47% of UK Voters Work for the State

An impressive 47% of the UK electorate are now entirely dependent on the State for a living.

Which office-seeking political party would, in their right minds, now favour trimming the size of the State when nearly half the population depends on it?

It really is no wonder that David Cameron, leader of the Opposition Conservative Party, has ruled out cutting public spending. It's a guaranteed election loser.

The State has three divisions;

i) Direct Employees - 6.83 million or 16% of the electorate.

The UK State (30% of all employees in Northern Ireland, 24% in Scotland, 23% in Wales and 20% in England) employs vastly more people than the European average (15%) or the US (14%). Since 1998, the public sector has added 680,000 jobs to the payroll to stand at 5.8 million.

ii) Welfare Dependents - 5.33 million or 12.4% of the electorate

Incapacity claimants - 3.01 million
Lone Parent claimants - 776,000
Unemployed - 904,000
Carer claimants - 371,000
Bereaved claimants - 119,000
Income related claimants - 161,000

iii) Pensioners - 12 million, 66% of which only claim the State pension. ie 18% of the electorate are entirely dependent on the State for their pension.

A grand total of 20 million voters or 47% of the electorate entirely dependent on the state for a living

Sources
Figures are from the Dept for Work and Pension data.
Electoral register is 43 million voters

nb - i have only included those pensioners who are solely reliant on the State for survival. If one includes all pensioners, the % of the population reliant on the State increases to 55%.

Update; fleeced in the comments opens a can of worms by reminding us of John Stuat Mill's words,

"As required by first principles, that the receipt of parish relief should be a peremptory disqualification for the franchise."