[Margaret Pilkington]

Spot on Gordon.
You have hit the nail on the head. Frank Field has been trying to get governments to look at welfare spending, and the effectiveness of the use of this money for many years(more than a decade) and he has been ignored.

No-one wants to be seen as 'nasty' for being more realistic in the distribution of welfare.
But the honest truth is that welfare is costing us more year on year - because the cost of living goes up and benefits do too....also there are more older people.
To pay for benefits, we have to have young people in work and contributing both taxes and national insurance.

If a child grows up seeing no-one in the household work, but yet everything they need is provided...then do you think they will choose to go out to work?

It is vital to instill a work ethic in the young people growing up.......and now someone is going to say 'what's the use of that when there are no jobs?'
Well, there are jobs out there.....it may not be a job that you would choose to do, but the grim reality of life is that sometimes we have to do a job...any job, just to get work experience.
I worked at things I didn't like doing.....a weaving shed, a shop, an engineering works...these were not the jobs I wanted to do...but I needed to do them, to feed and clothe myself and put a roof over my head.
I certainly didn't want the state to keep me......I worked to get what I needed and eventually was able to train for a profession.
People have to take responsibility for themselves......not think that the state will provide for them.

I have said it before and I say it again. Welfare should be a helping hand, not a way of life...or a career choice.