NiceToSeeYouToSeeYouNice

Oh yes indeed!

(Northern) Rock solid.

I think that I agree with the presenter, surely this IS effectively helicopter money, since government spending is for the benefit of the whole citizenry? As an aside, is this not very similar to what Corbyn has been proposing (big spending of printed money on infrastructure projects, etc)... Sounds to me like they know government debt levels are unsustainable and they are looking for ways to get "off the hook" without admitting the whole thing is a charade.

Good morning fellow HPCers. I've been reading the site since back in 2005, and was an occasional poster but lost my username/email details. Back in the day (2005), I was working in London, in finance, and people used to squint their eyes and look at me sideways when I said the house market was a giant bubble that would surely burst. For family reasons, I moved away from London in 2006 and managed to secure a small, characterful 3-bed house with a mortgage that is now almost paid off. An almost random move that has proven to be the most lucky thing in my life to date. What has happened since globally is quite astonishing, but what has happened in London has taken my breath away. Since around 2011 I've returned to HPC and been reading on a semi-regular basis; like many of you I have felt that "something just isn't right" on many levels - with the economy, with the government and particularly with the housing market. From the posts on here, the evidence I see in my daily life and the various articles in the media, my conclusion is that they have effectively tried to "paint over" the issues that caused the 2007/2008 crash, with the net effect of making the (now looming) next crash far worse. I have two kids (one in school, one approaching school age) and I fear for their future. The only people I see around me who seem to be comfortable are the retired. When I was growing up it was the other way around, those in work were buying new cars, having multiple holidays a year and new kitchens fitted, etc. I think 2016 is going to be a very memorable year.