A Japanese father, mother and grownup son were recently reported in the British press to have starved to death rather than face the shame of applying for public relief. Self-reliance and the work ethic are important for economic prosperity and social cohesion, but it should not be shameful to seek outside help when work cannot be found. Society has a duty to provide adequate help to the destitute. But those in need have a duty to seek work and must not be allowed to become dependent on welfare benefits.
The present British welfare system stems from the determination that the poverty and hunger that resulted from the Great Depression of the 1930s must not be allowed to recur. The British government in some of the most dire times of World War II appointed Sir William Beveridge to study the issues and make recommendations. His report was accepted in principle by both the Conservative and Labour members of the war-time coalition. His report formed the basis on which Britain's postwar welfare system and the National Health Service were based.
The "welfare state" has ensured that no one in Britain need starve or have to live rough on the streets. It has brought real benefits to many and helped to ensure a fairer and more equal society. But perhaps inevitably its administration has required a large bureaucracy and the system has become hugely complicated if only to try to ensure that it is not misused. It has also led to a dependency culture among some of the beneficiaries of the welfare state. Similar problems have arisen in other developed countries with advanced welfare systems. Some governments have coped with the problems better than others, but no government has found a perfect solution. Perhaps the ideal is unattainable.