Funny things, Budgets. Sometimes they are a disaster (George Osborne’s 2012); sometimes they are widely acclaimed by the public for a few days until the Sunday newspapers unpick them as a sham (most of Gordon Brown’s); occasionally they are completely boring non-events (Alistair Darling – remember him?).

Last week’s seems to have been a rare event – an innovative Budget, and one which is widely welcomed by all.

Allowing pensioners the freedom to decide what to do with their own hard-saved pension pots is a real withdrawal of state bossiness from our everyday lives.

It is our money, so why should we not decide how to spend it or invest it? And if a few fools choose to blow it, surely that is their right?

ISAs have now become extremely attractive savings mechanisms, far outstripping any bank or building society investment.

A variety of less eye-catching announcements supporting industry and small and medium-sized businesses give a further boost to the already growing economy.

The Office for Budget Responsibility, the independent statistical analyst for the Government, predicts growth of 2.7 per cent, making it the biggest upward revision for 30 years, and pumping an extra £40 billion into the economy just within the last four months.

Unemployment has fallen like a stone, new jobs created at a record rate and the deficit reduced by a third. It’s all part of a highly successful , if not yet complete, long-term economic plan.

The Tories’ level pegging in the polls with Labour at the expense of both LibDems and UKIP after the Budget is proof of its popularity with voters.

The General Election is only a year away, and it looks increasingly like being a gladiatorial contest between Labour and the Tories.

If you like what David Cameron and George Osborne are doing, you will vote Conservative; if you want a return to high spending and high taxation and borrowing, you will vote for Messrs Balls and Miliband. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would vote for any of the minor parties.

I was personally not able to be at the Budget speech – I was attending a sad funeral of a constituent and friend. It was the first time I had not been there in 17 years; yet I did not miss the experience. Some Budgets are better than others.

The days of truly exciting Budgets may be over. Perhaps it’s better that way – steady as she goes.