The Londoner

By Sikander Hayat  As per this story in BBC, Australia wants UK to open its doors to Australian immigrants in order for Mrs May to secure a free trade deal with Australia . Now as far as I can recall, the whole Brexit issue was about immigration numbers which stood at an influx of half a million people per year into UK.  If Mrs May's conservative governmen t signs such a deal with Australia or for that matter India ( with India's 1.2 billion populatio n ready to get on the next plane to UK), what was the point of Brexit and all the pain that country has gone through over the last year and will go through for many years to come. The main reason behind Brexit is an overflowing national health service , overflowing schools, overflowing roads, crowded cities without adequate housing and general lack of resources to accommodate a large number of people. Any deal which ends up getting more people in to UK will be rejected by the people who voted to leave European...

By Sikander Hayat 23rd of the June 2016 will always be remembered by the people of United Kingdom . People have spoken and they want out. United Kingdom is out of the EU and Pound is down to the value it has not seen in many decades. This is the most momentous and seismic event after 1945. What is going to happen is anyone's guess as most people are coming to grips with the new reality. The sheer weight of immigration forced British people to leave European Union . In the short to medium term, British economy will come under great stress from the uncertainty created by the Brexit. There is a danger that jobs will be moved from London to European Union centres and London may lose a lot of business to rival cities within the Union. It will take at least two years for the negotiations to conclude between UK and EU on terms of exit. David Cameron has resigned but will stay on till October when new PM will be selected who will trigger article 50. Article 50 st...

House prices in London are the most over-valued of any major city in the world and are in “ bubble-risk territory ”, a  report by economists at UBS  has found. Foreign investment , the help-to-buy scheme, “alluring” yields for buy-to-let landlords, and ongoing population growth have all led property prices in the city to decouple from local incomes , and there could be a “ substantial price correction ” if the conditions for investment deteriorated, the report said. The  UBS   Global Real Estate Bubble Index looked at 15 cities around the world, including Hong Kong, Sydney, New York, San Francisco and Geneva, examining prices against the economic backdrop in each country. Cost of average London home rises to £500,000 Read more It found  London  was less affordable for locals who wanted to buy than any city except Hong Kong, and that it was at most risk of prices falling. The city rated 1.88 on UBS’s bubble index, and th...

Scotland Decides - Darling V Salmond Here you can watch this debate live http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-scotland-28927917 HOME 

At least three people have died after a police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in Glasgow , the BBC has been told. A source close to the investigation said the final number of fatalities would almost certainly be higher. The crash happened at The Clutha in Stockwell Street at 22:25 on Friday. People are still thought to be trapped. There were three people on board the helicopter - two officers and a civilian pilot. Thirty-two people have been taken to local hospitals. A senior fire officer said they had made contact with some people trapped inside the pub but the building was unsafe and they were taking a "methodical" approach to the rescue. The emergency services could be seen on the pub's roof trying to rescue people from inside. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is due to speak at a press conference shortly. There are expected to be updates from the police, fire and ambulance services. It has been reported that about 120 people were in ...

By Sikander Hayat I wanted to share an experience with you guys. I needed to apply for a Pakistani visa and went online to see what the process was to get the visa. My search took me to the website of the Pakistan high commissioner in London. This website stated that Pakistan High Commission in London and other high commissions have stopped processing visa applications and that all applications are now dealt though Gerry’s Visa Services . I went on this website and it gave the addresses of different offices in United Kingdom. I chose the Bradford office , which I thought was the easiest one to get to 80 miles but still nearer than anything else. I got my docs ready, signed & dated everything and left home at 6:00 am to get there on time for 9:00 am as same day visa service is provided between 9:00 am and 11:00 am. I got there right on time at 9:00 and after spending some time in looking for parking, I went in. There was only two more people in the office as customers. ...

By Sikander Hayat Tories are turning into their normal self and there cannot be a better example of this than the statement by Dominic Grieve that Pakistanis living in UK are the only corrupt community in this country. Pakistanis are part of the British mainstream and are no more corrupt than any other part of the wider british society . There are anti corruption laws in this country and if there is any individual who is involved in any such activity must be punished. I have few question that I need to ask of Mr Grieve to understand the “special” roles that British Pakistanis play in the corruption story in United Kingdom : How many bankers who robbed this country and brought it to near financial collapse were of Pakistani origin? How many members of parliament who fiddled their expenses were of Pakistani origin? How many policeman who were taking money from newspapers to sell stories were of Pakistani origin? How many j ournalists who hacked people’s per...

By Sikander Hayat Britain has always defined itself as the “other” in Europe . Throughout its history, it has feared and guarded against an invasion from the mainland Europe . It has fought for influence with its neighbours in the other parts of the world.  It is too much to ask that just after 60 years of peace that the country changes its mindset completely. Constant Europe bashing by the British press does not help either. Every single day, newspapers are full of stories on how “idiots” in Brussels have come up with some ridiculous rule. You will have to work really hard to find any positive news about Britain’s association with Europe . I personally believe that both sides of the argument are overstating their case. There are good arguments on both sides and if the country decided to go one way or the other, it will do well. Following are the reasons why Britain can easily hold its own outside of the EU: With current growth rates, Britain is going to become the larg...

Scotland Independence  If the independence debate was over , we’d all be talking about the political intervention going on, writes Brian Monteith AS THE end of 2012 approaches, I am drawn to look back on the generally lamentable quality of political discourse in Scotland and ask what would we discuss if the issue of independence did not dominate the landscape so much? Sadly, it is difficult to answer this question with any excitement or anticipation because it is becoming clearer by the day that were Scotland to be independent , little would change within the existing consensus of our political elite or its corpulent supplicants that form so much of what is called our civic society. It is occasionally suggested that out of the SNP, and following the collapse of the unionist Scottish Conservatives suddenly left without a purpose, a new right-of-centre party will rise up and that Scotland will instead move towards a more ec...

The crab-like performance of the last two years is not easy to explain – a third year of the same would be . The sales have started early this year, which means the economy is struggling . Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA On the Saturday before Christmas the shop windows told their own story. Up to 50% off at Hobbs. Discounts of 60% at LK Bennett. Similar reductions at French Connection and the Gap . The sales started early this year and that means the economy is struggling. Fearful of being left with large amounts of unsold stock, retailers are slashing prices to attract hard-up consumers. It was the same a year ago. Hopes of recovery have been dashed in 2012, a year in which the UK has gone nowhere fast. Interest rates, gross domestic product and house prices are where they were in January. The economy is not collapsing but it is not growing either. For the past two years it has gone sideways, and the expectation at the Bank of England and the Treasury is that...

Weather : Floods Bring Christmas Misery Rail passengers are told to avoid parts of southwest England and South Wales as much of the UK is deluged by rain . ENGLAND Families preparing for Christmas have been hit by floods and travel chaos as heavy r ain batters Britain . The southwest of England has been particularly badly affected by the downpours. Three severe flood warnings - which means there is a danger to life - were issued in Devon and Cornwall . Conditions are so bad that rail passengers have been told to avoid parts of southwest England and South Wales. And motorists and shoppers faced difficult conditions on one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel and shopping. Floods in Helston, Cornwall , led to homes being evacuated ...

Captain Morgan wins thriller for England Six-hitting from Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler carried England to victory at the death © BCCI Enlarge They don't come as smooth as Captain Morgan. As MS Dhoni and his senior associates debated the field for the final delivery of the chase, off which England needed three to win, Eoin Morgan was calm, had a word with his partner and then waited. Jos Buttler had tried to be cheeky and didn't succeed the previous ball, but Morgan put an end to the game in the only way an expectant crowd sensing victory could have been silenced in disbelief - a deathly blow over the sightscreen when there seemed to be enough room in the field to squeeze a couple and take the game to a Super Over. With a Test series won and a T20 series drawn, England rounded off their first leg of this tour of India on a happy note. The victory was also their highest successful chase in T...