We do not know how much Blair is worth since he hides his finances behind many secret companies, or rather companies who are not required to submit accounts. All we know is how much his many houses are worth in the UK.

Ding!

If he were "a regular kind of guy" as he claimed, he wouldn't be hiding his wealth in a complex network of companies. Nor would he be worth £millions so soon after standing down as PM. I'm forced to wonder if all his consultancy fees are in fact deferred payment for services rendered.

I just can't see how a man who was PM, but has now retired from politics and be so useful to a business in any capacity that I regard as honest and compatible with democracy.

Well I find it really weird that Hague would actively choose to share a room when he is a millionaire and it is also on expenses.

It would have been party expenses, so it's not inconceivable that he would think it was better to save on something like hotel bills so there'd be more cash about for billboards and Rover Metros with load hailers on top. As for being a millionaire, there are numerous examples of the rich being stingy 😆

The BBC showed it for a while. Cut it down from its usual 45 mins plus adverts to a half hour show. It was a hell of a lot better for it.

The normal programme drags like mad as they try and stretch out out so much.

I can't imagine what the fall out will be when the newspapers print that Santa isn't real either.

Just disappointed that the stig has turned out to be a disloyal self serving p***k.

Come off it. What has he actually taken away from BBC Worldwide, Clarkson and Wilman? They'll get a different coloured set of overalls and a new Stig, if it really bothers them.

The 3 presenters have made a very healthy living from the fame they've had from Top Gear – May in particular has always been an amusing writer, but he was relatively unheard of when he just had a column in Top Gear mag. Why shouldn't the Stig get his £££s?

What headfirst said. Your wages are now worth less.

24 volts is loads. 14 volts is a normal charging voltage. I'll assume you've mistyped.

Batteries should last 3 years or so, if used reasonably gently. You're currently using the battery about as hard as you can. There will be some current drain when the car is stood (alarm, immobiliser, radio, probably a body ECU etc.), diesels take a lot of grunt to start, and you need to put in some journeys of decent length to get some charge into the battery.

Have you got a garage where you can hook it up to a charger?

If ya really want me too….

I thought you may be labouring under the misapprehension that I no longer go to restaurants with my friends on the off chance that someone will think I'm gay, being as your reply was pretty angry and immediately followed mine.

Eddie Merckx.

Grow up.

Are you having a go at me?

What he said. I find this kind of thing really odd. It reminds me of an article I once read about male friends not wanting to go for dinner with each other in case people thought they were gay.

What breatheasy said.

I know several sisters with a loaded Dad who dotes on them a bit. Majority of them are lovely, one of them is a pain by all accounts.

It's not a route I'd go down if I had kids and money.

I thought it was pretty much common knowledge. Hence massive tubed but thin walled aluminium frames.

It's probably worth a go. The skills look does look a bit "big" the first time you try it. It's a very good place to get used to how you have to push the front of the bike down into holes and get a bit of rhythm.

I'd have found the peaks a bit much as a starter! The Red at Pines would be a good start, and the last descent is vaguely similar to a lot of peaks stuff – fairly wide but bumpy as hell. There are no rocks though.

Not so bonkers as you feared for your ears. Just a bit off kilter.

There's a small wallride thing, which looks terrifying to someone who's never done one – I'll happily ride up earth banks, but the transition on the skills loop one is sharp as.

Beyond that, there's a small bit of wide north shore, a few dips and humps that you can't really pump through, and a bit of ground level narrow north shore to practice your handling on. And a couple of rocks to ride over. It's a loop about 30 seconds to 1 minute long.

I don't know what's on Totley moor (I've probably ridden it without realising), but I doubt that much to be learnt from Sherwood Pines.

There used to be a bonkers Italian man with a barbers by the Hallam Uni – Howard street.

I suspect this to be completely wrong.

One of my Dad's friends has done it. It's apparently fairly common amongst the oldies around here. But as I said, it's an area with fairly low demand for council houses, and we're talking about people with time on their hands.

As I said above, we need more housing in general. You're preaching to the choir with this business about rents and house prices. Right to buy is a complex issue – I've personally no problem with the concept, if housing stock were replaced when it's sold. But it's not, because Mrs T wanted to geld local authorities.

When will we know when we have "enough houses"?

When the trend is that prices aren't rising compared to inflation, and profits in the housebuilding sector are in line with the rest of the economy.

Insurance – who 'loses' their no-claims in the event of a claim

It doesn't work like that. If you insure two cars, you build up two separate sets of no claims bonus. So it'll be a case of who gets to have the insurance in their name and therefore the spare NCB!

Personally, I'd see if you can go quarters or thirds on it with another person. It'll do your head if you have to use it to commute.

Even though it is family, write out a contract / constitution of what happens when. If nothing else, it makes you think through the entire process – what happens if one wants to sell a share etc? If it blows up in the hands of one person, does everyone share the bill?

Automatics are for people who don't enjoy driving.

Some automatic cars are hateful, others are lovely. As far as I can tell, anything below 150 brake is hateful with an auto. Get up to 200, 250 brake and 3 or 4 litres, and it's fine.

I've been to Wrexham. Is it too late to change unis? 😆

Seriously, if you haven't got a heavy course, go for halls. The drinking is far better. And there are far more pretty girls.

and a big hugandkiss for private landlords that took the councils' place.

Indeed. It's insane that we pay private landlords to provide social housing.

Ultimtely, it comes down to the fact that we don't have enough houses. We won't see supply catch up with demand for a long time, as everyone seems to buy into the insane idea that rising house prices are a good thing for the average joe.

Personally, I'd go for the equivalent Mondeo over the Vectra. The Mondeo will edge the Vectra on handling, a Passat will have either on build. 1.8T Passats are very cheap for what they are, but again, not earthmoving.

Vectras are just not great cars. Fine workhorses.

I've actually done this. You can bodge a wire from the Virgin cable outlet to your TV's Aerial input. No need for a Virgin box.

When I did it, the standard 5 terrestrial channels were broadcast down it, in clear terrestrial type signal – not digital.

I've no idea why they do it, unless it's a way of providing a signal test?

Many companies marketing are full of crap.

You'll find very few who are seriously hypocritical though. Outside the oil companies at least 😆

So all the poor uneducated locals should move out and look elsewhere for work? Where? And how will they be able to afford that?

Wherever there is work – as I said, prior to the downturn, there seemed to be work for everyone who wanted it. Obviously, now we're suffering cyclical unemployment. But it sounds to me like the area you're talking about has structural unemployment (ie, the industry has gone).

Personally, I'd suggest a law that all companies must pay expenses to interviewees, and shake up housing so that someone moving into an area for work has a right to a home, school place for their kids etc.

You could then stem the ghettoisation of council estates, and free up housing in London, allowing relatively low paid workers to actually have a decent crack at making a living. Which was pretty much the purpose of council housing back in the 1950s.

She spent years as a not very confident (but actually very capable) driver and the Siecento's size really gave her confidence and she does not want anything any bigger than she can possibly get away with

Have you tried sticking her in a mid sized car? My girlfriend learned to drive in a 206, then had a 106, and was fairly adamant about not wanting a big car – difficult to park and manoeuvre etc.

As soon as she had a go in a mid sized car, realised that it was a load comfier, quieter, faster and had more toys, she was converted. The size of the car was much more of an issue in her head than in reality.

Fact is, that in this area, a perfectly viable workforce has been ignored, which has led to the exacerbation of social problems such as crime, drug addiction and mental health issues.

Honestly, considering how difficult it is to get into finance, I think you're barking up the wrong tree. No amount of adult education is going to turn someone into a 20 something with solid A-levels, a degree from Oxbridge or a Russell group uni, along with the willingness and ability to work insane hours.

Realistically, you can try to ensure that everyone has the basics of education covered.

The other option would be to encourage some other form of industry in the area. But the problem there is that most of London's location based advantages apply to big business's head office functions and finance. It would be a very bad place to try and run a factory, distribution centre or almost any business that has a relatively low skill workforce. So the best option you have in that situation is to go to somewhere where there is work.

I have no idea what this means.

What I mean is this:

If you live in an area where there is low demand for council housing, you can put your name on the housing list. Eventually you will be allocated a council house. You can then move into the council house and sell the home you were previously living in. You then have a council house, which you pay relatively little rent on, and load of cash.

I'd not worry about the image at all. You might get a bit of a ribbing, but it's not like the car gives off really bad vibes.

There are cars I'd love to own, but wouldn't have as an only car due to the image – a full on Impreza or a 2L Nova. Turn up at places in one of those and people will start hiding the silverware.

Social housing is in very short supply though and if you are young and single you wont get it.

It certainly is. I think we're going to have to see a real shake up of how it operates. Some very strange things happen with council houses. Obviously, you get people who once needed social housing, and now don't, but are still enjoying subsidised rents etc. Or who do need it, but don't need a 3 bed house any longer. But beyond that, you get even odder things happening.

It's actually possible for homeowners sign onto the housing list, eventually get a council house, and sell their home, particularly in areas with low demand. End result is that they get cheap rent and the value of their house in their back pocket. It's absolutely perverse, but it's a very rational course of action for them – many people are unlikely to leave much of an inheritance as their house or savings will be used to pay for their care in old age. So why not sell up at 60 and have every holiday and trinket you want?

That becomes even more problematic when you consider that people tend to live into their 70s, and we can't make predictions on that kind of timescale. Low housing demand tends to go hand in hand with a slow local economy. But, in 10-15 years time, the local economy may have picked up, there may well be lots of people working in in the area and unable to get into social housing.

The conditions they live in a often pretty poor, overcrowded shared houses and dormitory's, the sort of thing that can be put up with on a temporary basis for single people, but is impossible for longer periods or families.

Indeed. Which is why we have social housing. Around my way, council rents are around 1/2 to 2/3rds of what you'd pay a private landlord.

Your taking the point to a a ridiculous level, many wont work as they can only get shit jobs which wont improve their quality of life significantly.

That idea was raised by Elfinsafety!

so why do they take many jobs that the UK unemployed wont do

Because the benefits and housing system don't work particularly well. If you get into a hand to mouth situation with your finances, taking a job does not make sense. You may well be better off by a few pounds a week, but you're taking a big risk, as if you get laid off, your benefits will take a long time to be reinstated. So you'll have 4-6 weeks with no money. And you probably pay for everything, including your utilities, up front.

If you do arrive in that situation, you then become likely to turn to illegal money lenders, and the situation worsens further. Illegal lending is very strongly linked to a lot of crime – rape, prostitution and cannabis farming for a start.

You can see why there are so many factors pushing people away from taking a job. Doing so could literally ruin the life of someone who is on benefits and has no cash put aside for a rainy day.

Of course, the wages are worth more to immigrant workers, in the sense that they can repatriate savings, but you have to remember that they also have to pay their living costs in the UK before they can safe. That suggests to me that there is no problem getting by on the minimum wage. I'm not saying it's easy, but I doubt getting by on £60 a week dole is either.

I believe they're experimenting with something along these lines in Belgium.

I'd sooner be stuck in a hole in the ground if it's all the same…

They're designed so as to be near impossible to finish. I reckon you stand a decent chance.

You talk of getting business going to provide employment opportunities yet as you point out yourself these are often filled by foreign workers, getting to the nub of why this is will not be a matter of telling them to get on their bikes and try harder.

My point of view is this:

The benefits and housing system create a situation where it can be extremely difficult to take / find paid work. It's difficult to move, and taking employment and losing it can be extremely problematic due to the delays involved in setting up a new benefits claim. What I'm saying is, if you pay people their benefits in a timely fashion, and provide them with the freedom to move, they should have a far better chance of finding suitable work.

I don't buy the idea that the unemployed aren't going to go to work because they aren't going to get Aston Martins, work in finance and own their own homes any time soon.

Unskilled foreign workers are at a disadvantage compared with unskilled UK workers in my view.

And as for the people who relocate for work having tonnes of cash, not in my world.

I seem to remember that you're a teacher. Please explain where my comprehension is lacking.

Fuel goes nowhere near the turbo.

Petrol in the diesel does increase the exhaust gas temperature though. You can't run a derv turbo on a petrol engine for much that reason.

I did. He sounded to me like he was describing structural unemployment. The people who live near Canary Wharf and don't have jobs presumably did have jobs at some time, but the industries they worked in have gone.

And I don't think anyone can dispute that there was work for anyone who wanted it until fairly recently. I've certainly had a few unskilled factory jobs and the like.

The issue is that people would have to follow the work. It's not ideal, but it's a fact of life. Most people who have marketable skills and qualifications will find that they have to move to where the work is, or commute long distances.

Why on earth should those who don't have skills and qualifications be any different? We need to sort out social housing and benefits, get both functioning effectively and quickly, so that labour can be mobile, and free to take on any work that's going, even if it is short term. At the moment, the system makes it pretty much impossible.

Reskilling is of value, but if people have all the skills in the world, and they're in an area with bugger all economic activity, those skills will just atrophy.