If the government does not counter the clamour to save cash, the final outcome may be one where there’s nothing to save, warns Andrew SmithWhat is wrong with the UK economy? Whatever you want to call it – a double-dip, or now, probably triple-dip recession after what looks like a relapse at the end of last year – the fact is that this downturn has been the longest, and the ‘recovery’ the weakest, in at least a century (see figure 1). Why is this, and can we expect any improvement this year?