It's The Real Economy Again Stupid !

A chance interview with a roving BBC Radio reporter yesterday allowed me to vent my spleen on two matters : the sensationalist side-show created by the appearance of the British National Party's Nick Griffin on "Question Time" (the BNP being the reason for the reporter's roving); and the poor state of Worcester's railway heritage, due to lack of investment by Network Rail (who haven't even bothered to remove a RailTrack sign beneath Foregate Street Bridge).

However, the real issue of the day was the state to the UK economy, now in recession for the longest period since 1955.

Co-incidentally Worcester's two railway stations look like relicts from the 1950s, largely missing out on the ugly make-overs of the 1960s/70s, and, less fortunately, investment in regeneration of the kind which has benefited other areas in more recent years.

However, the stations are a ready reminder of the real world : as distinct from the glitzy one apparently inhabited by most economists, who still seem to confuse the wild speculations of financial markets with the performance of the wider economy.