The BBC’s Becky Milligan interviewed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan-Smith, this week.
It is well worth a listen (scroll to 50
mins). The interview is part of Milligan's award-winning series of on the record lunchtime chats with politicians for Radio 4's 'PM' programme.
The light-hearted nature of the interviews reveals a lot.
The light-hearted nature of the interviews reveals a lot.
He loves Italy, the food, the country but denies he was the ‘Iain’ referred to in that infamous overheard reshuffle conversation on the Chichester to London train. But intriguingly he does know who the ‘Iain’ referred to was.
His lesson for aspiring SPads?
‘Don’t talk on bloody trains, ‘I know very well that both ends were not talking about me…’
On a sartorial level, it's not quite Dorothy Parker but:
‘Men who wear glasses on their head look silly.’
But it’s IDS’s ‘vocational’ commitment to welfare
reform and how stories about poverty affect him that are really of interest in this interview. Plus a new DWP chant apparently doing the
rounds at Caxton House.
‘I just know that I should be doing this…[welfare reform] I see this as a vocation… these stories about people in difficulty didn’t start the day I walked through the door. Of course those stories are sad and terrible, you want to find out about them, the speed with which you pick these up, is what you test yourself upon.
‘The reality is that the change [to Universal Credit] itself should ameliorate the problem, if you don’t change it, they’re still going to be screaming.
Universal Credit was supposed to have been
rolled out in one go. Having missed the deadline, and learned lessons, the
department has apparently adopted a new slogan.
‘Our phrase is ‘test, learn, implement,’ says IDS.
Hmmmh.
These are often quite insightful little interviews. The Bob Crow one was particularly good (and broadcast the day before he died I think). IDS didn't come out of this very well. I do think he has a genuine commitment to trying to address some of the underlying issues that impact on poverty. But in this interview he just came over as a very shallow posh bloke who could walk away from his 'vocation' at any point and continue to live in pampered luxury.
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