Steelmaking in Britain in the 1960s was a useful barometer for testing the political mood of the nation.

The Conservatives' desire for the industry to be opened up to market forces and privatised regularly clashed with the Labour party's desire that it be nationalised.

Steelmaking was that important - the main parties hung their political allegiances from it.

But that was then. What used to be British Steel - under various private and nationalised banners - is now known as Corus, a subsidiary of India's Tata group and just one of a number of industries in Britain suffering during this recession.

Albeit in a large way - Corus recently announced the loss of 2000 jobs (and 4,500 jobs in total since January) across its UK production base.

This importance of steel-making in the post-war years was evident in a 1961 Panorama report from Scunthorpe. Modern, post-war Scunthorpe had been built on the growth of the steel industry. It was a town experiencing its own goldrush - steel-making built the town and put money in pockets. You can watch an abridged version here:

The politicking over the steel industry continued until 1967 when the UK's 14 main companies were nationalised as the British Steel Corporation (BSC) - bringing over 250,000 employees and 90% of British steelmaking into public ownership. It was hoped that this would streamline the industry and allow for focussed investment.

It was during this period that BSC found itself under greater competition from international competitors churning out steel cheaper than seemed possible in the UK. Competition that only intensified over the years.

In the early 1970s the government announced that British steelmaking was to be concentrated in five areas in the UK - Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Teesside, Scotland and South Wales.

It was to this decision that Port Talbot in South Wales owes its continued steel-making existence. The government decided, following a review by the Industry Minister Lord Beswick, that the Shotton plant in North Wales was to close.

Panorama visited both Shotton and Port Talbot in 1975 and saw the hopes and fears of both communities which rested on Beswick's imminent decision. You can watch an abridged version here:

But steelmaking in Shotton was doomed. Beswick made the decision to close most of its operations and growth of production in Wales was consolidated at Port Talbot.

Interesting to note that in the film a future government trade and industry secretary, Michael Heseltine, saw these moves as vital for preserving the industry's competitive edge. However, even the Conservative government's privatisation of the industry as British Steel in 1988 couldn't safeguard it from the harsh realities of global competition for long.

Thirty or so further years on from Port Talbot's reprieve and Panorama's story turns full-circle with news that Corus' stated aim is to make £250 million savings annually in its UK production, which puts hundreds of jobs in both Scunthorpe and Port Talbot under the gravest threat and leaves a once proud industry ailing again.

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Researching Licence to Torture involved diving head first into a myriad of lengthy government reports and a detailed examination of the text and footnotes of a small library of books and other resources on the subject.

I chose to focus on a very specific storyline - not the question that dominates in America, which is whether torture works or not, which has emerged as the major debate in America, and not what should happen now to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay, not even the question of whether there will be prosecutions.

Instead I chose to ask whether a crime was committed by members of the Bush administration in authorising the interrogation techniques in question. It seemed a central question to ask of the world's most powerful democracy.

To get those answers involved months of off-the-record discussions with former members of the Bush administration, former CIA insiders - some at a very senior level - members of the FBI, a large number of former detainees who had been through the American detention centres, several authors and a wide range of lawyers who specialise in the subject.

The debate is very polemic. Some talked to us because they wanted to clear their own names, some because they wanted to set the record straight about the Bush administration's programmes, others out of pure good will.

The majority of the information gleaned from these conversations is not reported in Licence to Torture, but they were key in providing the backdrop for the film. To make this film we needed an understanding of what motivated the interrogation programmes, who played the key roles, and what the implications are for decisions taken under American and international law.

While there is still much to be said on all these subjects, Licence to Torture breaks new ground in key areas and begins to answer some of these vital questions about America's decision to adopt torture techniques.

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You could be forgiven for not celebrating today's report that the worst of the recession is over. It is not the first time experts have said we are through the worst, but it comes amid headlines of job losses and hot on the heels of the Bank of England's new attempts to get us spending again to help ease the credit crunch. With people still nervous about splashing out, despite cuts in the Bank rate, a change in our mood towards spending is a key driver in boosting the economy as the financial sector thrives on us feeling ready to part with our money.

It is a far cry from where we were not so long ago when debt seemed all the rage. In name alone Stop Buying Crap sums up the attitude bemoaned by many as the root cause of the current crisis.

Unconstrained debt, as opposed to healthy debt that a growing economy depends on, has become a cultural norm. Our economy has relied on the right amount of borrowing balanced with the right amount of spending -as Declan Curry explained aboard a hot air balloon:

The Simple Dollar agrees that debt has been too readily accepted but also blames a general ignorance about personal finance and a media ramming consumerism down our throats.

Basil and Amanda Rankine found a way out, albeit one that many found morally questionable. Panorama interviewed the couple who seemed to have found a way to dodge their debt or, as critics see it, dodge their responsibility. But what is beyond doubt is the spend, spend, spend attitude Can't Pay, Won't Pay highlighted, an attitude now catching up with people across the world.

This week sees the World Service launch a global look at the economy in a series called Taking the Pulse. With reports from around the world it promises to be a comprehensive look at how the pinch is being felt internationally. An interactive map lets you add your story to chart the global financial crisis.

But if your worries are closer to home you may find the Debt Test a useful tool complete with tips and links to places you can get advice.

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