Duncan Smith is truly despicable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34042587

But the whole ‘issue’ is a total non-story, pretty standard method of explaining a process by using a fictional person to tell a ‘story’.

I don’t though wish to comment on DS. 🙂

I’m no fan of IDS but until more is known this just seems like IDS-bashing.

He’s an absolutely vile creature. He’s the living, breathing, utterly heartless, devoid-of-empathy embodiment of the Nasty Party.

That story is just something of nothing though. Its likely been planted as a distraction piece, to divert attention from IDS’s latest wheeze to punish the disabled for being disabled

A total non-story. Labour really need to be trying to re-connect with voters rather than trying and failing to make silly complaints like this.

i would really like to type what i think about i.d.s but the swear filter would explode.

As I understand it, his approach is based on the idea that it is better for a person to be in paid employment rather than living off of benefits as it brings independence and self-esteem.

Is this wrong, or is it just the way he’s going about it that makes you froth?

EDIT: Oh. Bit of an assumption, there. Just read the story. Yes. He appears to be a ****.

I thought his plan was to dump tax credits as all the half jobs created recently under the government don’t pay anywhere near enough so they require in work benefits to top them up or you are better off not working

When a tory minister dept is found guilty of lying and breaking standards it is almost definetly the labour parties fault
Thanks you for bringing the real point of this story to our attention as for a minute there i thought it was about the DwP breaking rules

FWIW, and i can tell the facts matter a lot to you
1. the FOI request was done by Welfare Weekly
2. IDS admitted it was “quite wrong” so they probably did succeed with their “silly complaint”- though of course this is only a factor if the truth matters to you.
3. Labour had nothing to do with this so this might just be a wee bit of bias on your part. Still at least you realised that you could not defend IDS and instead shot the messenger. What shame you shot the wrong one.
Do you write leaflets for IDS by any chance ? you seem to share his respect for facts and truth.

And with

Instead, claimants should be made to take up any work they could, even if it was just for a few hours, he added.

he’s really not doing himself any favours.

Well apart from Stephen Timms claiming IDS made it up, when he quite clearly didn’t (if he did and is lying about that, that’s another matter, but it seems there is no evidence for that, and if so I’d be surprised if it didn’t come out – at which point it would be fair to lynch him).

It would appear that he is not in control of his own domain. Instead of examining how it could have gone better, perhaps issuing an apology and review of where it’s going to go from here and briefing his staff properly, he’s decided to identify the “culprits” and get out his big chopper.

Why is an incompetent middle-manager in charge of an entire department and directing policy?

I can assure you that fake claimants/staff is not a recent Tory concoction. 🙄

Any Labour or Liberal people wanting to throw stones on this issue need to step outside the glasshouse first 😆

No one has claimed that have they ?
Perhaps we would be better served if Tory supporters could address the occasional failings of their own party without just flinging mud at other party supporters and ADDRESS THE ACTUAL ISSUE BEING DISCUSSED?

aracer I am not sure I get your point tbh
A Labour person commented on something that happened regarding govt. What do you expect the opposition to do ?

Cranberry said labour[ tried and failed ] made a silly complaint. They did not
My point stands.

Anyway who was most accurate
IDS /DwP or Cranberry 😉

Tough call that one

“it is almost definitely the labour parties fault”

The article mentioned Stephen Timms’ whining, he is, at least until the coming purge, a spokesman for the Labour Party.

0. “When a tory minister dept” What is that – is it like a government department?

1. Wow – Welfare Weekly, really ? A website seemingly run by one person since October 2014 – I’d say that was truly a paper of record, except when I read the disclaimer on the site:

No warranties

This website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. Welfare Weekly makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website.

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, Welfare Weekly does not warrant that:

this website will be constantly available, or available at all; or
the information on this website is complete, true, accurate or non-misleading.

2. It is rather silly to suggest that IDS should proof-read and be responsible for every leaflet put out by his department, isn’t it ? As it stands some poor civil servant will end up in trouble for creating that leaflet, all for some cheap political point scoring.

3. Repeating yourself doesn’t stop the article mentioned by the OP referring to Stephen Timms.

4. Who is Welfare Weekly ( aka The Scrounger’s Gazette ) a sock-puppet for ?

The article mentioned Stephen Timms’ whining, he is, at least until the coming purge, a spokesman for the Labour Party.

Yes he is and he had nothing to do with it coming to light hence you blaming them was WRONG and yet you failed to address this central point/your error in that long winded reply nor that the “silly complaint” was upheld and IDS apologised .
Whatever welfare weekly is it is not the labour party hence you were wrong to blame the labour party
Still you seem to have taken the news well and dealt with the facts expertly AGAIN 😕

At least this time you shot the correct messenger and I assume this was the best that could be hoped for.

Stephen Times was asked to comment. He commented. It came to light as a result of a FOI request from Welfare Weekly. There you go cranberry. Just repeating the facts from the article. It appears they need repeating as you’re still trying to sling mud at other parties and ignoring the facts.

If you need them repeating again, read the article.

As I understand it, his approach is based on the idea that it is better for a person to be in paid employment rather than living off of benefits as it brings independence and self-esteem.

You misunderstand, his approach is to stop paying people benefits as far as he can…End.

IDS couldn’t care less if you have work, or you have self esteem, as long as he not having to give any “hard working family’s” taxes to “benefit scoungers” he’s done his job. The idea that those two groups may overlap, is merely happen-stance as far as the Tory machine is concerned.

As I understand it, his approach is based on the idea that it is better for a person to be in paid employment rather than living off of benefits as it brings independence and self-esteem.

So what is he going to do about creating 2 million extra jobs then?

Or does he want to sack 2 million people so there’s jobs for the 2 million without jobs?

It’ll be interesting to watch what happens on Thursday when the DWP are force by court order to release the statistics on how many disabled people have died after their benefits were withdrawn.

Apparently IDS was always going to release them, though the fact the FOI request was refused and had to be challenged in court says otherwise…

No-one’s commented on Emelda May wearing Black Watch tartan. Is it an attempt to curry favour with the SNP, now that the Nasty Party are down to one Scottish MP?

He could stop their benefits, eg no Desert for them or resign for being an incompetent manager unable to control his staff

I didn’t think I was being that obtuse. I expect them not to directly suggest the minister is lying, when there is no evidence at all that he is doing so. It’s the sort of punch and judy politics I dislike whether it’s done by a Labour, Tory, SNP or UKIP MP.

I took his wording to be more generic about his department making it up rather than a direct accusation that he actually wrote it himself personally agreed that would be ludicrous and is also literally what he said. i just took it as a wee bit of , typical but unhelpful political, hyperbole rather than a direct accusation

I don’t see the problem with using fictional examples to highlight how the system is meant to work, other than it being quite pathetically awful propaganda disguising vindictive nastiness as help. In fact releasing details of real claimants should be absolutely prevented and against the law.

The way he has turned on his staff rather than defending them shows the kind of man he is, a coward and a backstabber.

I just can’t see why a simple statement wasn’t issued saying it would have been inappropriate to use the details of real claimants. Other than a natural instinct to attack those with less power and influence than himself

Now there’s this. I think I’m feeling a bit queasy.

Bucket please.

Staff at call centres have been instructed to allow rejected claimants for Universal Credit to talk about their intention to kill themselves.

Well that’s nice. Perhaps IDS is motivated by “compassionate conservatism” after all

in other news…