It is the job of government to insulate us from the pain of recession, not to exacerbate it.
Come to think of it, it is the job of government to prevent recession, not cause it.
@dminghella is it though, I would suggest looking at the history of this nation and capitalism, their job is notionally as you answer but if we look at the Jarrow marches for instance, our rulers have form, their actual role is to protect themselves, the status quo and their masters, they only play with the train set not own it.