Can Europe Live Without Welfare?

Kevin is from a blue-collar background in the UK. He has a house in South London, a car, a "partner" and three children, each of whom, by his own admission, gets £1,000 (Dh5,345) worth of presents at Christmas.

Not bad for a young man who has just entered his thirties, one could be justified in thinking. Kevin has clearly “arrived” and is well able to support his family.

But to my recollection Kevin has never had a regular job. He stopped the occasional “off the books” shift as a construction labourer in his mid-twenties when he became too obese, though he has no real underlying medical condition. His house is subsidised by the taxpayer. His car is also provided by the taxpayer through a scheme aimed at giving the long-term “infirm” a measure of mobility. The health care he receives – and will receive more of as time goes on, as a result of his obesity – is also underwritten by the taxpayer.