There is a way out of this recession. It's one inch high, plastic and costs less than 30p. You flick it or throw it, it's called Mosh, Sato, Helly or Evolution One. It might be red or green and, on rare occasions, multicoloured. It lurks at the bottom of school bags and has been banned by some headteachers.

It's a Gogo and it's increasingly hard to find. Gogo's may have an irritating apostrophe in the wrong place but they are every eight-year- old's obsession. Bratz, Tamagotchi, Pokémon, even the Nintendo Wii have been abandoned for them.

Based on a game that used sheep's knucklebones in Rome 2,000 years ago, and costing 99p a packet, this bagful of plastic bones is all that most recession-hit parents are buying children for Christmas. The SouthEast has almost run out of Gogo's, Amazon has no more starter packs and Toys'R'Us has asked mothers to limit their purchases. They are a bargain, except that there are more than 500 to collect, which could mean a bill of £150 for dedicated enthusiasts.

Gogo's are what Alistair Darling should have talked about in his Pre-Budget Report - the perfect recession-proof product. Each Gogo costs a tiny amount, so no one will worry about breaking the bank, but if enough people buy enough of them there's a huge profit to be made. They have made their creators, Magicbox, very rich.

We will all buy Gogo's - or whatever takes their place in our children's affection - even when we've stopped paying the mortgage, cancelled the foreign holiday and left the widescreen TV in the shop. Luxury spending may have fallen by a fifth in October, but consumers are still in the market for this year's Rubik's Cube (which sold millions in the early-Eighties recession.)

But yesterday's budget was a slap in the face for Gogo's and their makers. Gordon Brown and his Chancellor believe that they can manipulate and micromanage us into a buying spree by taking 2.5 per cent off VAT. No chance. Even 20 per cent discounts won't persuade people to shop unless they crave the product.

Britain must encourage small businesses to come up with the next generation of Gogo's - affordable must-have recession-proof products of tomorrow. And what did the Pre-Budget Report say to those entrepreneurs? Don't bother, because we've decided we don't much like businessmen, and if you make any money from your idea, we're going to grab it and spend it on public sector white elephants.

Once new Labour understood the need to reward entrepreneurialism. Now it must rediscover the Gogo route out of the recession or Gordon will be Gonegone.

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