Compare and contrast two stories on the BBC news website. First we have the news that it is all going to be ok again - according to the British Chambers of Commerce - and the recession is going to end:

Its report, based on a survey of 5,600 companies, found there had been "welcome progress" in confidence levels between April and June.

On the same day that another recognisable retail chain disappears down the economic u-bend:

The coffee chain Coffee Republic has gone into administration, becoming the latest victim of the economic downturn... Administrators at KPMG have warned that job losses are "inevitable" at loss-making outlets.

It appears to be a contradiction - how the recession be ending at the same time as hundreds of jobs go on the line? The answer is simple - economics tend to be a little bit more complicated than the broad strokes painted by both politicians and the media. Businesses will continue to go under and jobs will be lost even as the recession ends and recovery begins. Even when the recession ends we're still going to feeling it. That, unfortunately, is real life.

I can't wait to see, though, which of these stories Gordon decides to comment on. I suspect he'd be more likely to claim credit for the muted good news from the BCC than note the demise of one of the numerous coffee outlets on the High Street. However, I'm making a big assumption here - that Gordon is going to comment on either of these stories. He may find something far more important to comment on. Like the death of a dubious celebrity or something...