arguments could be believed by someone who was evidently intelligent. Also, if not challenged, such arguments can influence public opinion. Comments It is very frustrating to argue with people who seem to think that a) the world owes everyone a living and b) that money grows on trees. Like you, I don't blame young people. I do blame the dependency culture that emerges from central government's micro-management and its overwhelming desire to control our lives from cradle to grave. Just before reading your blog, I was listening to a well-known opera singer who lost his voice (temporarily it turned out, but he didn't know that at the time) and promptly found a job as a supermarket shelf stacker to keep body and soul and his family together. Opera singers are self-employed, so of course they don't have benefit of job-seeker's allowance and all that goes with that. We need to turn out young people who believe that if they want money, they must work for it. Do a good job as a shelf-stacker and the world is (potentially) your oyster. Turn up on time (every time), be polite and courteous, speak up clearly, say what you know and admit what you don't know (don't bullshit), listen, make suggestions for improvement but don't get downhearted when they aren't acted upon. Above all, be honest and look for opportunities to learn more. It's not rocket science. "A splendid book. It's a devastating critique of the welfare state. A page-turner, yet also extensively