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The Welfare State We're In [Hardcover]

James Bartholomew (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Politico's Publishing Ltd (8 Nov 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1842750631
  • ISBN-13: 978-1842750636
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 299,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A splendid book. A devastating critique of the welfare state. A page-turner, yet also extensively sourced. I congratulate Mr Bartholomew. -- Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist

Synopsis

The founding of the welfare state in the 1940s was one of the crowning achievements of modern British history - or was it? In this work James Bartholomew advances the sacrilegious argument that however well-meaning its founders, the welfare state has in reality done more harm than good.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 115 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A devastatingly powerful book 7 Nov 2004
By "janchristian3"
Format:Hardcover
This is not a dry sociological study. Page by compelling page Mr Bartholomew shows that the welfare state has been a disaster for Britain. The well-meaning welfare programmes of the government have impoverished, criminalized, demoralized and yes, even killed through neglect and incompetence those who are most vulnerable in our society. This book will help to shift the terms of the political debate. Anecdotes, illustrations and statistical evidence reinforce one another chapter after chapter and make for compulsive and fascinating reading. A striking aspect of this book is that the author shows that many of the issues were correctly diagnosed and addressed by the great nineteenth century social reformers, only to have their basic lessons disregarded or forgotten in the twentieth century. Truly those who are ignorant of history are condemned to repeat it. Importantly, Mr Bartholomew does not merely criticize the welfare state, he persuasively shows that Britain was once and could be again a dynamic compassionate and civil society sustained by and reinforcing a healthy morality in the private sector. The government is the problem, not the solution. The evidence is all here, clearly laid out. Press this book into the hands of every civil servant, teacher and doctor you know.
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65 of 80 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars pragmatic anaysis of the modern welfare state 23 Nov 2004
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
A good analysis of the history of welfare in Britain and it's effects on society that isn't blinded by abstract socialist ideology and dogma, but rather takes a very pragmatic look at the successes and failures of welfare over the past few hundred years.
What makes this book particularly interesting is that the modern welfare state is put into historical perspective, as the author himself points out: few people today are familiar with what came before the post-WWII welfare state. Also good is the comparison of the performance of our modern welfare state with other European nations which have traditionally been considered more socialist than Britain, but which it turns out have far more mixed systems than pure state-run Britain.
This book might not be liked by those with grand ideological pretensions as the language is purely pragmatic rather than abstract.
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50 of 62 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Slaves of the welfare state 31 Oct 2004
By T. Burkard VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Review-The Welfare State We're In

by James Bartholomew

The welfare state has been the sacred cow of British politics since the Beveridge 'reforms' were instituted by the Attlee Government at the end of the war. Although almost everyone concedes that the welfare state isn't working, most people think it just needs a thorough overhaul. This book could well shift the terms of the debate.

Bartholomew has done his homework thoroughly. He offers convincing evidence that before the first war, friendly societies and voluntary organisations provided a surprisingly effective safety-net for the working man. Starting in 1911 and even before, all these self-help measures were gradually swept away by the state-which taxed everyone, especially the working man-to pay for state-funded welfare. The extent to which this has degraded the poor is symbolised by the typical social security office, where the chairs are bolted to the floor, and officials hide behind shatterproof glass screens.

This book is as lucidly written as it is well-researched. Bartholomew offers compelling evidence that state services, including welfare, education, health, police and pensions are all in utter shambles. No one will be able to read this book and still believe that "the gentleman in Whitehall really does know best".

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Bad Research, Ideologically Motivated, Yet Still Of Value
Bartholomew, a journalist who has written for The Telegraph and the Daily Mail believes that every part of the welfare state in Britain is a disaster, including schools,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gilbert Hall
1.0 out of 5 stars Not for me
A Right wing Fantasy that if what to believe you will. I found it depressing and opportunistic. I hope people won't be drawn in.
Published 2 months ago by topboxs
1.0 out of 5 stars Half of history- half true
Unbelievabaly polemic distortion of history to suit a neo-con/neo-lib ideology. This book blatantly chooses to veer round the absolute facts. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Timsread
1.0 out of 5 stars Another 'have' gloating at the 'have nots'
This kind of neocon propaganda is not worth your time - look to market worshiping consumer capitalism for the real culprit in any decline of the UK citizenry.
M
Published 18 months ago by Marcos
1.0 out of 5 stars The welfare state we're in
Dire. It is badly written, badly researched, many of the graphs stop in the seventy's or eighty's and overall it is just an excuse to try and provide an ideological underpinning... Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2010 by Missus Ruray
4.0 out of 5 stars The Welfare State we are in
An excellent book of facts. Puts some reality into what has happened to this once great country, of which I am so proud to belong. Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2010 by J. M. Howell
4.0 out of 5 stars The Highway to Hell...
There's the old adage, 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'. Mr Bartholomew's book tracks the route so far. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2010 by Paul Boswell
1.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
I think this is literally the worst book i have ever read. This is no hyperbole; its poorly written (as if for a 6 year old with nice exciting pictures) and just unashamedly... Read more
Published on 21 April 2008 by J. R. Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical analysis of a capital failure in social policy
Any criticism of this book is based on whining socialist sentimentality, rather than balanced opinion. Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2007 by Tom Hughes
4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating analysis of a great failed experiment.
The introductory historical background section is worth the price of the book on its own. Bartholomew's account ot the 1830 poor law commission opened my eyes to the fact that we... Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2006 by Post enlightenment
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