I only know for EPSRC (I reckon PPARC is the same though) but MINIMUM stipend for 2009-2010 year is £13,290. I started in 2006 on £12,300. No tax is payable on it to the robber barons...erm, I mean the government.

You have to pay tax on any teaching earnings you get that go over about £5k, but I don't know of any people who rack that much up.

EPSRC says:
"Stipends - You can decide what stipend to pay students as long as it is at least the national minimum set by the research councils".

Someone needs to explain to you where your funding comes from; if it's university money then fine, but if you're on a doctoral training account, you're being screwed over by quite a lot.

i) I had hoped it would give me more time to think about what I want to do for a career.
ii) I'd like to be Doctor....!
iii) It let me get paid for doing something I enjoyed, didn't find absurdly hard and I kept on being a student, but not poor!!

You're right, Keenbean. You don't have to be the most intelligent person ever to do it, dedication and enjoyment of the topic are a huge part of it. I know some relative thickos in my field; no common sense, cannot spell, no general knowledge and so on. However, it depends how you measure levels of genius. ;-)

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I am just writing my thesis up, and I've spent 3 years cooling little gadgets down to -272.996°C, playing with cryogens and looking at quantum turbulence. Is that weird enough?!

How about making a few big posters? Powerpoint is overrated anyway!