The sorry state of the economy has been off the front pages of late, but make no mistake the fun and games of electing a speaker should not distract us from paying attention to soaring unemployment and deteriorating business conditions.

Business conditions which suffer under the ceaseless curse of visits from our jinxed PM. The tragedy that follows any visit by him to any shopfloor is endless. A few months ago the Prime Mentalist was accompanied on his visit to the Contour Premium Aircraft Seating factory by Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan, the very next month they announced 40 job losses. Today another 240 jobs are going. The curse of the one-eyed son of the manse casts its shadow…