The summer, as for the Ashes tour, started badly with a summer Budget bringing a new unexpected dividend tax charge from next April which will badly affect all owner managed companies. How can you negotiate this massive change, and, like England, get some wins later on?
Among the rallies did the Chancellor win out overall? On the basis this looks like a revenue raising budget, yes he did, but did you? If we're looking for aces and deuces, there may be a few.
It seems to be good news all round from the Chancellor, but the economy isn't yet strong enough for a lot of sugary giveaways, apart from the continued increase to the income tax free personal allowance.
Public opinion has played a strong role in the Chancellor's statement today and perhaps his announcements made at the Commons film set today can be summarised into the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good - Property Owners, Savers
At last the stamp duty system has been modernised, so it doesn't distort the property market with a more logical % being charged in each band rather than on the whole property price.