Smart Commodities UK Editor Garry White says two things are vital for Britain to be able to power itself in 2015. Firstly, despite environmentalist concerns, more coal stations are needed in the short term. Secondly, British Energy (LON:BGY) must be sold to Electricite de France SA (EPA:EDF), which would provide the expertise for an efficient nuclear powered energy system…

Things must be getting bad. Politicians are resorting to telling the truth. Chancellor Alistair Darling caused something of a stir at the weekend by admitting that economic conditions are “arguably the worst they’ve been in 60 years.” The financial crisis will be “more profound and long-lasting than people thought,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.

Now here’s a big shock. It turns out that British taxpayers could end up shelling out even more for Northern Rock than we were all told was on the cards.

Across the pond, Fleet Street Daily’s Ben Traynor says the Bank of England has about as much idea as the rest of us when it comes to the current economic crisis. Worse still, Ben says embattled British prime minister Gordon Brown could do even more damage to the economy as he seeks a short-term reprieve in opinion polls by targeting major oil companies.

The Misery Index is set to make a comeback in Britain. It’s a fair bet that only those of you who remember the 1990s recession will have much idea of what I’m talking about, because that was the last time anyone spent any time discussing it. So what is it?

An important date in the City’s social calendar went almost unmarked this week. Tuesday, the Twelfth of August, marked the official start of the grouse shooting season. It’s easy to see why amid the war in Georgia, and fear of recession in Europe, people might have had other things on their minds.

“Its economy has grown by an annual average of 5.7% since 2000. And it’s picking-up speed,” writes Profit Hunter’s Manraaj Singh. The IMF predicts that it will hit 7% by 2010. And that could continue for the next two decades.

For most of the last decade the government has trumpeted its economic record. Growth was steady. Prices were stable. Employment was rising. But there was a big problem. At first, the government thought it had solved it. In fact, all it did was bury the problem under a big pile of taxpayers’ money. Now the public finances are screwed up. The government can no longer afford to keep this problem under control. It’s about to hit the economy with a vengeance.

It’s late autumn, 1976. Britain is facing yet another sterling crisis. In less than two years the pound has fallen from $2.40 to $1.60. Investors have no faith in the British economy, or the government that runs it. The Budget is a mess — vital public spending will have to be cut.

“Everything’s just so expensive!” This was from my South African friend, Alex, who was working out her household bills yesterday. She’s been in London for less than a year, and is still adjusting.