Few people realise that what they are getting for free is not free at all. That someone else is paying for it.

When we speak of free education, free health care and a wide array of social services, it is the taxpayer who is paying up through taxes and social security contributions. The money does not come out of nowhere. In theory, those who pay more contribute more towards what can then be provided "for free" to the mass population.

But most people think that it is the "government" that is kind enough to give out these freebies. Unfortunately, there is widespread abuse of this. When people go to hospital because of a headache they are abusing the system (and over-burdening it for that matter). When people have one or two jobs in the black economy and yet they are getting social assistance they are abusing the system too. When single mothers claim that the father of their child is unknown yet he is living in the same house then the system is being abused too.

It is good to hear the Labour government speak of an intention to curb abuse in social services when it presents the budget for 2015. We still have to wait and see what these proposals are, and I reserve my judgment until then. But at least we now know that there is a willingness to tackle the situation.

The value of solidarity is an important pillar of our society, although it must be said that those on the receiving end should do more to help themselves rather than simply rely on what they get through the hard work of others. The impression I get many times is that this value of solidarity has been transformed into a culture of entitlement, which means that some people think they have a right to be assisted financially, rather than doing all they should be doing to earn a living.

This situation is mostly to blame on successive governments, who have done little (if anything at all) to control spending in these particular areas. All they cared for was to be seen as being merciful in the hope of attracting votes. Rather than making an effort to help these people lift themselves out of their situation, they preferred to give them free handouts at the expense of others.

Governments never taught these people how to fish; and these people never felt the need to learn, simply because they are being provided the fish others are paying for day after day.