DeepLurker

Indeed it is!

Currently looking for a place to rent in St Albans. I'm finding it challenging as prices are very variable. Take for example this 2 bed flat: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-ren...0&minBeds=2 It's a 2 bed (furnished). Now, what's interesting is that until a few days ago, there was another 2 bed - unfurnished - in the same building: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-ren...0&minBeds=2 This was on the market at £950. Incidentally, we put in a lower offer, got a 'no thanks, it's gone for the asking price'. Would love to meet the guy who paid £75 more to have a place without any furniture! Despite this 'fog of war', my overall gut feeling is that prices are coming down.

More info on this women and the unlucky lawyer who 'bought' her house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment

Just watched the program on iPlayer. Got a couple of comments: 1/ The builder guy. It's hard to show him any sympathy whatsoever. - I noticed a silver Range Rover parked outside his house, and he seemed to be driving it when he went to collect his wages. Anyone else spotted this? If it's his, then how the h*** could he afford it on his wages? - There was a bike parked up outside the house. Even at the end of the programme (after several months of fighting to keep their home) he had not thought of selling this expensive toy. 2/ I expected something out of Les Miserables... poor souls that live in crappy rat-infested hell-holes and don't have 2 pennies to rub together. None of the families interviewed fitted this stereotype: - their houses were clean, well-built with no peeling paint or other signs of poor maintenance. - big gardens. - kitchens fitted with all mod-cons. - big flat screen TVs. - leather sofas. - playstations for the kids. Over the several months of the program, none of the families seemed to be making efforts to sell off stuff in order to raise capital, for example trading in their new-ish cars for old bangers. Maybe it's just the way the film-makers cut it, but I don't think so. All in all, I regret watching this program. It just made me angry.

Interesting. I came back to the UK (after 3 years working abroad) and got a job in 2007. I was made redundant last September, was told (in writing) that I was not eligible for JSA as I did not contribute anything in 2004. For whatever reason, they look at your contributions from a couple years back when deciding if you are eligible for JSA. So either: - The job centre lied to me. - The Daily Mail is telling porkies about Poles claiming JSA after just 12 months.

Can child benefit be considered a form of eugenics (albeit in reverse)? - normally, 'unsuccessful' members of society have a lower chance of having/bringing up children. - eugenics means that they have no children, period. - child benefit means that they can better afford to bring up children, just like 'successful' members of society. It's just a thought... Don't anybody read too much in to it.

M&S used to have a great reputation for quality, it was a no-brainer for when I needed office clothes. Then around 95-96 I remember buying something and being badly disappointed. The quality never seemed to recover after that. I bought fewer and fewer clothes over the years, until the Jan 2008 sales when I got 2 jumpers that turned out to be no better than Primark's; I won't be bothering with M&S again.

I've just had a thought: a total surveillance society is just like a communist society. In theory, it's a perfect plan. To make it work, it just requires complete buy-in and honesty from all participants. Which is why your plan is great, but has, Baldrick-style, 2 minor flaws: - you assume that criminals will never think of pulling their hoods up over their heads before lobbing a brick at your front window. - you assume that everyone will be equally under surveillance (including the government). Just try openly taking a video of your local bobby parking on a double yellow at the chippy, and see what happens.

I guess that a lot of retailers are being crucified by online sales. Take for example Virgin Megastore: what exactly did the brick-and-mortar store provide, compared to buying online? Where was the added-value? Some stores seem to get it. Waterstones is more expensive than online, but I like the experience: comfortable shop, soothing music played at low levels, friendly staff. So they get my custom.

-40% A crash is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, and this one seems to be talked up a lot more than the early 90s one. So I expect a big fall. Although, to be fair, I was a student at the time, so probably more concerned with the Fluid Mechanics exam than with the state of the economy.

Interesting point; I remember last going into Morgan's about 6 months ago with my fiancée who is "Peperami sized" (and French). Several stores in the UK are off-limits to her She used to like Morgan, but on our last visit her verdict was: "Good quality, but way overpriced". I remember looking at some labels and noticed that the price in Euros was the same as the price in pounds. I suggested that she postpone any purchases until our next trip to Paris. Well, at that time the pound was way stronger than the Euro

I loved your oh-so-politely-delivered smackdown: "there's a mechanism to connect BTLers to FTBers, and it's called a house price crash". Just one negative comment: I'd suggest that another time, you skip on criticising the program organisers. Don't saw the branch on which you're sitting and all that. Dangerous to do when they can cut you off at any time. Overall though, a great intervention, and a breath of fresh air after the old biddy going "Oh my, the value of my investments is going down, the government must doooo something!".

HPC is a "regular harbinger of doom", according to the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7795672.stm And all that time, there was me thinking that HPC was the voice of common sense in an orgy of spending!