Odin.. I look at the welfare thing slightly differently from you. Our country is a wealthy one and we feel everyone is entitled to 'a fair go', so if you are missing out we want to help you. We will give you an unemployment benefit and encourage you to attend free training and education to enable you to get a job. If you cannot find one we will require you to try, but we will still fund a benefit for you. This allows you to take part in society and not become alienated as you are part of the whole thing in a meaningful way.

I also feel that assuming that young mothers are not deserving of support is very counterproductive. .Their children are valuable resources for the country--here the educated women put off having kids and the birthrate is quite unhealthy! The support given to these girls to nurture and educate themselves and their children should be seen as an investment. And while we are discussing this a good use of state money would be to find the fathers of the children and have them support their children too. Yes it's a problem but one we should be solving and using.