"Sharing the proceeds of standstill" doesn't quite chime does it? But that's where the economy had got to at the end of June, and now it's probably in the first quarter of what will turn out to be a recession. Couple that to Eurozone holiday exchange rates, and the rising cost of more or less everything, and it must now, surely, be goodbye to what is probably the least recession-proof soundbite in the world?
In fairness, there's a significant psychological shift to be made in the Westminster village. Uninterrupted growth since 1992 makes for a naturally rosey outlook. But pretty much every household in the country has already made that very shift; people are feeling the budgetary squeeze and adjusting their spending accordingly. We need to do the same with public finances. The politics of recession are not the same as the politics of growth. That's why tax cuts are now back on the agenda. Bank balance outweighs work-life balance, now and for some time to come.
It would be good to hear that the Conservative front bench team has decided to put this particular phrase out of our misery. I am sure that a friendly think-tank could be persuaded to host a suitable memorial ceremony before the Party Conference. But I suspect I am being over-optimistic.
