These are dark days in David Cameron’s Britain. Swingeing cuts everywhere, jobs going to the wall. Bleak stuff.

And if anyone’s still getting in on the money, it’s not the punters at the sprawling Waddon Hotel which, on the evening Pubspy enters, is something of a solace to those feeling the pinch. Because all the little snippets of conversation that can be picked up are of redundancies.

There is the odd drunken cheer coming from the other side of the pub to intersperse the gloom, but maybe someone’s luck had improved on the racing, which was playing throughout on the bar’s plasma screen.

But if, as our Prime Minister often likes to say, “we’re all in this together”, than at least that idea of community spirit is in evidence at the pub.

The Waddon Hotel is definitely a local’s pub. That’s not to say you’ll be chased out of here by wild-eyed, pitchfork-wielding maniacs.

It’s friendly enough to the passing straggler, and quite rightly so, as it’s located a minute’s walk from Waddon station. But here’s a place where not much has changed recently, certainly not the decor, and hasn’t needed to.

Because it’s obviously doing the job for a lot of people who return here often, and who are on first-name terms with the bar staff. Even in the early evening, it’s a well-populated establishment.

The price helps, because, although this isn’t the best tasting beer, and the selection is standard fare, £3 for Kronenburg isn’t bad in this age of austerity, and McEwan’s is cheap as the proverbial chips at £2.35. The service was quick enough too and the staff, who seem friendly, are good enough to keep an eye out when your beer’s been finished off, ready to pour the next one.

And if beer isn’t enough to stop you thinking about the impending destruction of this once-fair nation from our money-hungry political masters (ok, that’s enough of that – ed), there’s always the pool which is well catered at the Waddon Hotel with the playing area for two tables taking up a great deal of the bar’s floorspace.

OK, so the Waddon Hotel isn’t for everyone. If you’re not used to having your elbows sticking to the bar while enjoying your drink, or having a bit of a whiff coming from the loo (maybe it’s not a good idea to keep that outer door wedged open), it’s probably not your sort of place. But judging by the crowd here, who’ll keep coming back for more, this pub has its own soul.

And sometimes that’s all you need to get you through the dark days.

Waddon Hotel, 2 Stafford Road, Croydon CR0 4NL

How the pub rates (out of five):

Decor: XX Feels lived in, a proper local’s pub, but there’s nothing that’s really torn and tatty.

DRINK: XX Not the worst I’ve ever had, though it wasn’t the best either.

PRICE: XXXX £3 for Kronenburg is pretty good nowadays, and there are many cheaper options. There’s also a buy-three-get-one-free deal on Fosters (£2.80 a pint): If you really have to.

ATMOSPHERE: XXX OK, there might have been a lot of gloomy chat around, but there’s plenty to keep you occupied, whether it be the sport on TV or the pool.

STAFF: XXXX Nothing wrong with the service. Friendly and efficient.