There are some outstanding young people in Ceredigion. Just last week I was taking our local agricultural society dairy judge around some farms. On one farm, we were greeted by a young farmer, running the business alongside their father. As so often, first impressions count; you can detect enthusiasm and hard work in no more than a handshake or a few words of greeting.

Within half an hour, a combination of good grazing technique, excellent stockmanship and a real passion for animal welfare confirmed that young Welsh farmers like them (and there are many examples) can produce dairy and red meat products that are as good if not better than anywhere else in the world. There should be massive Welsh pride in them.

They work all the hours that God sends, and then some more. And in return, they take the minimum possible personal drawings from the business, knowing that they need to re-invest. That re-investment is critical for efficiency, productivity, profitability and maintaining the highest environmental standards. We hear a lot of talk about “Sustainable Farming”; on the ground the reality of that means finding enough money to make multigenerational investments.

But the young farmer is confused. In a nearby community there is social housing, some occupied by people of a similar age. The curtains are drawn until mid-afternoon, with no obvious signs of work or productive activity. Large television screens in the front room suggest no real lack of money. Nocturnal comings and goings raise rumours of nefarious activity supplementing this lifestyle.

In the UK a staggering 948,000 16 – 24 year olds are not in education, employment or training. 1.5 million people between 35 and 44 years old are now claiming unemployment or sickness benefits. That has almost doubled since the pandemic. Pre pandemic 18.9 per cent of them had “no work requirement”. That figure is now 54.2 per cent, or over 800,000 people; people who should be at the prime of their earning potential and contributing to tax receipts. Without such contribution, we can say farewell to our welfare state!

Within these numbers, there is no doubt some genuine need. But it is equally clear that as a society we have become a bit too willing to medicalise the normal ups and downs of life and turn natural stress and anxiety into “mental illness” rather than using it as a spur to encourage a drive to get on.

There’s a quadruple whammy here, and interestingly a few of the “wise heads” in Labour (oxymoron?) are beginning to twig it.

Firstly, these people are taking from the system, when they should be (secondly) massively contributing. Thirdly the jobs they could/should be doing aren’t getting done, driving immigration with all the pressures that brings. And finally, the productive economy (like our young farmer) are expected to pay for all of this through utterly unrealistic taxes, be that the Family Farm Tax, Pension Savings Tax or some crazy future Wealth Tax that those on the Left seem to think a good idea.

The plain fact is that if you tax jobs (increased employer National Insurance) and capital, you won’t grow the economy. Socialists can’t or won’t get that, which is why they always wreck the economy.

Maybe we should ask how on earth we have got to the stage where paying so many people to be inactive is deemed to be compassionate, leave alone a good economic idea. Because in truth, it is the way to hell in a handcart. And if the diminishing group of hard working contributors like our young farmer, decide to give up too, it may not be long before we get there.

I think we are getting towards the end of a journey that started 80 odd years ago. We took a wrong turning and we need to understand why, and find a new path.