I have to admit I have never done anything with electrics before.
And as I keep pointing out, given that situation you were very foolish to decide you could just do it without taking the trouble to learn first.
When I purchased my light the instructions made it seem simple to do. Once I started it was more complicated then I thought so I did get information on how to do it properly.
Yes -
after you'd messed it up.
After you'd made a mistake which shows that you don't even understand what a piece of wire does.
After you'd made a mistake which shows that you didn't think to study, or make a note of, how the wires were connected before you removed the old light.
After you'd made a mistake which shows that you didn't understand or follow the diagrams or information you must have been looking at to find out about permanent and switched lives.
Instructions are not always that clear
Not even the part which said "If in doubt consult a qualified electrician"?
and sometimes it is good to get advice from others, which is what I thought this site was for?!!?
Yes it is.
But to repeat ColJack's analogy, if you changed the brakes on your car, got it completely wrong because you didn't have a clue how to do it right,
knew you didn't have clue but went ahead anyway, crashed the car because you got it wrong, and then posted on a car mechanics forum asking what you did wrong, do you think everyone there would agree that you'd gone about it the right way?
You can only learn from your mistakes.
You can die from trying to learn about electrics by making mistakes.
Do you really have nothing better to do at 11pm on a Sun eve then have a go at others???
Always willing to help.
That's not complicated - it's perfectly normal and probably by far and away the most common system used in houses in this country.
That was completely true - it is the most commonly found system, and that is something you need to know because you'll be encountering it for the rest of your life.
If you found it complicated you should have studied it more until it became blindingly obvious and simple.
That was good advice because you really should not attempt electrical installation work on the basis of blundering about hoping you get it right.
Each wire had a live (red), Earth (Yellow&green) and neutral (Black).
No it didn't.
That was good information because it's something you
must take on board. Terrible things can happen if you assume that a conductor has a particular function just because of the colour of its sleeving.
I found out which of the neutrals was the switch wire
A switched live is
NOT a neutral.
Ditto.
Do you have a multimeter?
That was a valid question at the time I wrote it because when I wrote it you hadn't posted the snippet about how you'd decided to remove all the continuity between the live conductors in your lighting circuit.
What made you think it was OK for you to do electrical work when you must realise that you know absolutely nothing?
That was a valid question, because you do need to re-evaluate your attitude to doing things in which you know you have no competency.
And
that was helpful because it pointed you at information you need.
What's really going on here is that you know full well you behaved like an utter fool by attempting something which you
knew was completely beyond you and which you
couldn't be bothered to find out about first, but you think that you should be immune from any criticism.
Next time it might not be a few lights stopping working - next time it might be your house burning down, or someone dying from electric shock.
