and how do we spend this £100000 at tesco's next week or to pay the bills, equity withdrawal - but then how do we pay back this £100,000 - bankruptcy and repossession - it is this cycle which has got everyone in a mess in the first place

danny, warwick, england

MarkS:

I am on £55000 as a Local Authority Consultant and I have a 40/60ths index linked pension coming my way in 10 years time. It may not be considered to be particularly productive what I do (race and sex discrimination mentoring) but who is the fool you or I ?

Austin Tassletine, South West, UK

The illusion of £100,000 equity sums up why the UK economy is due for a difficult time.This figure is not rational, it assumes that peoples houses are worth what they think its worth.If the CBI think that this statistic is going to save the UK economy then they had better think again.There are many other statistics that one could use.The consumer debt mountain is 1.4 trillion,what was it in 1993?

stephen hulton, eure, france

"It is important not to exaggerate the risks. The most likely outcome for the UK is that the coming 12 months will bring a soft, as opposed to a hard, landing after two years of above-average growth"

Right, houses are overpriced by 30-40% so we are in for a soft landing are we? You also don't mention most of the growth was fueled by a credit binge.

"The latest Bank of England survey shows that around 60 per cent of mortgage borrowers have more than £100,000 of equity in their homes compared to less than 10 per cent in 1993,” Mr Lambert said."

Ahh yes compare the bottom of the last bust with the top of the current boom is really a valid method is it? Do your figures also factor in RPI inflation?

"The CBI believes the prospects for employment are fair, largely because of the flexibility of the UK labour market, which makes strong use of agency and temporary workers"

Not much use to the average UK worker when the jobs are predominantly minimum wage and taken by eastern europeans

Alex, Nottingham,

The house of cards is about to fall. Here comes third world Britain.

izhar khan, aberdeen,

It is Mr Lamberts job to lean towards optimism.
This being so,I would think that things will turn out rather worse than he predicts.
Frankly, I do not care too much about profits being squeezed,but I consider inflation,fed by unnecessary rate cuts,forced on the B of E by vested interests,to be the real threat to future prosperity.
By inflation,I do not mean the meaningless,doctored official numbers. I mean real inflation,honestly measured.

nic, royan, france

Soft landing? Heck no, beer's going up 60% this year. I'm leaving the country!

Justin, Nr. Lincoln, UK

The figures quoted for the percentage of mortgage borrowers with more than £100,000 equity in their homes is completely meaningless. In 1993 the average price of a home was well below £100,000 so, of course, only a small percentage of people had £100,000 or more in equity in their homes. After near on 200% price rises in the last 10 years, it is hardly surprising that the figure is now much higher and all the more worrying for the economy as a whole

Alex Chapman, manchester,

That £100,000 of equity could dimish quickly and significantly - what's holding it up?

I'd also say that the supposed over-dependence on the financial sector is as nothing to the dependence on a bloated, overpaid (at higher levels) and unproductive public sector.

MarkS, Leeds,

'around 60 per cent of mortgage borrowers have more than £100,000 of equity in their homes'.

Brown must already be working out how he can tax it.

David, Oxford,

It is never those with large amounts of equity in their homes that bring down markets. It is those with little equity, highly leveraged mortgages and no chance of re-financing that causes the problems. And with most home owners living in the south as that is where most people live it is not something special to have 100,000 in equity based on average prices being 275,000 - that means the average household has a mortgage ratio of 6.25% with an income of 28,620. In any downturn as noted above these ratios will get bigger. No soft landing then! But the real issue is that when the equity is reduced by even 20% it is then that the mortgage ratio to income has got even further out of kilter. Banks simply own your soul for longer and the dream is further away.

Richard Lambert is cherry picking. He notes how reliant the UK is in finance but won't come to terms with realities.

Paul, London, Canada