Have you ever wondered what people do all day? Well-meaning people often ask me what I do? Sometimes my response is: 'I will tell you what I did yesterday.' Another is: 'I work for myself. Some days I do what I want. Some days I do what is necessary. Some days I do something important. Some days I get nothing useful done.

I wake up in the morning and ask myself what I am going to do today. Before going to sleep in the evening I ask myself what I did all day. I make value judgements ranging from 'not a lot' and 'nothing harmful' to 'some good work.' I like the idea of 'A Good Day's Work for A Good Day's Pay.' But pulling this off is not easy...and the definition of pay, work and good are not as obvious as you might think.

A third response is to put myself in a box. 'I am an economist, a publisher, a journalist...' I can wear many hats. But hats and labels just sidestep the question and conceal more than they reveal. Do you know what an economist does all day?

When in mischievous mood I might respond: 'I am retired. My retirement started a quarter of a century ago when I was 35.' Do you know what a retired person does? Do they just watch the wheels going round and round? How many categories of idlers are there? The idle rich...the idle old...the idle young...the idle poor... what do idlers and loafers and scroungers really do all day?

And what of the busy people? Is being busy their business? Who are they being busy for? What does your high street bank manager do? Who is she handing out money to? I think it's time to ask the question.

So let's all be whistleblowers. I will go first. Your turn next.