"What do you want me to do, write a thank you note?"

I was thinking this morning of a post when low and behold, Guido has sort of beaten me to it:

http://order-order.com/2015/05/20/theres-lunch-money-left/#_@/MMpkgwyjrOq9hg

I was thinking of all the career ending naivety that Liam Byrne exposed when he left a note for Danny Alexander in 2010, saying 'there is no money left.' To his successor in the Treasury.

I was wondering what note Danny Alexander would have left. There is a fine history here. In the 1970's Jim Callaghan took over from Reggie Maudling - Callaghan found a note saying -

"Good luck old cock. Sorry to leave it in such a mess."

The of course there was the quote above, from Gordon Brown after taking over in 1997 and being told the economy was in the best state it had ever been in after the 18 years of Tory rule- displaying all the good traits of humbleness and good humour we came to expect from him.

This time where are we...on the one hand some of the damage of 2008/9 has been well repaired  - the deficit is shrinking (although not under control), the tax base is rising a little, inflation is low.

But of course we have huge workfare and welfare, the overall national debt is spiralling and the world economy is experiencing various shocks with one to come from Greece highly likely.

Also - note to Cameron - we have a big deficit at the height of the boom - so the accusation against Brown could well come back to haunt the Conservatives one day!

But I wonder what Danny Alexander has written to Mr Hands - something very anodyne I expect given what happened to the last note!