Iain Duncan Smith has resigned

I think IDS is basically a decent man and it appears from his resignation letter that he WAS forced into some of the cuts. I'm surprised he's resigned but, like others, suspect it is a successful attempt to cast another cat amongst the EU pigeons. Daphne is right about Nicky Morgan having strings. They were very visible on Question Time last Thursday where she was confidently upstaged by Emily Thornberry.

I think IDS is basically a decent man and it appears from his resignation letter that he WAS forced into some of the cuts. I'm surprised he's resigned but, like others, suspect it is a successful attempt to cast another cat amongst the EU pigeons. Daphne is right about Nicky Morgan having strings. They were very visible on Question Time last Thursday where she was confidently upstaged by Emily Thornberry.

I think IDS is basically a decent man and it appears from his resignation letter that he WAS forced into some of the cuts. I'm surprised he's resigned but, like others, suspect it is a successful attempt to cast another cat amongst the EU pigeons. Daphne is right about Nicky Morgan having strings. They were very visible on Question Time last Thursday where she was confidently upstaged by Emily Thornberry.

I think IDS is basically a decent man and it appears from his resignation letter that he WAS forced into some of the cuts. I'm surprised he's resigned but, like others, suspect it is a successful attempt to cast another cat amongst the EU pigeons. Daphne is right about Nicky Morgan having strings. They were very visible on Question Time last Thursday where she was confidently upstaged by Emily Thornberry.

I think IDS is basically a decent man and it appears from his resignation letter that he WAS forced into some of the cuts. I'm surprised he's resigned but, like others, suspect it is a successful attempt to cast another cat amongst the EU pigeons. Daphne is right about Nicky Morgan having strings. They were very visible on Question Time last Thursday where she was confidently upstaged by Emily Thornberry.

So sorry - I only pressed the button once, honest!

political games /strategy is all this is. IDS wishes to be free to vote for the LEAVE campaign no doubt, and may come back when somebody else , either Boris or Gove is PM.
It doesn't mean that the Tories are disintegrating ( as most on this thread would like, wishful thinking.)
Once the referendum is out of the way it will be business as usual.

NotTooOld I think you wanted us to notice you.

"In a move condemned by charities, the budget on Wednesday revealed that George Osborne’s biggest single revenue-raising measure over the next five years would be cutting personal independence payments (PIP) for people who need aids to help them dress and use the toilet.

Disability rights groups said the changes would be a devastating blow to disabled people who rely on the benefit to help them live on their own, while Labour branded the changes “morally reprehensible”.
Benefit cuts threaten independent living for thousands of disabled people
Read more

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said that about a “third of the cutbacks [Osborne] has been raising money from will fall on people with disabilities” by 2020-21.

After the cuts were trailed on Friday, a Labour analysis found it would deny 200,000 claimants access to the benefit worth almost £3,000 a year, with a further 400,000 seeing their entitlements reduced."

roses

He has lied again and again over the past 6 years and now he has done it again - he has no principles. He doesn't care about anyone on benefits, the disabled or the vulnerable. Let's face it he's never had to worry about money in his entire life - he's married into money and lives rent free in a massive house owned by his wife's family. Until the Tories have walked a mile in the shoes of the people they claim to represent they aren't worthy to be in government.

"When IDS was appointed the Work & Pensions Minister in 2010 the Housing Benefit budget was the largest area of welfare benefit spend the after state pension.

In June 2010 there was a budget and in that four new Housing Benefit policies were announced of (a) bedroom tax; (b) overall benefit cap; (c) the LHA cap; and (d) the SAR ‘cap – and collectively these are the HB reforms that the government said would save £2bn per year to the Housing Benefit bill by 2014/15.

Yet the Housing Benefit bill did not reduce by £2bn per year, it actually increased by over £1 billion per year in real terms according to the IFS. This means that the HB reforms failed and it also means that IDS’s 4 policies of bedroom tax, benefit cap, LHA and SAR cap cost £3bn per year more than he expected. In short they collectively failed abjectly.

These 4 HB ‘reform’ (sic) policies also directly led to a 55% increase in homelessness and rough sleeping and saw many families evicted and have to move and still sees many families have the choice of eat or heat and often much worse in order to keep a roof over their heads."

He is also responsible for this.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/03/19/the-cracks-are-developing/

We can but hope.

i certainly don't think it's an easy brief for the new Secretary. Teeth of the gale more like - get Universal Credit to work (currently only working for single people I believe), help Osborne make more welfare cuts. Lean on the back to work industry (much of it privatised these days) to get more people off benefits. Put up with Osborne's henchmen bullying him to do better.
Rather a big change from S of S for Wales which mainly seems to involve turning up at events and giving a little speech. Carwen Jones and his ministers run Wales.
And Crabbe recently made a big cock up of some legislation that was supposed to give the Welsh Government a bit more independence.
The Draft Wales bill is back to the drawing board for re-drafting.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-35662973

Great. He's been moved from one cock up to another.

The PIP mess has only been deferred, not cancelled.
They think it's just the way they tell it that's the problem, that's all!

Tegan, have you had a bet?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/19/iain-duncan-smith-resignation-damages-george-osborne-tory-leader-hopes

Nay; I always look for 100/1 outsiders and don't bet in two horse races! What a choice, though..Osborne or Johnson/Johnson or Osborne...goes away scratching head. Maybe Theresa May's cleavage is in the betting...

It's always in the picture, in PMQs. My grandson has noticed. Not the cleavage - he wouldn't know what it meant- but that she's always there.
"She's the one that wants my mum to go home. She's an idiot!"

What do people think of IDS's idea that benefits for wealthier pensions shouldn't have been ring-fenced?

Well, if you accept the premise that there needs to be cuts in order to give tax breaks to the wealthy, then that is better than stinging the poor.

But I don't accept the premise so I suggest Gideon takes some lessons both in economics and fairness.

I don't accept it either, but I was wondering if people would have still thought he's a decent chap, if he had got his own way.

Some would still think him a decent chap, he knew what Osbourne was putting forward in the budget, he could have resigned immediately the cut backs was decided upon, not forgetting he was party to the plans , yet he waited , why? And some still think him a decent chap.

Osbourne does have a thing for builders hats doesn't he

Makes him look working class we are all in this together

His brick laying is as appalling as his economics, though.

whitewave