Ding, dong, IDS is gone!

[davidgillon]

Seriously considered opening bottle of champagne. Settled for white wine as the rest of the Tories are still there.

Comments

[capri0mni]

\o/

Do you have a news link, for those on this side of the pond?

[davidgillon]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/mar/18/iain-duncan-smith-resigns-from-cabinet-over-disability-cuts-live

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35848687

[capri0mni]

Thanks! I wasn't sure what (or who, as it turns out) the initials IDS stood for. Now I know.

[davidgillon]

The Dark Lord of the Department of Work and Pensions, architect of the demonisation of disabled people and driving force behind the disability benefit cuts. Responsible for a minimum of 80 deaths, and potentially as many as 800.

[capri0mni]

Says something then, that the latest round of cuts were too much even for him to put up with then, doesn't it?

Or does it?

[davidgillon]

There's multiple levels of stuff going on, he actually says he'd have been happy with the cut itself, it's using it to fund a tax cut for the wealthy that sticks in his craw (and that they really should have gone after pensioners instead). But, he's never liked the Chancellor since Osborne said IDS wasn't smart enough to be a minister, and he's also one of the leaders of the Tory anti-EU camp, whereas Osborne and the PM are the leaders of the pro camp.

[capri0mni]

GAH!! *facepalm*

I'll hold off on celebrating on this end, until I know he won't be replaced by someone worse...

[davidgillon]

He's been replaced by a guy called Crabb, who no one has heard of, since he was Welsh Secretary. He has a working class background, very rare for a Tory, unfortunately it's a "we had to choose between food and clothes, but my mother pulled herself up by her bootstraps..." kind of story.

[capri0mni]

hmpf. In my experience, the people who tell those sorts of stories about themselves tend to be the least empathetic.

[jesse_the_k]

Frex Clarence Thomas

[capri0mni]

Exactly!

[jesse_the_k]

Thank god the U.K. has one fewer evil imperialist.

Is this a last-minute reprieve, or just political theater? If the former, why the fuck have so many people had to die, and live, in fear?

[davidgillon]

Well, it's already come out his replacement has a background in a gay cure cult, and that kind of Christian rarely has positive views about disability. So I'm not holding my breath for an improvement.

And the Tories are all "we've kicked the cut into the long grass", but that's only this week's cut. Last week's 30% cut in the benefit paid to out of work disabled people is still going ahead.