An admission of failure?

Just following up my post of yesterday evening, it’s worth pointing out the story in today’s FT that Alistair Darling is going to throw small businesses a “credit lifeline” in next week’s PBR.  This was actually one of the aims of the multi-£billion bank bailout.  But – as that doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect – the Government’s natural reflex is to throw more money at the problem and thereby increase the liabilities shouldered by the taxpayer. 

Here is yet another area where the war of words – the political sloganeering – is crucial.  Will this spending-on-top-of-spending be seen as the Government doing “whatever it takes”?  Or will it be seen as an admission of failure, as “waste”?  The opposition parties need to stress that it’s the latter, if their own economic approaches are to gain greater traction.