  A majority of the public want to maintain current welfare
spending or see it increased, according to the latest index poll
by ComRes for ITV News.  welfareSeventy one per cent of those
questioned also said spending on the NHS should increase between
now and 2015, with 54 per cent saying more should be spent on
education during the same period.  Most surprisingly of all
considering the media’s portrayal of welfare claimants as
‘scroungers’, the survey found that 43 per cent of those polled
wanted to see more money spent on welfare between now and 2015,
with 29% saying spending should be the same and 27% saying less
should be spent.  Just over half of respondents (54%) said the
government should spend more on the police and law enforcement,
but a large majority (77%) wanted less money spent on
international aid.  The public were divided as to whether the
government should increase spending on defence, with a third
(33%) saying defence spending should increase and a similar
proportion saying it should stay the