Budget Time.

Almost a year in to this car crash of a ruling Coalition we're facing another budget, this one a growth budget from Boy George and his posh mates. It'll be aimed at getting the small to medium businesses employing the thousands of public sector workers thrown on to the altar of free enterprise. Enough talk of cuts, now we focus on getting back in the race and back on top.

From where I sit, its a pretty funny race we're hoping to compete in. The world is changing and the old sureties about Europe and the West are changing with it, bad news for the West, but also for the world. The new leaders are the economies putting people second, those miracle workers in China and India that let industry flourish where human rights fear to tread. Those panting along in the chasing pack are trying to change pace by casting off regulation, talking up flexible working patterns but not, as yet, sacrificing human spirit and progress in an attempt to win.

Boy George will want to talk a bit about regulation. The more rapid backbenchers have been baying for the re-balancing agenda to take off, allowing the state to retire behind the crusading lines of resurgent private enterprise. What will the Liberals do then? Are they really so desperate to win the AV referendum that all thoughts of opposing yet another lurch to the right are ignored in favour of winning the one thing that might justify their co-operation? It would seem so.

The Coalition continues to benefit the senior party at the expense of the Lib Dems. The powers behind David Cameron's throne continue to urge the destruction of public services and the reward of private endeavour, albeit the private endeavour of large global corporations intent on private accumulation of wealth. George Osborne will tell us he's supporting growth but his real support goes to those who admire the lack of restraint shown by the aggressive developing countries. This recession will go on for some time but when the economy recovers, a lot more people are going to realise that it really no longer matters, that markets, not countries hold sway. In five years time, Liberals will have a lot more to worry about than AV.