The reform of the welfare state is going to require courage, intellectual honesty and a willingness to admit that cherished beliefs were wrong. Politically, many of my friends are a little left of centre. I observe them having great difficulty coming to grips with the moral failures of the welfare state and its financial unsustainability. This is quite understandable. Their beliefs about social fairness are deeply held but seldom subjected to rational debate. The following qu

If we work, rest and pray solely with friends who live in the same neighbourhood, we develop fears and prejudices about outsiders. But if we develop multiple associations, if we mix with people from different backgrounds, we soon realise that they too are all right. Our prejudices dissipate. It is one hundred and fifty years since General Sherman burnt Atlanta and the American Civil War ended. Over a million lives had been lost and the Southern economy was devastated. Abe Lin

Now that the majority of voters are the beneficiaries of State largesse, has it become politically impossible to unwind middle class welfare? The Intergenerational Report has highlighted problems that astute writers like Tom Woods have known for a long time. The social democratic welfare state is financially unsustainable. "All over the world, the impossible promises governments have made to their populations are beginning to unravel. Millions or people have arranged their li