Asked about the prospects for Gordon Brown’s banking bail-out Tony McNulty, the Employment Minister, has told the BBCs’ Daily Politics Show that “The success of yesterdays’ announcements will be the precursor to how deep and how long the recession will be.” This is the first time a senior government official has actually fessed up to the obvious and admitted that a recession is on the way. Elsewhere James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has disclosed that contingency plans are in place to cope with mass unemployment on a scale not seen for more than a decade. Oh happy days!!! I think i feel a migraine coming on.