda scheme did under the Tories. To make it even more embarrassing is that the accommodation for deportees in Rwanda paid for by the UK is now being used by the USA for its deportees. If we are to have Farage thrust upon us as a result of such judicial decisions, then God help us.

Title changed to reflect the latest developments.

You are right . It isn't going to change him for the better. Sending such a negative message is potentially counter-productive. Trump is narcissistic, arrogant, unpredictable, spiteful, divisive, and dishonest, with a penchant for a total a disregard for democratic norms. He is one who bears a grudge so there's a case to be made for not offending him as he could react with a bunch of adverse actions such as deciding to increase import tariffs on UK exports to the US.

Many MP's have been exposed by the media in relation to abuse of expenses over the years. Without doubt the Tories have the worst record on abuses of the system. As ambitious politicians climb the greasy pole to ministerial office or party leadership their past indiscretions become more widely known. Some of us have speculated about the prospects of Andy Burnham becoming party leader if Sir Keir falls on his sword but how many of us are aware that he claimed £17,000 in expenses to rent a London flat, despite owning another within walking distance of the House of Commons?

If you are referring to his comments about Angela Rayner's dishonest declarations resulting in evasion of tax on her purchase of the flat in hove, then there is no hypocrisy on Farage's part. He funded the purchase of a property in his partner's name. This is 100% legitimate and makes good sense in terms of reducing IHT liability in the future - given their respective ages and individual wealth. Rayner's action was "evasion" which is illegal. Farage's action was "avoidance" which is 100% legitimate.

Dishing the dirt is generally fine when it comes to politicians and in Farage's case he often deserves it but nothing illegal has been done. It is not illegal for him to give his partner a sizeable amount of money with which to buy a house and have it registered in her name. He is 64 years old and his partner is 16 years younger and so he most likely is making plans to minimise IHT. There is a sliding scale for IHT but basically a gift is free of IHT if the gift is made 7 years before the donor dies. Farage is 64 years old and his partner is 16 years younger. In 7 years time, if he lives that long, he will be 71 years old. Given that he smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish, his odds on getting beyond 71 years may be pretty slim. A similar process is followed by the "bank of mum and dad" where parents give money to their kids to fund purchase of a property. Many who are not cash rich will mortgage their home and so release equity to fund their kids property. We did it as have many of our friends.

I'd put short odds on that but who would be his likely successor?

Can't agree with that because he is a superb communicator - a really smart and smooth talker. He studied PPE at Oxford and was communications director for Labour for many years. Setting aside the "minor" indiscretions during his time in government he has all the smoothness and ability to flatter Trump without appearing obsequious. Plus he can manage and exploit Trump’s ego. He is highly polished socially, comfortable in elite circles, skilled at making personal connections. He can flatter and disarm, which is a useful tactic with Trump, who responds well to personal respect and praise. As a former EU Trade Commissioner and Cabinet minister, Mandelson understands international relations, trade, and diplomacy. He knows how to frame issues in terms of “wins” that Trump could claim credit for. I honestly hope that he survives.

Last December I made a post which said "Peter Mandelson has all the skills and abilities to make an exceedingly good diplomat" and up until yesterday he had undoubtedly demonstrated his abilities. I fear now that the story about relations with Epstein will run and run and the outcome may not be beneficial for either Peter or even Trump.

That assumption is not always valid

The chancellor is exploring new opportunities ( and rightly so) for raising tax revenue in an endeavour to tackle the debt burden facing the nation. One think tank has floated the possibility of taxing remittances sent overseas by UK residents using a mix of formal channels such as banks Western Union, MoneyGram, Wise and WorldRemit. The proliferation of Western Union agencies has become notable in recent years. It is estimated that around £28.5 billion was remitted to such countries as India, Pakistan, Nigeria and countries in the Caribbean. Imposing such a tax could reduce capital outflows and result in greater investment here in the UK. The USA is introducing a tax at the rate of 1% effective 1/1/2026. Canada, Oman and Saudi Arabia are expected to follow suit.

It's just flying a kite and a gutless statement that will result in no remedy to the situation. Surely the only way to get these countries to sit up and think about it is to bring in the measures immediately. Anything less just suggests that the UK is a soft touch - just a toothless , senile old tiger.

.......................... suspend visas from countries that do not "play ball" on returning over-stayers and illegal migrants. why "could" . Why not do it now? Getting it done now would undermine Reform's position and give Labour a "win" - even though the Tories had signalled they were going to do this before they got turfed out.

I really like the proper wood pigeons that visit our garden every day - plump and healthy with attractive foliage. But i dislike the flocks of feral pigeons that hang around St Francis Park on DKH. They are fed bread scraps by some well-intended lady but the result is hundreds of them perch on the benches and crap there so that no one can ever sit on them. This lady really should desist and think more about the amenity for the local residents.

Enock Powell certainly was demonised after making a speech in 1968. In many ways it was out of character. His was a most interesting character and arguably one of the most highly intelligent person to enter parliament. Powell spoke German, French, Italian, Modern Greek, Hindi and Urdu: plus had a reading knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Welsh. Among classical languages, he knew Ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic. If, for a moment, one could set aside any preconceived opinions then one would find his biography absolutely fascinating. Enoch Powell - Wikipedia