It was fortuitous that Star trek premiered in London on Thursday. Fortuitous because it book-ened a week which started with a tragic factory fire in Bangladesh. A factory producing cheap clothing for global brands sold internationally... today we find ourselves at a crossroads between the world we have always had and (metaphorically) the world of Kirk and Spock.

I am often asked how we dare preach saving to young people living in debt. I am asked how it is possible that the young-and-broke generation, my generation, can be asked to make even further sacrifices by saving for their future.

If we stick to the thinking that old age is a fatal disease we must ignore till it happens, then our society is doomed.

The UK housing market has filled the headlines in recent years, with many commentators decrying the stagnation of the sector. Solutions have not been forthcoming, but it is safe to say that the shortage in housing stock requires an honest appraisal, followed by an injection of purpose and innovation.

Unpredicted and unannounced Britain now finds itself right in the middle of an extraordinary new baby boom, a fresh bulge-generation that will help shape our country for the rest of the 21st century. Has Britain cheated demographic destiny?