If true, this is definately "Double-Plus Un Good", Orwellian England comes closer by the day. This level of nanny state interference deminishes the whole of society by creating an entire generation of citizens who will not only accept the state control but expect it too.

The more we read daily about the way the U.K. is going, the more we thank God that we were amongst the fortunate ones about to escape/emigrate from the place in the nineties for a better life in the land down under. Ok, so Oz isn't doing that well on the censorship rankings at the moment with the proposed internet filter, but we are getting more and more concerned each day about the quality of life and diminishing rights of the family and friends left behind.

I recently got another year (much) closer to my half century - the idea of moving into management makes me shudder, I intend to code until I retire (and beyond probably).

I guess it depends on how you view management. My experience is that they can't avoid the office politics and tend to be the target of much of it too. You say you enjoy management but have you tried all facets of it? Have you had to make the unpopular decisions that all managers have to at some time and do you think you can live with doing that for the rest of your working life.

To be a good manager in the modern IT industry requires you to keep on learning, just as I have to as a coder so don't fool yourself into thinking it will be any easier - it could be harder.

At the end of the day there is no real reason why you should not continue to code until retirement, except those reasons you create yourself; besides, there could be other better opportunities waiting round the corner.

Do what makes you happy and you feel comfortable with - if you're feeling uncomfortable and threatened by the up and coming younger developers then perhaps it's time to move on but it doesn't have to be that way.