Why should we endure this disrespect from a public servant?

Mike here reports the extreme disrespect, bordering on contempt, which Ian Duncan ‘Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies’ Smith treated the members of the Work and Pensions Committee. Such truculence doesn’t remotely surprise me. Under IDS, the DWP is a viper-pit of treachery and backstabbing, passed on down to the unemployed and disabled they claim to be helping. Such attitudes start at the top, with the head of the department. It gives you an indication of why there is such doubt whether IDS really did graduate as an army officer. I would say that his petulance came from his position as someone at the apex of society, unused to being questioned by the proles he feels should be touching their forelocks to him. But I honestly don’t believe that’s the case. Some of the genuine, old money grandees are people of impeccable manners, who are courteous to everyone, regardless of their social position. The late Geoffrey Dickinson had some truly appalling attitudes to the unemployed, but he was capable of treating the people around him with good grace. Ian Duncan Smith, by contrast, simply appears to be an ill-mannered, socially insecure, f*rty little man, who knows he has been promoted far above his meagre abilities.

Mike Sivier's blog

“I can say with the strongest feeling my concern about the hubris you have demonstrated and your tone to this committee. You haven’t explained – certainly to my own satisfaction, and I am sure anybody that has been watching will draw their own conclusions – you have not made any satisfactory explanation about how you have informed, and kept this committee informed, about the difficulties that the Department was experiencing. There has been obfuscation, smoke-and-mirrors, even up to a few weeks before the report from the National Audit Office. The memorandum that was released in August was clearly saying that everything was fine and dandy. It is, clearly, not. I’ll give you one more opportunity to answer, so you can explain to this committee why there is such poor information provided by your Department.”

These were the words of Commons Work and Pensions committee member Debbie Abrahams to Secretary of…

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