I have now termininated my first, and last, brush with the stock market. In 2001 I had a handsome payoff on an investment I made in 1995 so my bank manager persuaded me to go with this investment firm. It was a 'risk' investment, but the economy was in reasonably good shape. A few months later came the 9/11 attacks on New York. The first statement I received showed a loss of more than £3000 on my investment. It went back up (and down and up and down and up ...) but the comeback has always been less than my original investment. Six months ago it was a thousand down and I was tempted to pull out then; however, the thought of losing a thousand pounds held me back. Thankfully, the latest statement was a hundred pounds over, so I finally withdrew it; however, that statement was over a month old so it had dropped again; so, having allowed this firm to sit on my money for more than five years, I made a profit of £48.06. I do not intend to make another investment like that; from now on I shall just sit back and watch the interest grow.

Which is just as well, with the government's pension proposals.

Work 'till 67!!

Stuff that; I have a private pension, and if I can boost it with a savings account, I shall retire at 55 (Oh for a win on the lottery!)

Working life is a drudge for some, and adding years to an overworked populations working life is not the greatest vote-winner that Tony Blair has ever come up with. I would never vote anything other than labour; but come on chaps, where's this feel-good factor you used to talk about?