It is good that hardly anyone has fallen for Iain Duncan Smith’s line that he resigned as DWP secretary because of planned cuts to disability benefits. Like many of you, I smelled a rather large rat straight away. The man who introduced the Bedroom Tax, who presided over cuts to ESA, who brought in the benefits cap and who has spent a large fortune on the Universal Credit which is many years behind schedule suddenly had a bout of conscience. Sorry, but I never bought it. He’s just another cynical politician, albeit a not very bright one. But if you were cynical about politicians, wait until you read this.
The Tory MP Nadine Dorries, like Duncan Smith a fanatical Roman Catholic (I think this is relevant given what follows), has expressed her rage on twitter. Just look at this: “I am angry that he made me vote for something I did not want to vote for, bribing me with a promise and now HE resigns.” Allow me to put this in context. Dorries says that Duncan Smith “begged” her to not oppose his cuts to ESA and that he was angry with her for so doing because of how it would reflect on him. Put to one side Duncan Smith’s manoeuvrings and consider what Dorries said, which is that he forced her to vote for something she did not believe in by way of a bribe, which she accepted and now she is angry because HE has resigned.
If I was Ms Dorries, I would have a long, hard look in the mirror. I would also consider my position as a member of parliament. Her confession, because that is what it is, represents a searing indictment of the way politics appears to work. It certainly confirms to me that the Great British Public has every right to be angry at the people who represent them. I have argued over and over again that we live in an elective dictatorship whereby the electorate cast a vote once every five years and then politicians do exactly what they like. By volunteering the information that she voted for something she didn’t agree with because a senior minister bribed her, she undermines the very basis for democracy. It is unprincipled, it is immoral and with this terrible admission Dorries should tender her resignation as an elected representative.
Never underestimate the ability of a politician to put his or her views ahead of the greater good and that is what has happened here. Osborne’s budget unravelled within days, Duncan Smith resigned on a point of no principle and a Tory backbencher is angry because she accepted a bribe only for the man who allegedly bribed her to then resign a day later.
The Tory Party, already in meltdown over Europe, which is the underlying reason for Duncan Smith’s resignation, is now at war over cutting benefits to the disabled. It is incredible to observe given that just 10 months ago the Champagne corks were popping when the Tories were unexpectedly returned to power. Now, they are in chaos and it’s all self-inflicted.
At the centre of this sorry saga should be the plight of disabled people. Forgotten amid the maelstrom are many hundreds of thousands of people, some incredibly vulnerable, who fear not just for their futures but for their entire existence. A gruesome war of words between a bunch of millionaires goes on whilst the weakest and the poorest can go hang. This is British politics 2016.
Nadine Dorries has done us all a favour by further exposing some of the low life at the heart of government. We all know where we stand now and why politicians like her, Duncan Smith and Osborne are really in politics – and it isn’t for us.
