"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out...without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable."
H. L. Mencken

Theories and claims as to what government is, and should be, are numerous and the topic has been a source of conflicting views throughout recorded history, so it is not going to be resolved here. All that can be said is that in a democracy nothing is permanently fixed, nor should it be.

Given that government exists, and is a necessary evil for the foreseeable future, there are a few statements about it that are obvious but important. A government exists to govern - that is, to regulate society. Hence all governments create regulations and laws in order to accomplish this. As to how and why society should be regulated, that is the essence of politics.

We share the view of all idealised democracies - the greatest good for the greatest numbers of our citizens, and in addition we might add, for all the life encompassed by our nation. Primarily the government exists to protect the ability of the citizens to choose the laws under which they live. To protect the life and environment of the nation, and to protect both from destructive exploitation by taking the long view.

What most people generally want from their government, from an individual perspective, is fair treatment and protection. It is in this latter capacity that the government should hold the monopoly on the use of organised force and coercion, whether it be the military, police or prison service. However, the notion of protection goes far beyond direct physical assault or threats thereof when 'fairness' is taken into account. It means protection from 'unfairness'. Both are rather vague terms unfortunately. Fairness and unfairness are things that are difficult to define, but easy to recognise - indeed, they are the cry of the wronged child and their recognition is the precursor to justice and law.

'Fairness' at the very least means equal protection and treatment under the law for all citizens and as a corollary also equal access to the law irrespective of wealth. It also means equality of opportunity, most especially early in life when such opportunity matters most. This mandates the provision of a good educational system for all children, as well as a minimum level of guaranteed basic healthcare.

Most people also consider it reasonable to expect a fair share of the wealth of the society of which they are a member and contributor. However, this does not automatically legitimise a forced wealth redistribution via taxation and welfare handouts. What it does imply is guaranteeing the freedom of people to form collectives in order to wield power sufficient to have a voice in bargaining with the wealth producers i.e. form unions and additionally, to provide regulatory mechanisms limiting the power money can buy.

It also needs to ensure freedom of information and force the disclosure of information in all instances where the public right to know supersedes the privacy that businesses and corporation also have a right to expect under normal circumstances.

It must also be recognised that governments do not create wealth, at best they enable and maintain conditions suitable for its creation, and at worst impede and waste it. At best government is symbiotic, at worst a parasite upon society.

Hence government should not be an employer except in the case of those people necessary for carrying out state functions over which it has a monopoly. Neither should it reasonably be expected to take over the functions of the private sector as an employer, nor subsidise private sector businesses either directly or indirectly.

Finally, probably one of the most important duties of a government is to take a long term view of what needs to be done for the benefit of society that is not covered by the private sector, either because they cannot or will not do what is necessary. This involves everything from conservation work to supporting pure scientific research to developing resources whose payback time may be in decades. It may also include activities such as arts funding and social engineering experiments.

As for what else is required from a government - that should be the choice of the people in a democratic society.