By Theophilus Gant
No one wants to use the word. Least of all the Ministry of Economic Prognostication, which recently described the current downturn as a “moderate dip in consumer buoyancy.” But the signs are clear to anyone with ears, eyes, or a basket that no longer fills for fewer than ten crowns.
Trade is slowing. Merchants are anxious. Tavern chatter has shifted from gossip to price points. And yet, those in authority continue to describe the present moment as “well within tolerable variance margins.”
Let us dispense with euphemisms. The economy is soft. The wind is out of the sails. And no amount of scrollbound optimism will hide the fact that people are buying less, saving more, and looking nervously toward the next harvest.
There is no shame in naming a storm. The shame is in refusing to reef the sails until the mast snaps. May our ministries summon the courage to speak plainly and act swiftly — before the Market becomes not just quiet, but closed.