Mooncat

I have attached the files I downloaded from the BBC news site (at least I hope I've attached them...I've not done this before). I can't find them on the BBC site anymore but I'm sure they're still there somewhere. Hope it works... Mooncat mervyn_king_to_gordon_brown.pdf gordon_brown_to_mervyn_king_170407.pdf mervyn_king_to_gordon_brown.pdf gordon_brown_to_mervyn_king_170407.pdf

Ooh, we can't have that...it'll probably confuse me too (and that's not very hard to do)!!! I've changed it now...thanks!!!

Just after Christmas I could have sworn that I read something that said restaurant takings had dropped as a result of food sales going up as people entertained at home. Does anyone else recall seeing something like that? Am I reading a little too much into it?

SWHITELEY You put a lot of hard work into the new site and it's great! Well done!!

The thing I cannot understand no matter how hard I try (and this may well have been said before...apologies if this is the case) is how on earth do house prices STILL continue to go up (well, according to the Halifax anyway)??? We have levels of debt never seen before, energy bills are skyrocketing, repossession orders rising, bankruptcies and IVAs soaring. Not being the most intelligent being (which I'm sure my posts demonstrate) I can't help but wonder 'am I missing something???'. I'm not suggesting in any way that house prices aren't going down (and, boy, do I pray they will) but there's got to be some way of explaining why the figures don't seem to add up. How come inflation is so low (isn't it something like 1.9%???) but most energy companies have raised the cost of gas and electricity by well over 10% and that's not even taking into account the rise in water and council tax bills...and the rest. Our wages have not gone up in line with all the utility bill increases (and contrary to reports, wages in the NHS haven't gone up...maybe consultant's wages have but in the recent 'Agenda for Change' most other groups of staff such as nurses, technical and clerical staff actually went DOWN a grade and ended up LOSING money). If so many families are now stretched to the limit, who is buying all the massively overpriced houses??? It just seems unbelievable that we have so many people struggling to pay their bills yet somehow everyone has money to help keep the housing market ticking along... Surely something is not right!?!?!?

I think CE said the interest rate would be 4.5% at the end of the year... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4072901.stm

I read this with interest in the local paper (Huddersfield Examiner)... http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100...-name_page.html

I read the 'We were wrong about house prices, admits Capital Economics' article and I have to say that this has really worried me. Is there anyone else this has affected in the same way and is there an upside to this???

"If I could end my life and be like Fred Dibnah I'd be really, really happy. What's wrong with nice? People in the South hate that word nice, but the North is nice." Wayne Hemmingway. ...but if you have ever met a grumpy old northern man then Victor Meldrew seems quite mellow in comparison... PS. I live oop north and it's great!!!

That's a really scary thought, Meditating Hamster. It means I would have to work over 4 years extra assuming my whole salary went towards paying off the mortgage. In realistic terms I would imagine it would be closer to 10 years of working for nothing just for the ?pleasure? of buying an overpriced house now...hmmm, will definitely pass on that!!! Surely it makes sense to wait 4 years and pay less in the long run??? You've definitely given me food for thought by putting it in those terms, Meditating Hamster. Thanks!!!

I have to say that I'm finding it pretty difficult to be patient but I'm hoping that prices drop significantly. I've got a feeling you may well be right, Meditating Hamster, about the time scale. I am noticing drops in the Huddersfield area but so far not by more than a few thousand so I imagine that it will take a while for the drops to filter through. Here's hoping...