Is the UK Welfare System in danger of disintegrating

The UK welfare system has been an indispensable feature of British life. Offering, among other provisions, national healthcare, unemployment and child support - the British Welfare system has been held as a model for other countries. Recently, however, there has been a public outcry against the culture of dependency that the system has come to be known for; it appears that Britain maybe on the brink of a welfare revolution. The total number of unemployed who claim state benefits has reached five million, while a staggering 1.4million of that figure have been receiving welfare for the last ten years. Britain also has the highest rate of single parents at 600,000, who are unemployed and seeking benefits. Such dependency on state welfare has become an intolerable burden and the taxpayers are increasingly reluctant to continue paying for the system. With so many out of work, it has become extremely difficult to distinguish between the idle and genuinely poor. The welfare system is breaking down at a time when recession makes it more important than ever.