Sorry is the hardest word

Well for Gordon Brown anyway.

I was reading with interest the news on his failure to apologise for his part in the financial mess we were in, when I saw on a Sky News story that Brown admitted he should have been tougher on the banking system.

This is a slight case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

I know the term collective responsibility has to come into the equation, but Brown had the power to curb the banks' excessive lending and increasingly reckless actions many years ago. But he did nothing, just revelled in the success of the country with a smug look on his face.

I remember reading articles about the increasing wealth of the UK in the early noughties and thinking 'it is all going to end in tears'. Surely if I, as an industry outsider, could see that - you would think the UK Chancellor would maybe think the same?

People just couldn't spend money fast enough and were sucking away all the equity they had in their property to fuel their spending frenzy. The only logical conclusion to that madness was a hard jolt back to reality, surrounded by unrefundable receipts.

The scary thing is that nobody knows WHEN this situation is going to end. One thing is for sure. I don't think anyone will be spending recklessly again, even when the economy is flying.