Those earlier generations’ answer to their problems, however, was the welfare state – the very thing that successive governments have blamed for the country’s current situation. Schools, hospitals, council houses and benefits for those out of work were just some of the threads woven together to create the tapestry of the modern welfare state. Following the example of similar schemes in Germany, national insurance involved weekly contributions from three groups: workers, their employers and the state. Pensions were meagre; unemployment insurance was mainly for skilled men; health insurance excluded hospital care, and spouses and children. One is that we often assume the welfare state was a collectivist venture.

Source: The Guardian September 21, 2017 04:52 UTC