^^ Dee that's what neighbours do. Eesh al moshkilah?

^^ Ayoub waa tuug.

^^ I don't think Siilaanyo is THAT foolish, Xiin. Why in the world would have go to an almost secret meeting like this one and even allow the news of it to come out from the other side rather than from his government first only to also agree to take part in the London Conference? Uncle Guddi has never been that suicidal, saaxib.

^^ Well it is for now at least. Though I don't see what's the problem if they talked.

^^ But that's not the case dee. This system will only help people to get back into work, it can't force them or get them a job. Wax fahan.

^^ :D Dee all this only depends on the fact that you will be applying for UC. The amount of UC you recieve will be dependent on how much savings you have. Anything over £16,000 and you will be getting zero UC.

^^ Dee this new system is limiting the ability to accumalate hagbado. (waxan ku odhan laha hurry up and build that Qardho palace before the system comes in). Heh.

^^ They probably wouldn't. But should you ever apply for UC, you will have to declare all your earnings including savings. Marka ma been baad sheegi adigu odey la yaqaan oo laga dambeeyo? Khaaf allah!

^^ Dee it depends on how the payment was made. If they paid you as a casual employee they will have to report it. If they paid you as a form of an invoice the VAT will show it up. Cash in hand in a dark alleyway is the way forward for you warya.

^^ RTI is a simple idea. In the past, the government demanded that companies report details of employees earnings at the end of the tax year. Now, with RTI it has to be done on or before the day the person is paid (be it weekly, monthly or yearly). So, when you're paid they will know. This even applies to the self employed who in the past would have done it at the end of the year. Marka meel aad o baxsato ma jirto. p.s Juxa, how is this going to be good for households when you yourself keep complaining about useless men an their downtrodden women? Bal ka waran if it is this useless man who know recieves the money on behalf of his family and also pays the rent, where will the "bac madow" go? There is more to this than meets the eye, afokaado.

Starting this autumn the British government is introducing a new benefit system to replace the old one for those on low incomes or out of work. From a Somali (Brits) point of view, this is likely to wreak havoc on many households and have many positive and negative consequences. So what is Universal Credit? Well, the government defines in the following way: Universal Credit is a new single payment for people who are looking for work or on a low income. Universal Credit will help claimants and their families to become more independent and will simplify the benefits system by bringing together a range of working-age benefits into a single streamlined payment. The new Universal Credit system aims to: • improve work incentives • smooth the transitions into and out of work, supporting a dynamic labour market • simplify the system, making it easier for people to understand, and easier and cheaper for staff to administer • reduce in-work poverty • cut back on fraud and error. It will be launched in 2013 and will replace: • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance • income-related Employment and Support Allowance • Income Support • Child Tax Credits • Working Tax Credits • Housing Benefit. What is positive about the system is that it will allow those seeking work the safety net of claiming benefits without having to fill in a new application every time they are out of work. It also allows them to work part time without losing their benefits (which was not the case in many instances in the past). Of course, some of this may not seem too positive for eedo Asli who is below retirement age but is too old for learning new skills (or even the language). In addition, the introduction of this system will probably limit the ability of some individuals to defraud the government or claim multiple benefits under different names (at least in theory). Further still, with the payments being made monthly (rather than fortnightly) and with the responsibility for paying rent being put on the individual, this new system gives people the chance to mimic the everyday life of an employed person and have an actual responsibility to deal with some monthly tasks rather than rely on the government to pay their rents and other expenses. Some might say it’s liberating! The negatives of this system will be felt mostly by those with little literacy (written and digital) or those who spend their lives cheating the system. Another problem that may arise and may play a big part in eliminating the “bac madow” problem in Somali households is that only one person will have sole responsibility for the family income and will receive the benefits in their bank account. Therefore, if Somali women, happen to be hostage to love at the time the application is made and agree to have their men being the “head of the household” at the time, they may later discover that they may become beholden to these men when the mood turns sour (as their sisters are back in the motherland). I am yet to decide if this is a positive or negative aspect of this change. Still, lest any smug (and every employed) readers believe this change only applies to the unemployed or those in lower incomes, let me inform you that such is not the case. The Inland Revenue (IRS for our American readers) have also introduced RTI (Real Time Information) for all employers and the self employed. This is a system in which every employer will have to report the earnings of all their employees in real time. This will mean that the government will know exactly how much any person has earned in any given month and could therefore apply the correct tax codes and demand the correct amounts of tax to be paid. It also means that the crafty “ciyaalka xaafada” will struggle to be a secret tagsiile on the weekend whilst claiming benefits for the rest of the week without openly declaring it. It also means that any extra jobs you do from time to time will be logged and accounted for. There is much more to learn about this system and many problems it throws and will throw up but I think this should be enough to go on with for now. p.s. People will have to fill in their applications, manage their accounts and track their payments ALL on line. Which is why I truly fear for eedo Asli!

Juxa;928846 wrote: I met this young lady. Very bright and well mannered. Her parents were extremely proud, maasha Allah Her parents were extremely proud? What does that mean Juxa? Are you saying they were full of kibir or are you stating the obvious again?

^^ Bring the issue up when the talks start again.

^^ Maxaan kugo qabsada dee? You are right, you're first in for those coming from the slow lane.

^^ Same old same old saaxib. La jadiid. How about you? Got the family with you yet?

FiRsT iN aGAiN! Morning all.

^^ Three presidents? (it could happen you know. Somalis are good at copying).

^^ True. True and not true. PL has long reconciled itself with the Somali idea (even if the Imam threatens to breakaway from time to time). They sat down and signed the Garowe one & two agreements and are now courted by the world as an agreed part of Somalia. This bears no comparison to the situation of Somaliland. Mintid has every right to overdo it, saaxib. Bal ka waran if I decided to breakaway with the general section of this site. He that teases Lions will stamp his feet in anger and say "ma dhici karto" but if I manage to convince the advertisers that finance his site to bring me and him on different sides of a table to clarify our future relationship, arrinti ma waxa noqon doonta "there are lines not to be crossed" or "legitimate aspirations"? Waa dhac oo caadi aah, which means he will do well to keep an eye on the politics and women sections.

^^ That's not carabi for "iga qalay" warya! (but ok, carry on. At least this name is more intersting than Alpha).

^^ "Wallahi" is one of Alpha's most used words. He uses it in 86% of his posts whilst the next nearest SOLER uses it only in 25% of their posts. My pattern recognition program is not wrong here warya. Naga daa dee.

^^ Yet the International Community came together to get this "province" to talk to "mother" Somalia. Call it what you will saaxib, the whole of Somalia will still have to sit on one side of the table when talking to this "province". Mintid's posturing is justified.

^^ War those towns are held in reserve ninyaho. They have to have somewhere to liberate before the London Conference and after it (like they did before the preveious two conferences for Somalia). Wax fahan.

^^ Eras change but Somalis don't. Siilaanyo understands the accepted bottom line in Somaliland. He dare not veer away from it for one second. He also knows that he extracted a good deal when he signed up for the talks with Somalia. Now, whatever happens or thrown his way, he'll just tell them to wait for the talks. Hassan Sheikh must be cursing Cabdulwali & Sheikh Sharif for agreeing to that one.

^^ You know I've always thought you were a brilliant young man Alpha but that does not mean I think everything you do is brilliant. Naga daa dee.

This story is probably a fake. However, the cold war between SL & Somalia has already started and I expect to see lots of similar stories in the news in the days to come (some true and many fake). So much for Hassan Sheikh's "no diplomatic pressure" pledge.