After 13 years of the Brown Terror, during which reckless state borrowing and out-of-control consumer debt masked economic and social failure, the Coalition is trying to reverse a pernicious tide of grievance culture and something-for-nothing expectations. George Osborne claims: “We are reducing welfare entitlements, imposing new conditionality on benefits and capping overall awards.” That, at least, is the aim, but an insurgency of human-rights lawyers, grandstanding bishops and professional do-gooders is defending every ditch. Only this month, a Romanian living in the UK, who claims to make a living selling the Big Issue, but qualifies for more than £25,500 a year in benefits, was told by a court that she was not receiving enough. Despite objections from the local council, she was awarded an additional annual housing allowance of £2,600. Chancellor, please take note.