Norman Tebbit once said, ‘Get on your bike, and get a job’, but that would not be much good at the moment for there’s no work and no likelihood of any for a while.

At one time some of you might have had a Raleigh or even a Triumph motorbike. You may even have worked at Rolls Royce.

Oh yes! Those were the days when we made things, made things we were proud of, when we led the world in manufacturing.

Now what do we lead the world in? Borrowing! Yes folks, I’m afraid that’s our claim to fame at the moment.

Makes you want to cry, doesn’t it? And it’s been brought on, I am sad to say, mainly by what has always been considered the workers’ friend, a Labour Government.

Remember 1997? Our then new Chancellor, the Prudent Gordon and his boss Tony, gave us that inspiring slogan “Things can only get better.”

That’s certainly sounding a bit hollow at the moment, and where is Gordon now?

He’s trying to convince the world that a policy of spend, spend, spend will save the day, but any woman who has run a household will tell you that’s not always the answer.

Perhaps we should be sitting tight, and watching the pennies: maybe he’s right, but I’d feel a bit more confident, if the Governor of the Bank of England agreed with him!

The country is in a very strange position, as we seem very close to becoming a totalitarian state.

Why do I say that? It’s because every few weeks edicts emanate from the ‘Moses’- like power structure up there which keeps issuing commandments.

Thou must not smoke, thou must not talk freely, thou must not chastise thy child, thou shall not drink from a small glass.

Then, there’s thou must not let your children play conkers, thou must print all notices in many languages, thou shall not talk pictures of policemen but you will be photographed wherever you go.

And now it’s: thou shall lend the banks all thy money to make good what they have squandered!

I’m not joking, it’s a bit scary.

They constantly interfere in our private lives, but we must not be allowed to show any personal responsibility.

Are those freedoms that people fought and died for, with so much passion, being frittered away?