There's never been a better time for the Government to be pro-capitalist A record 62pc of BSA respondents think that unemployment benefits are too high and discourage work. Only 28pc want to hike welfare and increasing numbers no longer want taxpayers to take the lead in providing welfare for the unemployed or retired, all suggesting a rejection of big government and universal benefits. Despite all of this, however, another of the BSA's findings, highlighted by some media outlets, is that just 6pc of the public wants to cut spending and taxes, with 55pc happy with the current level and 36pc wanting to increase both tax and spending, up five points from the previous year. This would be terrifying, were it a fair depiction of opinion. Public spending in Britain remains at extraordinarily high levels: according to the OECD, the Government spent the equivalent of almost 49pc of national income last year. The Government is still borrowing one pound out of every five it is spending, with the underlying budget deficit likely to hit £130bn this year; marginal tax rates are at incentive-annihilating levels. Some forecasters expect the on-balance sheet national debt to peak at a growth-crimping 95pc of GDP over the next few years. We can't continue like this, so the fact that most of us are, apparently, relaxed about the size of the state is deeply worrying. One government adviser I spoke to about this was in despair. Fortunately, it turns out not to be quite as bad as those who latched on to the findings without examining the detail would have us believe. The question was actually not about public spending in general but specifically on whether the Government should spend less on health, education and social benefits, thus failing to elucidate overall attitudes. The first two areas are where the public are most supportive of the status quo; given that the NHS and state schools are the only viable alternatives for most people, and the question didn't allow for the possibility of efficiency gains, this is hardly surprising. Other polls have shown that large chunks of the public would back tax and spending cuts in other areas. The reality is that voters are moving to the right economically but remain in a state of ideological flux. They still love the NHS but everything else is up for grabs. This ought therefore to be an ideal time for the Coalition to lead and shape the debate. Given the public's embrace of tough love on welfare, it ought to be easier to make a more general case for free markets, smaller government and lower taxes. Its inability so far to do so coherently and convincingly, given how receptive voters have become, is this Government's most unforgivable failure. The answer is not for George Osborne to give up on spending cuts in his Autumn Statement. Instead, he should focus on the struggling and aspirational classes. Benefits must never go up faster than wages. High taxes and excessive spending should be condemned as a means of cutting off opportunities, eroding living standards, reducing growth and jobs and making it harder to set up small businesses. Rather than focusing on our credit rating, the Treasury ought to be selling every reform on the basis that they would make it easier for hard-working folk to get on in life. Remarkably, despite the recession, there has never been a better time for the Government to reshape Britain along more pro-capitalist lines. But for that the Tories urgently need to find a new, more self-confident and less technocratic voice. Allister Heath is editor of City AM