THERE we were, discussing the woes of the world around the bar, like you do, and bemoaning the fact that beer had gone up and that petrol might rise to as much as £1.40 a litre (that’s £6.35 a gallon).

This is on top of the rising cost of living and the basic expenses of driving a car.

It’s all very well the Government saying we should all be driving eco-friendly vehicles that do 90 miles to the gallon. Lots of folk can’t afford to trade in their old motor to Honest John in the hope of bringing down their exorbitant road tax and fuel costs.

“What? Me give you money for a gas guzzler like that? Sorry son.You might as well try to trade-in your mother-in-law.”

As Ian said: “It’s the ordinary man and woman that gets hit, as always. What does the Government tax most? Driving, smoking and drinking. If you’ve got a lot of money, these rises are not going to affect you, but if you are ordinary working people, you are going to feel it.

“I’m lucky. I don’t smoke and I don’t drive so they can only get me on one.”

“Somebody in an office in Whitehall will have you on a list,” I said. “This bloke here? He doesn’t pay enough. What can we tax him on?”

“Maybe they’ll get me by imposing a tax on telling jokes,” he said.

“Don’t say that too loud,” I said. “There have been stranger taxes.”

There have, too.