It is quite possibly the most depressing Christmas present ever devised, guaranteed to make you wish the giver had had the imagination and sense of occasion to get you an ironing board cover: thanks to the Good Gifts catalogue, your loved ones can now defray the national debt on your behalf, by making a donation to the Treasury in your name.
Well, it's not something you'd do for yourself, is it? The "Whittle Down the National Debt" initiative is being billed as "a wonderful present for children and grandchildren", with £20 being the suggested donation. It's certainly an affordable way to make someone feel as if they're not making a difference: estimates of the national debt level range from £800bn to £1,340bn, depending on how much bad news you want to incorporate into the equation. Estimates of your personal share of this start at £13,000 and rocket upward. And when the government comes for it, it's unlikely they'll take your £20 gift certificate into account.
