Under the normal rules of political engagement, Alistair Darling should by now be either a figure of national hatred or ridicule. Yesterday he delivered a Budget in which he admitted the worst forecasting error made by a British chancellor, confirming the recession will be more painful than he had ever imagined.

Yet even as the jobless toll mounts and borrowing spirals, Mr Darling does not attract hostile crowds of demonstrators whenever he leaves the Treasury. He is not a regular butt of jokes from comedians or newspaper cartoonists. In the Commons, he uses his self-professed dullness to smother opposition attacks.