Reading The Times this week, Ben Mcintyre reminded me of something that Miss McIntosh taught me in 1971. 2+2 = 4. The maths is true and is the same this year as it was last, but something has changed – what we have lost is not the ability to add up but something much more precious; confidence. Apparently it can’t be bought, even for $700bn, £500bn or any other made up numbers flying around at the moment. Despite enormous sums being thrown at it, confidence is not (yet) responding.