I don't write about anything much nowadays, but I've been reading various economics blogs and have come to the following conclusion.

This country's current economic problems are mainly caused by stupid investors taking money out of the bursting bubble that is the housing market and putting it into the emerging bubble that is the oil market.

Us poor consumers are caught in the middle.

If I were in government I'd shoot stupid investors.  And remove the tax on beer and petrol.  It might not be a sound economic or social policy, but at least people would be able to travel to work and to drink away their sorrows without getting into too much debt.