It's not just you, folk1e. I live in an area which, until just a few years ago, really, was dominated by shipyards and coal mines. Now it's call centres.

I know times change, and nothing can stay the same - but, honestly. How fragile is that? That industry's only guaranteed until the rate relief on the offices dries up, or we're undercut by Bangalore.

My wife and I have been racking our brains to think what Britain does produce any more. We think there's a couple of shoe factories somewhere (though even Doc Martens are made in Indonesia now), woollen mills in the Scottish borders, and some foreign-owned car plants. (Flippin' foreigners. They come over here, they give us jobs ...).

But you're right. We still appear to be prosperous. And we can't work out how Mr Brown has managed this particularly clever trick.