Is this the end of the welfare state?

It was refreshing to hear Taoiseach Enda Kenny acquaint the public with an eternal truism, in his announcement of the Government’s new jobs strategy and attitude to long-term welfare payments (Jul 18) — ‘there is nothing for nothing’, he said.

Could this mean the end of welfarism, the dominant political philosophy and vote-catcher of the last 35 years, since Fianna Fáil had to regain its ‘natural position’ in power in 1977 and gave us free car-tax , no local revenue, etc?

The welfare budget, and the constituency it spawned, have been the key route to success for left-wing and populist parties like FF, SF, Labour and the majority of Independents, ever since.

Any state that has half a million people, and a third of its spending on welfare, is a failure.

Healthy societies promote initiative, self-reliance, and thrift as a means to individual and common betterment.

In Ireland, you can be unemployed, have a family of 10, receive payments for each child, expect free housing or rental supplement, and avail of the most expensive medical services in the world, all for free. Who would be looking at the jobs ads? If we can’t spend enough welfare money in Ireland, then send some more money abroad.

But someone is paying — the overburdened worker and small business owner, who must question their sanity as a phalanx of representatives twitter on endlessly about ‘the vulnerable’.

While Mr Kenny is to be credited for his honesty, he is unfortunately incorrect in his belief that we can achieve full employment again.

Since 2003, and our voluntary opening of our country to the workforces of all Europe, we have no control whatsoever as to how many people will come here to work for a time and qualify for welfare benefits here and back home.

No matter how many of our own people emigrate each year, the battle is unequal in its very design and has been lost.

Ted Neville

Carrigaline Road

Douglas

Co Cork