Ever since Bill Clinton campaigned on the slogan 'It's the economy, stupid' it has become a truism that how well off people feel is a critical factor in how election campaigns fare and on the relative popularity/unpopularity of the government. Now there are some small in indications that the UK economy might be gradually improving as we have recently had an interest cut a quarter of a percentage point and as the growth figures for the last quarter seem somewhat more positive. As we are only a few weeks on from the general election, the Tories are claiming that it any signs of economic recovery are 'theirs' and this raises a more general point as to how and when a government should claim credit for changes in the economy. I suspect that most Labour figures would agree that any turn around in the economy is probably due to the actions of the previous government but, of course, one should not read too much into one set of figures as it is the trend over several months that should be the focus of our attention. Despite the rhetoric, most governments accept the changes in legislation passed by a previous government and hence we have the spectacle of a Labour government with a huge majority not overturning the cap on child benefits beyond the second child upon which I expected a huge backbench Labour opinion which did not happen. But a little historical perspective might be in order. The system of child credits took over a system of what was termed 'Family Allowances' in which payments were only made from the second child onwards. So parents who currently receive child credit for the first two of their three children are in the sam position as parents a generation ago who had three children but Family Allowance only for the second and third child.