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Sounds like my Grandad's Sunbeam iron I've been using regularly since I aquired it in 1995.

Me too!

It's on at the Showroom in Sheffield. Only one showing a day though. Managed to catch it on Saturday and will defo be after a copy on dvd to watch again.... http://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/insidejob

In that case I'd take them back and exchange them. My recent pairs are still bang on and I've pairs I've had for years and years which are still holding up just fine. Admittedly the £70-£80 price tag in Debenhams utterly takes the piss these days, so I just spend time trawling through the blue cross sale racks. Bit of patience required, but I've usually eventually dropped on a pair and never paid above 30 quid for them. If you are a 32 waist 32 leg though, please ignore this advice as I don't want increased competition

Just a quick anecdotal I thought I'd share. T'other half came back from work yesterday and told me a woman in her office is looking to buy a place. Before I could get into full flow about her stupidity, it was explained that the place is up for 109K, to which my GF immediately looked it up on nethouseprice (good to see she is learning....and spreading the word!) to find it had last sold, in 2007, for £125K! So the owners are already accepting a 13% hair cut. Further details then came out that the woman looking to buy can't even afford £109K anyway and thinks she will probably be able to obtain a mortgage for 100K and is 'hoping for the best'. 20% deposite is coming from her her Mum. She also said she really doesn't have a clue about all this stuff either (and seems to hav made no attempt to educate herself before hand!! Yet another one making (trying to make) the biggest purchase of their life, yet has done less research than they would before buying an Ikea cupboard!!! Still, someone willing to accept 13% off the peak price they paid certainly isn't bad news!

I'm fully aware of the difference thanks, which is why I asked the question. I just thought I remembered seeing in someones sig a claim that despite the cuts, the deficit would still be increasing in a few years time, rather than reducing, so I was wanting to clarify. The debt will still be increasing regardless. I was more interested in ensuring I had heard that misleading plank on the radio correctly though!!

I'll live.

Did anyone catch the liebour MP who said this this morning on Radio 4 when being interviewed about the 30 army job losses made by text? Some dulced toned Scot. Am I correct in believing that the budget deficit will actually be larger at the end of this parliament than at the beginning, despite all the "savage" cuts? So the host should at least have pushed him on just how temperary "temperary" is, conisdering it is still increasing even now?

Thats what frustrates me more than anything currently! Having worked so hard to build up a good deposit, I'm loathed to start risking even some of it in investments I don't really understand and could lose some or all of it far faster than inflation could take it. Once the house is paid for, I'll be happy to start trying to get the best return I can through investing and will b able to stomach the losses far easier. Just have to keep focusing on what I do have in the bank, compared with what it can buy in terms of brick and mortar and hope they fall faster than it gets eroded. Still a pretty ***** option though.

A mid 30's lad who works with my GF described a mortgage as precisely that only the other day (she emailed me immediately in disbelief). Apparently he knows just what he is talking about though, becuase his Missus is a financial advisor and apparently this is how she has explained it to him!

But manufacturing makes up less of the economy than it did when these records began. So it is a large increase of a smaller percentage. And it won't last.

and a lack of demand for housing," said Donnell But I thought we had a shortage? In which case, how can there be a lack of demand? Unless they are finally realising what has been said on here for years, that demand also includes the affordability as well.

Because they never really opposed any of it whilst they were in opposition, so it somewhat weakens their position when it comes to laying the blame.

Good to hear anecdotal evidence of improvements within manufacturing, because there is very little of it coming from the suppliers I've been speaking with of late. We need a strong manufacturing base and it has been phenominally ignored by both the Tories and Liebour, in favour of the city and the 'knowledge' economy. Oh and the public sector of course. Manufacturing is just sooooo last century. Without manufacturing, how else are we going to create enough genuine wealth to support the country? Or employment?

So people have happily sat back while inflation has run over 2% for 40 out of 49 months, yet suddenly start throwing their rattles about over a 2.1% VAT rise. They really need to wake up!

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-house-prices-fall-2011-yahoofinanceuk-475627704.html Always nice to see the old "We are an island", "Supply and demand" and "There is only so much land" lines trotted out so as not to worry the sheeple too much........

I'm getting 3% and consider myself very very lucky. I see they are spouting the old supply being withdrawn as a floor being put under price falls. I think the opposite. A good couple of months falls at the start of the new year and those wwho kept their place off the market this year awaiting next springs 'bounce' will finally be panicked into trying to get what they can. Here's to hoping anyway!

Sorry, reading it back that reply wasn't meant to sound so snotty either!! I agree with what you say, but can you imagine trying to get the average joes of today to actually understand???

A cog in a company which manufactures, including some export to China. 3% pay increase just announced, so I assume the company are reasonably happy with whatever it is I do to help them create what they do.

This is one of the main problems. Most people don't understand what real wealth creation is, or why it is so important for the future prospects of the country. It is pretty much too late now anyway.

I'm one of that 20% (manufacturing). And I'll tell you what, that percentage will continue to dwindle. Looking ahead 5 or 10 years I really cannot see what the ****** this country is going to produce in any meaningful volume in terms of exports and job opportunities. Our wealth creation looks set to become less and less. Without a huge paradigm shift, this country is up the shitter for decades!!

Must admit, I'm rather looking forward to getting a place with central heating. You forget what a luxury it is when you aint got it!!

Maybe that's the plan? Come out looking mean, then appear to soften up in the face of critisism and let external forces dictate things so they can say it wasn't their fault?

So they are poorer than those who would be affected by the cap?

But they aren't the poorest are they? Look what they get in handouts for housing alone, more than the gross average salary! The poorest are those who earning below average wages and who have to then pay their own rent out of what is left from their taxed income. I understand where people are coming from about making it a gradual, rather than swift change, but do you really think those who were set to be affected by this in April will say "phew, we now have another 12 months to find a rental place within the new guidelines' or do you think you will say "phew, we now have another 12 months of sponging off the poorest in society's tax to subsidise our current house, we will worry about it in another 12 months"? But I do get sick of hearing those who will be affected as being the 'poorest' in society. Are they ******!!! However, hope comes in them supposedly bringing in the 30th percentile rule sooner for new claimants as the poster above says, as this should help brig down rents in all areas.