Missed it, sorry.

It certainly wasn't a positive take on things that's for sure. Can't see that his conclusions were positive either

Jeremy Warner tends to fluctuate in his opinions from one week to the next, but worth a read. I prefer Jeff Randall, but the Telegraph have more or less lost him to Sky.

Why have you presumed that I am a "she"?

The last few pages of this thread have been quite amusing. The situation in the UK is not perfect, nor is it anywhere as bleak as some of you make out.

In fact, the cost of renting in the UK is quite high, so I am sure that it makes it quite difficult for people to save.

However, in terms of house affordability and the general cost of living, the UK is a considerably cheaper country to live in than Australia or NZ.

Here in NZ, I earn approximately 55K GBP per annum. My partner - a nurse, she earns in the region of 32K GBP per annum. In about 8 months (and not going out, having a small Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 between us, very few take-aways or meals out, minimal expenses/outgoings) we have been able to save a deposit of 25K GBP. Most of the time we do free stuff, i.e. go for a walk or go to the beach - that is weekends in NZ, not spending money in a glass restaurant, or trendy bars, or clothes shopping or cinema (I have bought 1 pair of shorts and 2 polo shirts since September 2012).

In theory, we bring home a relatively good income, certainly one that we should be able to buy a house with right? We are also supposedly in the top 10% of earners in Auckland (according to the banks).

Even if we were to double our salaries, it would still be near impossible to buy a house in Auckland.

Look at these articles:
1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/residentia...ectid=11146480
2) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/residentia...ectid=11149078

Yesterday, I went and viewed the properties (they are within a 35 minute drive of where I currently live). People think they are incredibly modern and amazing and great value for money. All 4 houses sold around the 1 million dollar (500K GBP mark), the largest -a 3-bed house (2 doubles, 1 single) and not much of a garden sold for 1 million and 16 thousand NZD. These are wooden 3-bed houses with tin rooves. They are all on one section as well and overlook each other. These people bought wooden kitchen/dining tables for 1500-2000 NZD (the sort of table you could buy at home in Argos or Ikea for 200 quid or less). Additionally, they are not double glazed, everything is wooden and single-glazed, what 90+% of houses are like in NZ.

It is complete and utter madness. The NZ government have also allowed a lending rule: min of 20% deposit to buy a house to come into effect. To buy a house like that you'd need a minimum deposit of 200K NZD (or 100K GBP). most 3-bed houses in Auckland are now selling in excess of 700K-1M NZD - it is beyond a joke, especially as 70% of the NZ population earn less than 40K NZD a year. What is even worse is that they don't have a proper capital gains tax, so landlords are creaming it.

I hope this is a good example of WHY people are optimistic about the UK and are looking forward to returning (especially me). The UK government actually want to help people like me and my partner get on the ladder, it is a clear sign to me that the government actually want to help people starting out in life.

You wont change the boomers on here to be honest, it seems to somehow make them feel all warm and fuzzy. We are living here and I can say hand on heart things are not even close to being as bad as a couple are making out.

I am also living in the UK, and I can recognise the issues in the articles and stats I have shared even if I don't happen to feel it in my own life. Here's a couple for today:

UK to be (one of the) fastest-growing Western economies. If that happens, and it's sustained then that will be a good thing - and for sure I've been saying all along that things will eventually get better. However there are things that are holding things back, e.g. the pain caused by sharp cost of living increases, the pain caused by high unemployment that is not going down that fast.

Also, it seems that the number of families living in emergency accommodation is at a 10 year high. More than 80,000 children homeless for Christmas.

The oddest good news story for the UK is how much safer it is to live in at least one respect.

Over the last thirty years there has been a reduction of 60 percent in the number of people dying in domestic fires. Even in the last ten years, the fire brigade attended only just over half the number of incidents of ten years earlier. There were even 8 percent fewer floods!
All those irritating Health and Safety advice (fire alarms, smoke alarms, fire retardant materials etc) certainly seem to have worked in one area at least.

For the "haves" things are okay. For the "have-nots", misery.

Yes indeed, to be fair life for the average person/family continues to improve in real terms, safer in most ways in real terms.

Indeed, it's unfortunate that a number of the "haves" don't see the plight of the "have nots".

Yes, that is the confounding nature of statistics.

Average (inflation adjusted) incomes continue a long term relentless climb while median incomes continue a long term relentless fall.

Hope this gets through. It is the first time I have attempted an attachment.

For those looking for parts of the country that are growing strongly here is the performance in the Midlands, where there seems to be some very strong growth underway.
One of the economic bodies is looking for 1.3 percent growth in the fourth quarter alone in the UK! So over three percent for the year.

Which would be an astonishing performance given that our main export partner - Europe- is collapsing. Not only is unemployment rising just about everywhere except Germany but it looks as though deflation is setting in. The train wreck is gathering speed.

Attachment link is http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/...cle1335106.ece but it is behind a paywall

Markit now also looking for 1.3 percent growth in the fourth quarter.
Services PMI now at 62.5.

Further reading on the above...........

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...s-booming.html

All looks very encouraging, but I'm not sure the comment in the article that it is financial services and estate agents??? that is causing the resurgence is accurate.

Both Jeremy Warner and Andrew Sentance point to the significant growth in business services (professional business and support) - much of it exported - as being the key driver of this growth, ably helped by health & social services:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/c...e-know-it.html

This is more than making up for the lack of drive in manufacturing, at this point, and for the decline in financial services and, of course, public admin & defence etc..

I tried to post that, but (perhaps because I am in Europe at the moment) it would not post.
To balance it with a further bit of terrible news for Europe as a whole (our largest grouped trading partner), the European Commission is forecasting the Euro even stronger! With the inevitable consequences for unemployment.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/1...0GL02220131105