Means testing has no place in a society still aiming to conquer five awful ‘ogres’

Anyone who sees means testing in economic terms, as Dr SJ Clark does, misses a fundamental point (Letters, 13 February). Means testing people in need is degrading and dehumanising and should have no place in society. An aim of post-war welfare provisions was to conquer the “five ogres” without any stigma. The ogres were “squalor, ignorance, disease, unemployment and want” – all endemic in a free market society.

Services of housing, education, health, welfare and investment for jobs were provided by the collective will. Moreover, there was a political consensus for these public services to be paid for through taxation. Arguably, the welfare state was ruthlessly attacked and undermined by governments inimical to providing public services.

ELLIS THORPE Old Chapel Walk, Inverurie In their letters of 11 February, Gordon Casely and Bob Taylor perpetuate the SNP myth of “free” services. Firstly, as far as free care for the elderly is concerned, it is no secret that elderly people are having to stay in hospital for months, blocking beds for those that need them, resulting in thousands of cancelled operations.

One reason is that there are hardly any care home vacancies available, added to which a severe shortage of care workers prevents care packages being organised to give people care at home. Secondly, free tuition is all very well if it is available to all, as the SNP would have us believe. The reality is that as well as 150,000 college places having been lost under this administration the number of places allocated to Scottish students at Scottish universities is capped by the Scottish Government for cost reasons, which means universities have to admit fee-paying students because otherwise they could not survive.

Graduation lists published in the press will show that the vast majority of graduates are from England and noneu countries who have to pay fees and Scottish students, even though they have better grades, are denied places in favour of those who pay fees.

Thirdly, the community charge freeze has only exacerbated the financial crisis faced by local authorities, leading to a reduction of services, including the much-trumpeted free care for the elderly, and the closure of libraries, schools, public toilets, leisure centres, reduction of maintenance of roads and parks etc.

Finally, as far as free prescription charges are concerned, these are free to children, pensioners and those on benefits anyway, and those with chronic longterm conditions receive substantial reductions. Those in work, therefore, receive yet another populist freebie where the money would be better spent say on “free” care for the elderly.

There is no point in something being free if you can’t get it. I would remind Messrs Casely and Taylor that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”.

DONALD LEWIS Beech Hill, Gifford, East Lothian