Sunday, November 30, 2014

China's manufacturing growth slows again in November

30 November 2014 Last updated at 21:36 ET

by Xian Wan, Judith Stein, and Biodun Iginla, Business Reporters, BBC News Website

China's factory activity slows further in November from the previous month

China's factory activity slowed by more than expected in November, highlighting how a cooling economy is impacting its vast manufacturing sector.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) dipped to 50.3 in November from October's 50.8, closer to the 50 point mark that separates growth from contraction.
It was below the 50.6 level expected by economists.
Rising costs and falling demand were blamed for the downturn in activity.
Meanwhile, a private survey from from HSBC showed that growth in Chinese factories in November stalled as output shrank for the first time in six months.
The final HSBC/Markit manufacturing PMI slipped to a six-month low of 50 in November, down from 50.4 in October. The reading was unchanged from a preliminary "flash" finding released earlier this month.
Output fell to 49.6, which was the worst reading since May.
"Muted growth in new work," led companies to hold back production, HSBC/Markit said.
Boost needed Growth in the world's second largest economy fell to 7.3% in the third quarter, which was the slowest pace since the global financial crisis.
The risk that China might miss its official growth target of 7.5% this year for the first time in 15 years is growing because economic data is weaker than expected, economists said.
A struggling property market, uneven export growth and cooling domestic demand and investment are some of the major factors weighing on overall growth.
Alaistair Chan, economist at Moody's Analytics, said he had expected the slowdown in manufacturing and was a "little more pessimistic" than the market for two reasons.
"Firstly, there are signs the recent export boom is fading. Meanwhile, the housing market and related sectors such as steel and cement manufacturing, remains in a slump," Mr Chan said.
House prices fall China's house prices fell on a monthly basis for the seventh straight month in November, a survey showed on Sunday.
The average price of a new home in its 100 major cities was down 0.38% from October, the independent China Index Academy said.
Earlier this month, the country's central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates to 2.75% for first time since 2012 in an attempt to revive the economy.
Mr Chan said Monday's data shows further evidence that fourth quarter growth will be about the same as the third quarter with growth "below China's potential" and the government's target.
"Monetary policy may need further action, possibly with a reserve ratio cut or another interest rate cut, by year end," he said.

Egypt transition

Egyptian police have used tear gas to disperse protesters angry that charges against ex-President Hosni Mubarak over killings during the uprising three years ago have been dropped.

About 2,000 people massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution. At least one person was reported killed in the clashes.
Mubarak was originally sentenced to life in jail then cleared in a retrial.
In a TV interview after the ruling, Mubarak said he did "nothing wrong".
The former president, 86, is serving a separate three-year sentence for embezzlement of public funds.

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Judge Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi: "The court dismisses criminal charges''

At the scene: BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo In a rare and risky act of defiance, crowds gathered close to Tahrir Square. It was a relatively small protest, but hugely symbolic. Both liberals and Islamists called for freedom. For some it felt - briefly - like an echo of the revolution.
The security forces moved in after a few hours, causing mayhem with tear gas. We heard the crackle of live ammunition in the night air.
What happens next is a critical test for Egypt. Will the protesters try to regroup - in spite of a law banning unauthorised demonstrations? Or will the authorities manage to stamp out this this latest eruption of dissent, as they have crushed others?
Egypt's revolution: Interactive map
Mixed reactions as Mubarak case dropped

He is currently being held in a military hospital, and is expected to serve at least a few more months of this sentence.
Mubarak, his former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six others had been convicted of conspiracy to kill and were sentenced to life in prison in June 2012, but a retrial was ordered last year on a technicality.
In all, some 800 people are thought to have been killed as security forces battled protesters in the weeks before Mubarak resigned on 11 February 2011.

Protesters on Tahrir Square - 29 November

Both liberals and Muslim Brotherhood supporters joined the protest in Tahrir Square

Protesters pull on barbed wire near Tahrir Square, Cairo - 29 November

The court decision provoked an angry reaction from Mubarak's opponents

Hosni Mubarak after his retrial in Cairo, 29 November

Mubarak waves as he is wheeled out of the court after the ruling

Mubarak supporters celebrate after the verdict (location not given), 29 November

One Mubarak supporter wore a T-shirt of the deposed leader

Amal Shaker with a photo of her son Ahmed, killed during the 2011 uprising, in Cairo, 25 November

Amal Shaker with a photo of her late son Ahmed, who died in the uprising: "Youth that were like flowers were killed"

'No justice' Within hours of the court's decision, demonstrators arrived on Tahrir Square.
Liberal opponents of Mubarak were joined by supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Shortly after the arrival of the Islamists, police used water cannon and tear gas, driving the protesters into side streets.

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The courtroom erupted in cheers as the judge dismissed the case

Relatives of those killed in 2011 reacted with anger to the court's handling of the case.
"There is no justice for the poor," said Ramadan Ahmed, who lost his son Mohammed in Alexandria during the unrest. "This is Mubarak's law."
But Mubarak supporters outside the court cheered the decision.
Mubarak's lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, told AFP news agency it was a "good ruling that proved the integrity of Mubarak's era".

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Mubarak told a journalist from a privately owned TV station: "I felt I did nothing wrong"

The former president gave an interview by phone to private Sada al-Balad TV after he was cleared.
"I did nothing wrong at all," he said, adding that he had been "relying on God" while he awaited the decision.
Mubarak's elected successor, President Mohammed Morsi, lasted only a year in power before being ousted by the military in July 2013 during mass anti-government protests.
Army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was subsequently elected in his place and under his rule, TV stations and newspapers have largely dropped criticism of the Mubarak era, correspondents say.

Did you take part in the protests in 2011? Did you know someone who was killed in the protests? What is your reaction to this news? Send your comments to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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by Emily Straton and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

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Meet the acts who have made this year's longlist for BBC Music Sound Of 2015

A Cambridge politics graduate, an actor from Skins and a former mayoral candidate have all made the longlist for the BBC Music Sound of 2015.

The list, which was put together by a panel of DJs, critics and broadcasters, highlights 15 of the best and brightest new acts for the coming year.
It includes spoken word artist George The Poet, raucous rock act Wolf Alice and confessional songwriter Soak.
Last year's victor was Sam Smith, with other winners including Adele and Haim.
Smith went on to have a number one album with his debut, In The Lonely Hour, and broke sales records for a British male artist in the US.

James Bay
George The Poet
Kwabs
Lapsley
Rae Morris
Novelist
Raury
Shamir
Shura
Slaves
Soak
Stormzy
Sunset Sons
Wolf Alice
Years & Years

The 2015 longlist is markedly more diverse than in recent years, as grime artists rub shoulders with experimental R&B singers and acoustic balladeers.

Among those tipped for success are James Bay, a 24-year-old from Hitchin whose bluesy vocals have earned comparisons to Ben Howard and George Ezra - with whom he shares a management team.
George Mpanga, 23, who performs as George the Poet, rose to prominence with My City, a poem contrasting the massive investment in the 2012 Olympics with the London he grew up in.
"Children navigating through postcode wars/In estates with the least funding/ Look at the state of East London: that's a paradox/Witness economy booming for the have-a-lots."
The performer, who graduated from Cambridge University last summer with a 2:1 in politics, psychology and sociology, has described his poetry as a reaction against the materialism of mainstream rap.
Grime MC Novelist also had political aspirations - having stood for the position of Lewisham's young mayor in 2012.
He came second, serving a term as deputy mayor before pursuing his musical career. He recently signed to XL Records, home to Adele and Radiohead, where he has been working with Jamie xx.
Years and Years, meanwhile, are a three-piece electro-pop outfit, who take inspiration from '90s R&B stars like Aaliyah and TLC.
Their frontman, Olly Alexander, has a parallel career in acting - having starred as Jakob in Channel 4 teen drama Skins, as well as the films Enter the Void and The Riot Club.
Irish folk singer Soak - aka Bridie Monds-Watson - has been compared to Joni Mitchell for her eviscerating portraits of teenage life.
Guitar resurgence The longlist will be narrowed down to five in the week of 6 January, with the winner to be named on 11 January.
All but two of the nominees are British, with R&B singer Shamir and rapper Raury representing the US.
The latter, who wrote his first song - Oh, Little Fishy - at the age of three, is one of five teenagers on the longlist, most of whom describe their music as "genreless".
"I think the internet has changed music," he declared. "People like me grow up listening to everything and the genres begin to blend and disappear."

South London rapper Stormzy is the only unsigned artist on the list

The list also sees a low-key return for guitar-based bands, whose sole representative in 2014 was rock duo Royal Blood.
Slaves, from Kent, combine rockabilly and tight, un-scruffy grunge, and are renowned for their intense live shows. Wolf Alice, who took their name from an Angela Carter short story collection, also channel the spirit of grunge on melodic, riff-heavy songs like Moaning Lisa Smile.
"We like to keep it energetic and loud," singer Ellie Roswell told the BBC.

Previous BBC Sound Of... winners

2014 - Sam Smith (above)
2013 - Haim
2012 - Michael Kiwanuka
2011 - Jessie J
2010 - Ellie Goulding
2009 - Little Boots
2008 - Adele
2007 - Mika
2006 - Corinne Bailey Rae
2005 - The Bravery
2004 - Keane
2003 - 50 Cent

Several of the artists on the list have been supported early in their careers by the regional BBC Introducing radio shows - with Lapsley, Rae Morris and Sunset Sons among the beneficiaries.

And several of the nominees are classically trained, including James Bay and rapper Kwabs, who attended the Royal Academy of Music.
Croydon-based grime artist Stormzy, meanwhile, earned his stripes entering rap battles at his local youth club.
This year, 139 music industry experts helped select the nominees. According to the rules, the acts should not already be well-known to the UK public - through featuring in the final stages of a TV talent show, for example, or having already been a member of a successful band.
They must also not have been the lead artist on a UK top 20 single or album before 27 October 2014 - though guest vocalists are eligible.
DJ Huw Stephens will announce the top five acts, counting down to the winner, live on BBC's Radio 1 breakfast show each morning from 5 January.
"It's always an exciting time of year to take stock and look at what might be making us dance, cry and jump for joy into the year ahead," he said.
"I'm excited because there are a lot of artists I and my fellow DJs have supported on the list, and it's another great chance to share the music we love with an even bigger audience".

Hong Kong protesters clash with police at government HQ

30 November 2014 Last updated at 20:21 ET

by Xian Wan and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Hong Kong

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Journalist Tom Grundy was at the protests and witnessed multiple injuries on both sides

HK protests

Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have clashed with police as thousands of people tried to surround the government's headquarters.

Protesters carrying umbrellas, the symbol of their movement, fought police armed with pepper spray and batons at the main protest camp in Admiralty.
It is some of the worst violence since the protests began two months ago.
There are reports of injuries and arrests, while activists are still blocking one of the major roads.
The protesters want Hong Kong people to be allowed to choose their leaders without interference from Beijing.
The Chinese government has said it will allow universal suffrage for the region's elections in 2017 - but will screen candidates in advance.
The protests were stepped up after police began demolishing one of several camps occupied by the activists during two months of demonstrations.
The latest clashes come as China said it would not allow a UK parliamentary committee to enter Hong Kong as part of an inquiry into British relations with its former colony.

A police officer uses a baton on a pro-democracy protester in Hong Kong. Photo: 1 December 2014

Police charged on the protesters, using batons and pepper spray

Protester detained by riot police - 1 December

A number of protesters were reportedly arrested during the clashes

Police and demonstrators in stand-off near government headquarters - 1 December

Student leaders have called for an escalation of the protests

Government 'stalling' The protests began with a rally on Sunday evening, as student leaders told crowds they would escalate their campaign.
Police later charged at the protesters, attempting to beat them back as they poured into a major road near the offices of Chief Executive CY Leung.
Many activists chanted: "I want true democracy!"
"The action was aimed at paralysing the government's operation,'' student leader Alex Chow said, quoted by the Associated Press.
"The government has been stalling... and we believe we need to focus pressure on the government headquarters, the symbol of the government's power.''
However, police said they were determined to clear the road.
Last week more than 100 people - including some key protest leaders - were arrested as a camp in the Mong Kok commercial district - across the harbour from Admiralty - was dismantled.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

1984: Britain and China sign an agreement where Hong Kong is guaranteed "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years following the handover in 1997.
June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform and a large rally. This is followed by protests by pro-Beijing activists.
31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017, but voters will only be able to choose from a list of pre-approved candidates. Activists stage protests.
22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes in protest.
28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong.
October 2014: Chief Executive CY Leung refuses demands for his resignation. Discussions between government and student leaders go nowhere. High court begins granting injunctions to clear protest sites.
15 November 2014: Student leaders' attempt to travel to Beijing fails.
18 November 2014: Bailiffs move in to clear a portion of the Admiralty protest site.
26 November: More than 100 arrests during clearance of Mong Kok site.
2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

More on This Story

HK protests

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Slavery levels in UK 'higher than thought'

29 November 2014 Last updated at 08:54 ET

by Emily Straton and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Website

There could be between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK, higher than previous figures, analysis for the Home Office suggests.

Modern slavery victims are said to include women forced into prostitution, "imprisoned" domestic staff and workers in fields, factories and fishing boats.
The figure for 2013 is the first time the government has made an official estimate of the scale of the problem.
The Home Office has launched a strategy to help tackle slavery.
It said the victims included people trafficked from more than 100 countries - the most prevalent being Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and Romania - as well as British-born adults and children.
Data from the National Crime Agency's Human Trafficking Centre last year put the number of slavery victims in the UK at 2,744.
The assessment was collated from sources including police, the UK Border Force, charities and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
The Home Office said it used established statistical methodology and models from other public policy contexts to estimate a "dark figure" that may not have come to the NCA's attention.
It said the "tentative conclusions" of its analysis is that the number of victims is higher than thought.
Concerted action The Modern Slavery Bill going through Parliament aims to provide courts in England and Wales with new powers to protect people who are trafficked into the countries and held against their will. Scotland and Northern Ireland are planning similar measures.

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Modern Slavery Minister Karen Bradley: "This is very much a hidden crime and we need to get it out in the open"

But outlining the strategy for government departments, its agencies and partners, Home Secretary Theresa May said legislation was "only part of the answer".
The "grim reality" is that slavery still exists in towns, cities and the countryside across the world, including the UK, she said.
"The time has come for concerted, co-ordinated action. Working with a wide-range of partners, we must step up the fight against modern slavery in this country, and internationally, to put an end to the misery suffered by innocent people around the world."
The Home Office said the UK Border Force would roll out specialist trafficking teams at major ports and airports to spot potential victims, and the legal framework would be strengthened for confiscating the proceeds of crime.
The modern slavery strategy will also see:

The government identify "priority countries" to work with, as well as other organisations including churches
British embassies and high commissions and NCA liaison officers develop local initiatives abroad
Work to strengthen the response by local authorities to child abuse, including trafficking
Work to raise awareness among homeless shelter staff of the signs of modern slavery

Modern slavery minister Karen Bradley told the BBC she was not surprised by the figures.
She said: "This is very much a hidden crime and the important thing is that we get it out in the open. If we compare where we were 200 years ago, the anti-slavery campaigners there had to make people acknowledge that slavery was wrong.
"What we have to do today is not make people acknowledge it's wrong - everybody knows it's wrong - but we have to find it.

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Anti-Slavery International's Aidan McQade on the numbers of people trafficked in the UK

"It's a hidden crime, it's going on in streets, in towns, in villages across Britain and we need to help people find the signs of it so we can find those victims and importantly then find the perpetrators."
Aidan McQuade, director of charity Anti-Slavery International, said the Home Office's figures "sounded about right" but questioned whether the government's strategy went far enough.
He told the BBC : "If you leave an employment relationship, even if you're suffering from any sort of exploitation up to and including forced labour, even if you're suffering from all sorts of physical and sexual violence, you'll be deported.
"So that gives an enormous power in the hands of unscrupulous employers. And frankly the protections which the government has put in place are not worth the paper they're written on in order to prevent this sort of exploitation once they've given employers that sort of power."

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Louise Stewart reports on the plight of modern slavery victims in the UK

Aneeta Prem, founder of the Freedom Charity, said recent publicity around the issue was helping, but "everyone needs to be vigilant."
She said: "It could be someone forced into sex trafficking, someone forced to work on a farm with no pay or little pay."
She added: "It could be somebody that's working in a car wash, somebody that you just suspect is in the wrong situation. We can all spot these signs and hopefully report it and get something done about it."

Are you affected by the issues in this story? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number.

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Friday, November 28, 2014

David Cameron urges EU support for migration plans

28 November 2014 Last updated at 12:02 ET

by Emily Straton, Natalie de Vallieres, and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Website

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David Cameron: "Those who want to claim tax credits and child benefits must live here and contribute to our country for a minimum of four years"

David Cameron has passionately urged other EU leaders to support his "reasonable" proposals for far-reaching curbs on welfare benefits for migrants.

Britain's prime minister said lower EU migration would be a priority in future negotiations over the UK's membership and he would "rule nothing out" if he did not get the changes he wanted.
Under his plans, migrants will have to wait four years for certain benefits.
Brussels said the ideas were "part of the debate" to be "calmly considered".
In a long-awaited speech, given in a factory in the West Midlands, Mr Cameron said he was confident he could change the basis of EU migration into the UK and therefore campaign for the UK to stay in the EU in a future referendum planned for 2017.
But he warned that if the UK's demands fell on "deaf ears" he would "rule nothing out" - the strongest hint to date he could countenance the UK leaving the EU.
The main proposals in the speech - which are dependent on Mr Cameron remaining in power after May's general election - are:

Stopping EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits, such as tax credits, and getting access to social housing for four years
Stopping migrants claiming child benefit for dependents living outside the UK
Removing migrants from the UK after six months if they have not found work
Restricting the right of migrants to bring non-EU family members into the UK
Stopping EU jobseekers claiming Universal Credit
Speeding up deportation of convicted criminals
Longer re-entry bans for beggars and fraudsters removed from the UK
Stopping citizens from new EU entrants working in the UK until "their economies have "converged more closely".
Extra money for communities with high levels of migrants

Mr Cameron ruled out a temporary cap on migrant numbers or an "emergency brake" on EU freedom of movement rules, ideas both mooted in recent months, saying this would be less "effective" than reducing the incentives for people to come to the UK.
And he said there was "no doubt" his proposals would require changes to the treaties governing the European Union, necessitating the support of all EU members.
He began his speech by saying migration had benefited the UK and that he was proud of the "multi-racial" nature of modern Britain.

Man in shirt saying "Trust me I'm Polish"

View from Europe: Adam Easton, BBC Warsaw Correspondent
David Cameron's speech has made headlines here in Poland, with commercial news channel TVN24 leading on the story on its website.
"Cameron wants to raise a barrier to immigrants, including from Poland," it wrote.
But the speech has not provoked the outrage here that his comments on the BBC's Andrew Marr show in January did.
Then Mr Cameron specifically mentioned Poles when he spoke about the need to crack down on EU immigrants claiming benefit payments in the UK. Polish government officials said his words "stigmatised" Poles and were discriminatory.
This time around, Mr Cameron called the Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz beforehand to apprise Warsaw about his speech.
The government here does not oppose moves in the UK to close benefit payment loopholes but Warsaw wants London to do it in a way that is non-discriminatory and in line with EU regulations.
I watched the speech with students at Torun's Copernicus University. Several told me they planned to go to the UK following their studies. None said the proposed benefit restrictions would put them off as they planned to work, not claim benefits.

But he said immigration levels in recent years - the largest in peacetime, he said - had put unsustainable pressure on public services and demands for change were "not outlandish or unreasonable".

David Cameron speaking in the West Midlands

Mr Cameron was speaking at the JCB factory in the West Midlands

"The British people will not understand - frankly I will not understand - if a sensible way through cannot be found, which will help settle this country's place in the EU once and for all."
Mr Cameron, who spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker before the speech, said he wanted the package to be adopted across the EU but that if it was not, he would seek a new UK-only arrangement.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron's welfare curbs were "a tougher version of an approach already set out by Labour and the Liberal Democrats".

Analysis by BBC political correspondent Chris Mason
Consider both the statistical and political imperatives that drove the prime minister to make this speech.
First, the numbers - 260,000 more people arrived in the UK in the year to June than left.
That is roughly the population of Sunderland turning up inside 12 months, needing houses, jobs, school places and doctors' surgeries.
Second, the politics. One word will do - UKIP.
David Cameron needed to combine the two Rs in his speech: being seen as simultaneously radical and realistic.
Bold enough to prove he gets what many see as a problem, believable enough to ensure he achieves what he sees as a solution.
And he did it by deploying a line a certain women's hair shampoo product would be proud of. Do a deal with us Europe, because we're worth it.

At the moment EU citizens are free to come to the UK and compete for jobs without being subject to any immigration controls. Those from outside the EU face much tighter controls if they wish to enter the country.
Outlining proposed restrictions on tax credits and child benefits, Mr Cameron said a migrant in work with two children was getting £700 a month on average in support from the state, twice the amount paid in Germany and three times as much as in France.
"No wonder so many people want to come to Britain," he said, adding that changes to in-work benefits could affect about 400,000 people.
Dr Carlos Vargas-Silva, a migration expert at Oxford University, told the BBC there were an estimated 50,000 EU migrants claiming tax credits who have been in the UK for fewer than four years, adding that the changes could have a real impact.

Chart showing migration into and out of the UK

Note: 2014 shows provisional rolling quarterly estimates

Mr Cameron also responded to criticism that the Conservatives' stated aim in its 2010 manifesto to reduce overall levels of net migration below 100,000 was "in tatters".
The PM acknowledged the goal would not met by May, blaming the economic weakness in the eurozone, and said "more time and work" was needed to accomplish it.
'Negotiating position' Tory MPs reacted positively to the speech but several urged him to go further.
Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Cameron's language indicated "he is willing to campaign to leave [the EU] and I believe that strengthens his negotiating position substantially".

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Fiona Trott and Damian Grammaticas report from Boston, Lincs and Torun in Poland on reaction to David Cameron's immigration plans

But Bill Cash said the proposals did not go far enough, while another Conservative MP, Nigel Mills, said an outright cap on numbers was needed.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said Mr Cameron had made a "no ifs, to buts" promise at the last general election to get migration down and he had "no credibility" on the issue.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the prime minister should have apologised for missing his immigration target, and said he was "playing catch-up" with UKIP.
He added: "He cannot control immigration from the EU and has revealingly dropped his suggestions of a cap or an emergency brake on numbers coming in."
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said some of the proposals were "sensible and workable" but said there were "very serious question marks" over others, including deporting jobseekers after six months if they had not found work.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the proposals would have to be "examined without drama".
"It is up to national lawmakers to fight against abuses of the system and the EU law allows for this," he added.

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+1

Comment number 855.
Sparkledragon
2 Hours ago

Conservatives often say they believe in people pursuing their ambitions, working hard and providing for their families with minimal state interference. They also support competition and free trade.

EU migration, with free movement and competition for jobs, is the natural consequence of this worldview. Opposing it goes against basic Conservative principles, and Cameron is being inconsistent.
-6

Comment number 850.
Toffee_stu
2 Hours ago

So let's say the UK slams the door shut on migrants. Do you honestly believe jobs will become plentiful? There will be an abundance of quality social housing/ affordable private housing? Schools will flourish? No of course this won't happen because migrants are simply the scapegoats for these far bigger failings. Who will you blame though when there is no more immigration?
+19

Comment number 734.
Andy
2 Hours ago

If the country is doing as well as the Tories keep saying then there shouldn't be any need for people to have benefits when they're working, it's because wages are being kept down that there is a need for them. If we're doing so well then let the companies pay more in wages so that there's less need for tax credits.
-12

Comment number 303.
okhj
3 Hours ago

Nothing wrong with setting certain limits to claiming benefits as long as these limits apply accross the board to all taxpayers. If not applied equally the question is whether EU immigrants are entitled to tax exemptions, after all fair is fair, why should they contribute to the kitty to pay for "homegrown" benefit claimants if as honest taxpayers the wouldn't qualify?
+107

Comment number 13.
ExpatKS
4 Hours ago

We must do something. While we are flooded with immigrants our services & utilities like schools, hospitals, GP surgeries, trains, motorways, houses etc have NOT been increased to cope.

It was disgraceful political manouvering by Blair & Brown to open the doors purely for votes. These two men were (are) a disgrace.

The EU will do nothing. We need to exit & form our own policies.

Comments 5 of 6

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Business

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Saturday, November 29, 2014

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The Guardian Nigeria UK records higher slavery levels 48 mins ago

NPR 13,000 Modern Slaves Working In U.K., London Says 1 hr ago

The Hindu Slavery in U.K. higher than previous figures: Govt 3 hrs ago

Economic Times Slavery victims in UK higher than previous figures: Government 5 hrs ago

Telegraph 'Tens of thousands' held as modern day slaves in Britain

Friday, November 28, 2014

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