Just a few weeks ago, the movers and shakers in Westminster whispered that Alistair Darling could be moved out of the Treasury in a reshuffle.
With dithering Darling at the helm, they whispered, it was full steam ahead to a very long recession.
But that was a month ago, and a month is a very long time in politics. Today, Darling is, well, the darling of the cabinet.
A poll of political experts and commentators published on the PoliticsHome site, shows Darling's popularity ratings have shot up
considerably in recent weeks.
Political insiders today awarded him a generous 6.6 out of 10 for performance, compared to an unforgiving 3.6 out of 10, back in July.
The financial crisis has been kind to the chancellor.
Meanwhile, on the opposition benches, the Conservatives are struggling to convince voters they can be trusted to manage the economy.
An ICM poll for the News of the World yesterday found 43% of voters trusted Brown and Darling on the economy. Only 35% said they would
trust Cameron and Osborne.
