In praise of: Optimism about the economy

DEL Brett has gone where many fear to tread. The boss of the new Future Inn hotel at Cabot Circus says the worst of the recession is over and Bristol will be unscathed.

His forecast is not shared by everyone. However, there is a view that utterances such as this can help the economy pick up in the same way that pessimistic talk brought us to the situation we find ourselves in today.

Confidence is a key factor in economic wellbeing and can be the catalyst for getting things moving again. Mr Brett may or may not be proved to be right, but it is hard to avoid the feeling that a few more positive voices could be just the thing we need to kick-start the economy.