Nick Clegg's face said it all. Distant, pale and sullen.

This was a budget when George Osborne re-asserted control over the economic and political direction of the coalition.

Despite all the pre-briefing, the leaked letters and the noises off, the Lib Dems have had a very poor Budget 2012.

The 50p tax rate, so dearly held close by so many senior Lib Dems in government, has bitten the dust. I encouraged its binning in my HeraldScotland blog last week, and it is a sign of the Chancellor's growing optimism that what was a radical suggestion weeks ago has been delivered to cheers today.

The Deputy Prime Minister will point to increases in stamp duty as a sign that the rich are still paying more, five times more according to Treasury estimates, but of course increases in stamp duty could have been brought in in any case - as Labour will point out. The fact is that penal tax rates for those who are very successful have been canned.

Nick will point to the further significant progress in raising personal allowances, now to over £9200, but the effortless zeal with which George has claimed the coming prize of £10k earnings before anyone pays any tax would indicate that there is little prospect for any electoral benefit for the junior coalition partner.

This was a Chancellor who could sense that the agenda is turning in his favour, with OBR forecasts that see the UK avoiding recession, borrowing figures falling and increasing growth levels.

That confidence, undermined slightly by his unfortunate recurring sore throat for Budget day, has seen him reject populist fuel tax cuts in favour of further reductions in corporation tax.

Frankly, it should have happened before now, but in the doubling of the cut in companies tax, you get a sense that the wealth creators have a government finally breaking free of its coalition constraints.

That will be greeted as good news for companies, good news for Britain and great news for those who will be looking for a job in the months to come.

The next step should be the devolution of corporation tax, and then we'll see real tax competition across the UK, hopefully making us in Scotland a natural home for dynamic businesses wanting to create wealth and jobs. But more of that another time...

For now, this was a budget that redressed the balance of the Coalition, put growth at the top of our nation's agenda, and left the Deputy Prime Minister looking very glum indeed.