This desire for equity must not lead to an excess of welfare, where nobody is responsible for anything.

The unions still have a job to do, representing their members' interests to governments and parliaments. And I think collective agreements still have a role, alongside markets and laws.

This desire for equity must not lead to an excess of welfare, where nobody is responsible for anything.

The unions may continue to decline, but if they do, it'll be their fault.

My problem is how to find the best way of being useful.

This weakening is worsened by the widening distance between the governed and their governments.

The problem of how we finance the welfare state should not obscure a separate issue: if each person thinks he has an inalienable right to welfare, no matter what happens to the world, that's not equity, it's just creating a society where you can't ask anything of people.