I think this letter needs no further explanation, but a definite note of thanks for the key line:
We ask you, as Prime Minister and as leader of the Conservative Party, to ensure that the record is put straight, and that statistics are no longer manipulated in a way which stigmatises the poorest in our society. We promise to support you in efforts to ensure that debates on poverty are rooted in fact and not on assertion.
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Richard. For your readers who may not have seen it there was an excellent piece by Peter Wilby in last Saturday’s Guardian on the same subject. See here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/31/ministers-misuse-statistics-resign?INTCMP=SRCH
Re point 1 in the letter from the churches, Wilby points out that the real figure for those that withdrew their claim before the medical test was actually 19,700 (or 3.3% of claimants).
Rather a big difference from the 873,300 (or ‘nearly a million’ as reported in various right wing newspapers) used by Shapps. Still, we should remember that Shapps has form when it comes to misrepresenting the truth, as does Duncan-Smith (or should that be all politicians?).
It is really heartening to hear the non-conformists (where was the C of E?)speaking out again with such clarity – it feels like there is some hope! I still despair, though, that the public as a whole feel justified in pillorying the poor and using those on benefits as a psychological spittoon. The Government has oiled the wheels of this in a grossly cynical and manipulative many – the politics of the sewer. Osborne needs to be tackled further with his villificatory phraseology such as’those with their blinds down’ and ‘those who get up in the morning.’ It is beyond disgust.
Read the letter to the bottom. Two of the signatories are Church of England Bishops, and the Church in Wales is the C of E’s disestablished sister.
Thanks – James – didn’t notice! Or, perhaps expect it.
I printed out the report The Lies we tell ourselves about Welfare, by the URC, Baptists, Methodists and Church of Scotland. Excellent document. There are some Anglican bishops on the list BTW of today’s letter to Cameron.
I would add to your statement that the tabloid press (and the Torygraph)also deserve disapproval. They could give the facts as in the church report but prefer to run stories about scroungers. ‘Outrage sells papers’ appears to be their reasoning.
As Richard has said in various posts and his book, there are a minority who do ‘play the system’ but we don’t, in a civilized society disadvantage the many to punish the few. And they cost us less than the big tax dodgers.
I came across this quote from Andrew Lang, Scots poet and author, the other day:
“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts — for support rather than illumination”
Might we substitute the names Duncan Smith and Schapps, and several others besides, for “he”?
Apparently, IDS, is (was) to get some sort of ‘polite’ grilling by a DWP committee about this misuse:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/news/stats/
It has probably happened by now – anyone have anymore info on the outcome?
I doubt IDS himself will actually have to appear, he’ll probably send along some underling to face the music when it does happen.
I heard nothing about this letter on the BBC today. But then as with many reports any comments about the economic and social consequences of this government policies seem muted. I am surprised that there is not more monitoring by the Labour party to ensure there is not a systematic bias in BBC TV’s ‘news agenda’. I say this because I feel the BBC ‘reflects’ the heavily Right Wing Press ‘news agenda’ of the Mail, Express, Sun, Telegraph and Times. This news agenda omits most stories that make the coalition look bad.
Now I am not saying the BBC is biased in presentation or reporting of stories but what I am saying is the BBC editors’ selection of stories & their priority reflects a Right Wing news agenda ( i.e. the press selection of stories for any given day)
Leslie48
The BBC is populated by journalists many of whom have or will work for the big newspapers. They bring a certain bias to “free-market economics” because that is all the economics they’ve ever learnt.
I once wrote into Feedback criticising the commentator on R4 for stating that petrol prices going down & house prices going up was good news when, for almost everyone on the planet, the reverse is true.
They “acknowledged” it, but didn’t get it.
Oddly, this is also precisely why the BBC is so often accused of “left-wing” bias.
The middle-class graduates who work for the BBC are as clear that multi-culturalism & gay rights are good, as they are that “free-market economics” are right. I think they’re right in the former case, not in the latter, but the point is that they have sets of assumptions which seem to be set in stone & rather than adjust their opinions to fit the facts they, all too often, screen the facts to suit their opinions.