WE suspect that Chancellor Gordon Brown was more relieved than many that his Budget was upstaged by events in Baghdad.

While the image of Saddam's statue being toppled stamped itself on history, he was trying his best to convince the nation that good times were just around the corner here too.

However, like many observers in homes around the two counties who've spent the past three weeks sifting battlefield fact from campaign fiction, we're far from certain.

As Iraqis danced in the streets, the Iron Chancellor confirmed that growth this year was less than predicted, and that he needed to borrow an extra £3bn to fill a hole in Treasury coffers. The slump was temporary, he said. "Trust me."

His £100 winter fuel rise for the over 80s, and the scrapping of the hated "hotel charge" - cash taken from pensions when the elderly are in hospital - were welcome. But they weren't enough.

Mr Brown sounded like a man who'd had a good day. But whether the optimism lasts longer at the Treasury than in Baghdad is debatable.

The burning question in both places is "what next?" Mr Brown is left with the hope that his otpimsim is well-judged. So is Mr Blair.

For, however vindicated events in the Middle-East might have made the Prime Minister seem - even in the eyes of the pre-war waverers - it's the lives of people in places like Tolladine, Pershore and Fernhill Heath which matter most.

For us, there's no evidence that the Budget will make Britain feel any better about itself than it felt yesterday morning. Let's hope Iraq keeps the mood going longer.