Sometimes I feel an inconsolable sense of despair over our inability, our unwillingness to deal with social problems in a sensible, straightforward way.

What about, for instance, the gang of feckless itinerants who broke into and occupied the £1.5m London house owned by Gavyn Davies, chief economist of Goldman Sachs, deputy chairman of the BBC and a close friend of the Chancellor Gordon Brown.

It took the turgid bureaucracy of the High Court no less than ten days to come up with a possession order for Mr Davies.

These squatters, from New Zealand, Poland, Italy, Spain and Brazil, had been seen breaking a window to gain entry and urinating in the garden.

They had scrawled on bedroom walls and infuriated neighbours with raucous, all-night parties. Astonishingly, they reckoned they had a right to be there.

One vindictive New Zealander said he did not feel guilty because the owner was rich and if he could steal a million pounds from him he would.

So what happened to this spiteful collection of human detritus when it was evicted from the house? Were there any charges for breaking and entering, trespassing, public order, damaging property? Of course not. They simply walked away, laughing. And the pompous ass John Hargrove, the Under Sheriff for Greater London came up with the unbelievable comment: "There is nothing more than superficial damage."

If that gang of unlovely deadbeats had broken into his house and caused 'superficial damage', I suspect his reaction would have been rather different.

What was even more remarkable about the incident was public reaction. They treated the whole affair as a bit of a laugh, a jolly caper, a touch of midsummer madness. Because the house belonged to a multi-millionaire, it did not seem to matter. The local publican described the toe-rags as "good as gold" when they went into her pub for a drink!

It is the same lack of determination to deal with the problem effectively that has allowed travellers and their vehicles to become such a menace in Brighton and elsewhere. They cut through chains and saw through wooden barriers to illegally gain access to land they have no right to be on. Because of soggy officialdom, it takes forever to have them removed.

No one wants these people who contribute nothing to the city. A determined, aggressive bureaucracy could deal with them effectively. What about their vehicles - often dangerously unsafe, often untaxed? What about the health hazards of the filth they create in their camps, urinating, defecating and disposing of dirty nappies in hedgerows? What about their children's education? What about their income tax, social security arrangements?

A great deal of pressure could be applied to these people to make sure they get the message. They are not welcome in Brighton and Hove, they are not welcome in Sussex and we will no longer tolerate their nonsense.

The means are there. All it takes is the resolution to use them.