I personally didn't care less about the 10p₁, but what is becoming increasingly clear is that all this bollocks about "economic cycles" has the potential to be the Northern Rock for the government. What I object to is the lack of tight control over the money they've spent on their favourite projects e.g. the NHS. It is increasingly clear that the government should have been building up reserves during the "nice decade" so that when the Brown stuff hit the fan, it had reserves to rely on.

It takes a certain amount of showmanship and charisma and intuitive feel to be a leader of a nation. Blair had it, Brown doesn't, no matter what you think of their other attributes.

_{1. But a large number of people who would vote Labia do.}