Are we still in recession ?

indeed we never left. no amount of headines and speeches telling me different will ever convince me otherwise.

It is definately tough out there!! I am taking nothing for granted. This is going to be a long hard slog!

A year ago, many shops in Scotland's biggest shopping centre, near me, were lying empty and I expected it to get worse, but it'a actually improved. There are fewer empty units today.

The much needed major cuts in public spending aren't going to happen anytime soon, as it equates to political suicide due to the inevitable hardships that follow. Whoever wins the next election will need to balance the budget deficit and the concerns of the public related to job losses and other problems.

i may be wrong but i dont think britain has had real economic growth since north sea oil peaked at the turn of the millenium. the 'boom' of the 2000s was fueled by cheap borrowing and an asset bubble

...and as fossil fuels continue to become scarcer and more expensive there is no forseeable way the economy will grow in any meaningful sense