Newspaper revelations of the banking scandal have clearly opened a can of worms (an apposite analogy if ever there was one) exposing the murky world of high finance for all to see. For many years successive governments  have ignored the fact that many of our top (as in earnings – nothing else) bankers, financiers and other assorted rapacious capitalists were abusing the system to feather their nests. Of course, many of these parasites ostentatiously made financial donations to our major political parties and, mindful of the doctrine “never bite the hand that feeds”, our democratically elected rulers turned a blind eye to their misdemeanours.

In times of recession however the spotlight tends to shine a little brighter and the light reveals all sorts of grubby little creatures lurking in hitherto unseen crevices. This is what is happening now and the sense of outrage felt by the vast majority of decent British people is palpable. There must be no hiding place for the guilty and it is surely only a matter of time before prison sentences are handed out as frequently as bankers’ bonuses.

At the other end of the spectrum the Government is, at long last, addressing the rampant abuses of our welfare system and measures are being put in place to end many of them. For many people in this country the State has become a limitless source of cash to fund lifestyles based purely on handouts. In some families there has been no history of employment for several generations yet they demand as of right things that most of us strive hard to acquire through honest hard work. For the workers in society there is no such thing as a free lunch but unfortunately they are the ones picking up the tab for those dining for free.

As a nation we are haemorrhaging money at both ends and the decent, hardworking, taxpaying majority in the middle of our society are the ones  keeping us going, preventing the country (for the time being) from going under. Their reward, as announced earlier this week, is to face further means testing in later life when they require care home treatment. What a reward for their honesty, frugality and responsibility.

It brought to mind the quotation of the 18th century French philosopher Voltaire about the British  – “They are like their own beer, froth at the top, dregs at the bottom, the middle excellent”. Three centuries on it seems his assessment is as accurate as ever.