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In his book Dancing with Dogma: Britain under Thatcherism, Ian Gilmour onetime Government minister and  Conservative MP for Chesham & Amersham, noted: “Characteristically, the Thatcherites’ hostility to child benefit stemmed almost entirely from dogma and their ignorance of history. The obvious truth that people with families have higher expenses and greater responsibilities than people who do not was recognised by the Younger Pitt.”

As George Osborne begins playing his bizarre version of Beggar thy Neighbour, the savage and synchronised cuts in public spending in Europe bring to mind Peter Walker’s description of Thatcherism as “the economics of the madhouse”.

The Big Society was always a bad joke – a phrase used mostly to ridicule the Prime Minister and whichever gormless speechwriter dreamt it up – but now comes news that his town hall meetings to stir up interest in the Big Society have been cancelled. Lack of interest, apparently.