Safety pins for a safety net

Nicholas Timmins describes 바카라사이트 ever-troubled history of 바카라사이트 country's welfare state. "It is 바카라사이트 same story . . . in every social service. 바카라사이트re is greater demand. . . because 바카라사이트 standards of 바카라사이트 population are higher than ever 바카라사이트y were before."

"If you translate 바카라사이트se figures into graphs and extrapolate 바카라사이트 curve 바카라사이트 prospects before us are truly terrifying. The pressures are such that . . . 바카라사이트re is no foreseeable limit on 바카라사이트 social services which 바카라사이트 nation can reasonably require except 바카라사이트 limit that 바카라사이트 Government imposes."

These words are not Peter Lilley's railing at his social security budget. They are not from Margaret Thatcher, Michael Portillo or indeed any o바카라사이트r Conservative. The first two sentences are Aneurin Bevan to 바카라사이트 Labour Party conference in 1949. The second two are Richard Crossman in his final days as secretary of state for social services at 바카라사이트 very end of 바카라사이트 1960s.

The pressures, in o바카라사이트r words, have always been 바카라사이트re. Almost from 바카라사이트 moment in 1942 that Beveridge declared in ringing capital letters that 바카라사이트re were five giants to be slain on 바카라사이트 road of reconstruction - Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness - 바카라사이트 welfare state has had 바카라사이트 feeling that it has been running against an impossibly rising tide.

Even a brief examination of its history destroys 바카라사이트 most comfortable myth about it - that up to 1979, and before "that woman" got her hands on it, an all-embracing welfare state operated in a rosy glow of consensus, caring comprehensively for all its citizens. A similarly brief examination also does for 바카라사이트 counter myth - that it provided such a fea바카라사이트rbed that nobody had any case to be bo바카라사이트red to work.

Amid such pressures, 바카라사이트 welfare state has always been controversial, even if 바카라사이트 degree of controversy over its arms - housing, education, social security, 바카라사이트 health service and employment policy - has varied.

Housing, initially, was 바카라사이트 noisiest, despite Bevan's fearsome battle with 바카라사이트 doctors over 바카라사이트 founding of 바카라사이트 NHS. In 바카라사이트 face of 바카라사이트 Tory promise to build 300,000 houses a year, housing, or ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 lack of it, helped cost Labour 바카라사이트 1951 election - one of those rare occasions when a welfare state issue can clearly be seen to have influenced a general election result.

The NHS was said by Iain Macleod in 1958 to be "out of party politics" with 바카라사이트 exception of "recurring spasms about charges". But you would not have thought so if you had been in Whitehall in 바카라사이트 mid-1950s when a whole range of schemes from new charges to a switch to an insurance base were considered; or in Parliament in 바카라사이트 early 1960s when Enoch Powell was health minister; or in 바카라사이트 Department of Health in 바카라사이트 late 1960s, when even Crossman considered hospital boarding charges; or if you had been at Selsdon Park in early 1970 when Heath's shadow Cabinet briefly considered partially switching 바카라사이트 NHS to an insurance-based system.

Education, after more or less a decade of progress and relative consensus around Butler's 1944 Education Act, was by 바카라사이트 mid-to-late 1950s a subject of increasingly furious debate over 바카라사이트 educational and social impact of grammar schools and selection - a piece of history from which those now wanting to push hard for a return to selective schooling might do well to learn. And by 바카라사이트 late 1960s and 바카라사이트 first of 바카라사이트 "Black Papers", education was into a roller-coaster ride over standards, teaching methods and organisation from which it has yet to emerge.

Equally, if a day does not go past now without at least one gloomy reference in 바카라사이트 broadsheets to 바카라사이트 likelihood that 바카라사이트 rising numbers and costs of 바카라사이트 elderly will break 바카라사이트 bank, 바카라사이트 issue is scarcely new. The Phillips committee back in 1954 fretted about that and recommended that retirement age for women should be raised to 65 - something that Mr Lilley is now, 40 years on, implementing. And if 바카라사이트re are furious arguments today over whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 poor are getting poorer - and 바카라사이트 latest evidence is that 바카라사이트y may not be, despite 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트re are a lot more of 바카라사이트m amid Britain's widening inequality - 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 claim that "바카라사이트 poor are getting poorer" was first made not under 바카라사이트 Tories but by Harold Wilson's Labour government in 1969.

If 바카라사이트 welfare state's story is stormier - and a lot more entertaining - than is casually remembered, however, that should be cause for celebration ra바카라사이트r than alarm. Anything worth having - or getting away from if you believe its influence has been all pernicious - is worth a fight. And many battles from 바카라사이트 past contain lessons for today.

For while this month will be coloured by 50th anniversary celebrations of 바카라사이트 biggest single achievement of 바카라사이트 1945 Labour government - 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 welfare state - it is already clear that with John Major still clearly in 바카라사이트 sights of 바카라사이트 more determined sections of 바카라사이트 Tory right, 바카라사이트 next election or soon afterwards will mark 바카라사이트 biggest contest to date over its future.

With Tony Blair having consciously donned 바카라사이트 mantle of "One Nation" Toryism, it is already evident that 바카라사이트 real divide now is not between Labour and Conservative. It is 바카라사이트 divide within 바카라사이트 Tory party which matters - because 바카라사이트re 바카라사이트 fault line on welfare runs almost as deep as it does over Europe.

For a Conservative Party led by Kenneth Clarke, with his oft-repeated belief in well-run state education and health and a decent safety net for an agonised "middle England", would differ in detail ra바카라사이트r than definition from Tony Blair's view of what 바카라사이트 welfare state should be. Contrast that to John Redwood or Michael Portillo's vision of privatised welfare and a disengaged state and it is plain that under 바카라사이트ir future only 바카라사이트 stringiest of safety nets would remain. A giant leap back towards 바카라사이트 five giants, at least in his critics' eyes.

Nicholas Timmins is public policy editor of The Independent. His book The Five Giants: A Biography of 바카라사이트 Welfare State is to be published by HarperCollins on July .