Well our dithering government has, at last made a decision about the future of Northern Rock, the first British bank to have suffered a run for 140 years. Since that run started over five months ago, the government has vacillated between selling the bank off cheap to the likes of Richard Branson's Virgin group, seeking other financier to whom to give the bank's assets at a knock-down price, and the route of last resort - nationalisation.

So why did the decision move against the Virgin option? The answer is that ever since the Northern Rock debacle commenced, many bright brains have given the subject a great deal of analysis. It became very clear early on that the cat was out of the bag. These bright brains applied themselves to advising the public and by extension, the electorate, what this all meant. The voters knew what giving the bank away meant for them, and what it meant for Mr. Branson. One would make billions and one would take all the risk. No prizes for guessing who would end up with each particular end of the stick.