"Would anyone with a modicum of knowledge on the subject care to tell me what proportion of an average man's wages went into National Insurance at any historic juncture? Preferably a graph over the years since 1947" I had a quick look but could not find anything. A major problem is that it is a changeable beast so direct comparisons are difficult. The original act of 1911 provided unemployment benefit. The welfare state creation was based on the The Beveridge Reportof 1942 proposing expansion and unification of the welfare state under a scheme of what was called social insurance. In March 1943 Winston Churchill in a broadcast entitled "After the War" committed the government to a system of "national compulsory insurance for all classes for all purposes from the cradle to the grave.After the Second World War, the Attlee government pressed ahead with the introduction of the Welfare State, of which an expanded National Insurance scheme was a major component. This was a flat rate contribution until 1975 when it became earnings related, with a top cap. Concurrent with these changes the entitlements vastly expanded, in essence meaning a direct comparison over time is largely comparing apples to oranges. You would need a comprehensive dissection of contribution versus entitlement over time. The flat rate contribution up until 1975 rather destroys the argument prior to then. Subsequently there have been very many tweaks such as giving control to the Revenue and means testing of certain benefits. It is complex and would need more than a simple graph unfortunately.
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