In the past few months there have been some tentative signs that household spending has started to regain momentum.

There were also tentative signs of a let-up in youth unemployment, which crashed through the one million barrier last year.

For buyers priced out of the country's property hotspots, meanwhile, there are tentative signs prices could be cooling.

Last year brought tentative signs of a centrist revival.

But there are already tentative signs of progress, particularly in the south and east where insurgents formerly operated with near-impunity.