In a better world, spending on welfare would be a virtue | Deborah Orr

George Osborne seems to think that cutting social spending will be good for the economy, but all the evidence suggests otherwise. In my utopia, we'd all be paid to eat, dance and watch TV

George Osborne pointed out this week that Britain has 1% of the world's population, 4% of its GDP and 7% of its welfare spending. If you considered "welfare" to be a positive thing, you could mistake this trio of statistics for a boast.

You could even wonder whether that disproportionately large GDP was connected to investment in keeping people healthy, secure and looked-after, making Britain a comparatively excellent place to live in, work in, invest in and visit. You could make that error, because it seems like common sense.

Related: Britain responsible for 'unsustainable' 7% of world's welfare spend - Osborne

Related: Does the UK really have 7% of the global welfare spend?