"A grateful electorate rather than free-thinking citizens"

Official government figures showed that more than seven million households are getting most of their income from government handouts. That is one in three households across Britain who is now dependent on the state for at least half its income. How on earth has this culture of dependency come about?

Gordon Brown (and successive governments before New Labour) have orchestrated a society that feels that relying on handouts is the better option compared with the reality of getting back in to work. The benefits system is now so generous you can not blame many people for “playing” the system. While the government might like to think that it is giving a leg up to those living in relative poverty in this country, it is actually keeping them there as it is the better and easier option for them.

Civitas, who produced the report, says the Chancellor's tax credits scheme was "only the most prominent example of welfare policies intended to create a grateful electorate rather than free-thinking citizens".

It is unlikely that a Tory government would make any difference either – especially with Cameron too scared to say anything that might even touch on sounding “nasty” or un-PC. David Green from Civitas stated “even Conservatives who are concerned about the failure of public sector monopolies in health and education are slow to criticise the Blair Government's approach".

To have the state keep on growing as it is and to have so many people reliant on it is simply unsustainable and unfair. A classic example of a policy that seems to picking a winner – i.e. helping those in poverty and less well off, actually becoming a real loser. It is creating a massive burden on the state and not actually helping anyone to look after themselves as they are forced in to a situation when they have to rely more and more on the state.