* I see now that I misunderstood the budget from Mr Brown, it was infact a stakeholder budget. In the past the very poorly paid were paying little in tax. This means they did not feel that they had much of a stake in SS England, now that they will be paying more tax this will make them feel much better because they are increasing their stake in contributing to the national purse. In addition they will have the reward of knowing they are easing the burden on the better off who are loaded down with the weight of debt. The feel good factor amongst the worse paid people in the country will soar and this always has a beneficial effect on the country as a whole.

* My partner and her friends were discussing an article on modern sexuality which revealed among many things that most women's sex life in terms of attaining orgasm were very poor in Great Britain. In fact the much vaunted Hollywood mutual climax (see any film with coupling in it) is as rare as a junkie who pays back money he borrowed from you i.e. virtually unheard of. There was much discussion amongst the girls about inconsiderate partners, too much to drink beforehand, what you could and couldn't say at the consenting moment. I pointed out to them that the problem was that the art of faking an orgasm was now so well practised that the chance of the average guy knowing he was putting on a poor show was low to nill. I was dismissed on this point by the fact that none of those present had ever faked an orgasm and whoever I was referring to (dirty looks from my partner) it wasn't anyone they knew and also sex wasn't swept under the carpet anymore and open discussion between the sexes regularly took place. It was generally felt that I must have been living in portugal or some other retrograde country.
The conversation then drifted to a discussion about couples who had lived together for a long time who suddenly get married. This is usually followed by a split about a year or two later. It was generally felt it was a sure bet and much pulling apart of a couple who were just about to do this took place. Six months was the agreed time before a split. Well, knowing that saves a lot of needless expense.