The world has moved on a lot in the past thirty to forty years. In towns across Northern Britain huge swathes of heavy industry have disappeared, not too many folks work in textiles, mining or steel these days. In the country the horse, the spade and the pitchfork have disappeared in favour of machines capable of doing the same job as twenty men and a stable full of horses. Who apart from Fred Dibnah and the odd travelling fair uses a traction engine these days.

Despite all these changes more people are employed than ever before. Each day it seems Britain absorbs even more migrants to work in our mystery economy. What are they all doing? Who is paying for all the extra work? What do they produce?

I am baffled aren't you because not a day goes by without the Tories or the media warning of economic collapse. What does the modern economy run on? It looks like fresh air to me.