Each day something happens, I feel like a galley slave waiting for the whip to fall on my back again after again; but what was my crime, when was my trial?

A man sits opposite me, he has just moved to the UK two months ago and is getting in to the cut and thrust of neo-British life by making his first benefit claim.

‘Do you have a worker’s registration card?’ I ask.

‘Yes, but I don’t have it with me, ‘ he replies.

‘I will need to see it,’ I say.

‘Why do you need to see it?’ he enquires.

‘I need to establish that you have a right to reside and claim benefits before I can assess your benefit claim,’ I reply.

‘But I am an EU citizen, of course I have the right to claim benefits in this country,’ he responds with an indignant confidence, which leaves me questioning whether or not I am being unreasonable when I try to establish the rights of a person that is claiming benefits from an economy that they are yet to contribute towards.

I am so looking forward to working until I am 70; as we have been told, the welfare state cannot support us now that we are living so long, particularly since all our national insurance contributions are going straight into the pockets of those that do not add to our economy.

End of rant.