David Cameron has justified the Government's £12 billion welfare cuts by warning that Britain must stop the "merry-go-round" of benefits dependency. Many people will disagree with his actions based on the fact that any cuts will impact adversely on the poorest in society. The counter argument is that reforming a system which paid money to those who were 'not in need' will allow extra funding to be diverted to those most in need. The system of tax credits made available by the last Labour Government were not always designed to improve the lives of the poor and needy, all too often they were thinly disguised ways of building a client base for political ends. It was also clear that in work tax credits were a tool used by less scrupulous employers to pay low wages, knowing that the taxpayer would be supplementing the incomes of their employees.

I find David Cameron's comment justifying his action as being quite hypocritical on a different front. He berates the long term welfare recipient for their inability to find meaningful, paid work and suggests that welfare should only be a temporary, short term measure and not a system which insulates against the harsh economic reality that paid work should be the choice of all. In almost the same breath, the Prime Minister positively gushes with synthetic pride at his Government's achievement in spending £12 billion on Foreign Aid schemes for which his own officials have doubts on their efficacy. Mr Cameron seeks to assure us that he recognises the fact the government has no money but spends taxpayer money, and yet blithely ignores any evidence of corruption, inappropriate spending or even spending without positive results accruing; seeking only to present his largesse as being 'for the good of others'.

I suspect the people of Swindon, who are of a most generous spirit when it comes to charitable giving, would prefer to see less money given to other countries and more spent at home.

Des Morgan Caraway Drive Swindon