Lansley feels the heat over ‘bullying’ claims – why not Mr… Smith?
Claims that Iain Duncan Smith bullied members of the Public Accounts Committee into blaming his permanent secretary for the failings of Universal Credit are gaining traction after the Daily Telegraph reported that committee chair Margaret Hodge said that “senior figures had sought to influence her report”.
The Telegraph report states: “In comments to students on November 11 – four days after the publication of he committee’s report – Mrs Hodge said: ‘I can’t tell you how much inappropriate talking there was to me and other members of the committee, by both ministers and civil servants, either to get me to blame the permanent secretary in the DWP and therefore transfer blame away from Iain Duncan Smith or to put the blame on Mr Devereux [Robert Devereux, the permanent secretary] and to ensure ministers escaped blame.'”
As reported here on November 7, Iain Duncan Smith “has denied claims he tried to ‘lean on’ members of the committee to place the blame on Mr Devereaux, but Labour sources on the committee told BBC News there was a ‘concerted’ effort by Tory members to shift the blame, with extra meetings and discussions over amendments ‘pointing the finger’ at the permanent secretary”.
Bizarrely, it is Andrew Lansley, the Leader of the House of Commons, who has come under attack after the revelation – because he told the Commons (on the same day) that there was “no truth” to the claims.
While it is true that knowingly telling a falsehood to other MPs constitutes contempt of Parliament, for which the penalty used to be expulsion – as we know from the record of Iain Duncan Smith – it seems strange that the focus is on Lansley, who merely repeated what he had been told to say, and not Smith himself, the alleged perpetrator of the wrongdoing.
Spokespeople for the DWP and Lansley have denied any wrongdoing – well they would, wouldn’t they?
But Iain Duncan Smith is due to go before the Commons Work and Pensions Committee to account for the many offences he has committed in the last few months, and it seems right that this bullying allegation should be included alongside the financial irregularities now associated with Universal Credit (more than £160 million wasted on duff computer systems), his refusal to provide up-to-date figures on the number of deaths now associated with his social (in)security policies, the illegality of his attempts to deprive sanctioned victims of his workfare schemes of the back-benefit the government now owes them, and his own contempt of Parliament offence, in which he made false claims about the benefit cap.
That meeting is set to take place on December 9 (postponed from an original date in July). Do you think the lying coward will turn up?
*If you have enjoyed this article, you may wish to consider picking up the book, Vox Political: Strong Words and Hard Times. The site is not professional and receipts from the book are its only means of support. Its 350 pages contain a great deal of information that should be just as useful as this article, and it may be bought here, here, here, here and here – depending on the format in which you wish to receive it.
Fingers Crossed (hypothetically) for December 9th x
What can I say except to say for the umpteenth time that I’m disgusted. Hope you and Mrs Mike are soldiering on (it certainly feels like a war) and keeping sane. Apologies for not having written a review of the book. Life as we know it is hampering me at every turn. Have a good weekend!
Sarah x
You could do a really quick review – something like: “Buy this book! Improve your life!” only a little less hysterical.
It would be good to get sales up because it’s quite hard to justify (to Mrs Mike) the amount of time I spend on this with only a little to show for it – especially when she sees that people with less to say but better ‘connections’ are doing very well for themselves.
Isn’t that always the way, though? It isn’t what you know but who – and the powers-that-be will always do their best to silence a dissenting voice.
Will do.
Most kind.
ever read “Tom Browns Schooldays”? or Billy Bunter ?(yes i know i show my age.lol)
the top nob poshie’s bullying their “fags” making them do unspeakable things. enjoying caning their backsides for the slightest misdemeanor, some only in their heads.perceived wrongs i believe the phrase is……………….. now liken all that to those in parliament today. the Tory poshie’s who never can forget their schooldays in their posh prep schools and colleges and can never take the blame for their own misdemeanors so have to find a fag (or scapegoat in modern day terms) to blame it on.
I think that Mr Smith will have to go kicking and screaming to the CWPC to answer questions, if at all.
The only thing that I want is to see this evil piece of pond scum ousted out of government. I don’t care who gets in at the next election (as they are all the same anyway), but oh boy, as long as he is not in the winning party then I don’t care!
He was ousted as leader, now oust him from his position and stick him on the back benches or oust him completely as an MP!
He should also be held to account for all of those who have died during his “funtime” – and he should be up in front of a judge and jury for crimes against humanity and for fraud!
couldn’t agree with you more Jay…. the UK and the USA have taken others to court from other countries for crimes against humanity over the years. Nuremberg trials, Saddam Hussein, etc. so no reason why this lot cant be tried by the EU court of human rights.
Sadly i doubt whether he will turn up, more likely to send a rep.
Having watched a recent meeting of the oversight committee with Mcvey i was a little disappointed by the lack of punch in the questioning, i realise in the “House” they have to be careful or even gentle in their voicing doubts of another members integrity but in an oversight committee i fail to see the point in using the same approach.
It is bad enough when you can see that PMQ’s are stage managed and pre-scripted.
Can’t we just hang him now and worry about him not appearing before the committee later?
Alas.
Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.
LOL @ JED…i wish but one thing wrong with that. if we did that we would be in the wrong n charged with murder. i dont fancy swinging for the likes of him. hes not worth MY life or anyone else’s. enough folk have given theirs up cos of him/
[…] Claims that Iain Duncan Smith bullied members of the Public Accounts Committee into blaming his permanent secretary for the failings of Universal Credit are gaining traction after the Daily Telegra… […]
no he wont turn up and if he did he will not be asked about the many sick and disabled that have died which is the main reason for him not turning up
he would be a fool to turn up and then be asked why have hundreds of sick and disabled people died prematurely because of your welfare reform processes that have gone wrong in the cases of and the hundreds of names then read out to him
if it were me i wouldn’t turn up and that’s the advice any top lawyer would advise
Thousands. Thousands of sick and disabled people died prematurely.
Otherwise, I can appreciate what you’re saying.
Thousands.indeed mike I’m just giving him the benefit of saying hundreds as the true figure is ongoing and will take many years to ascertain how these deaths came about and under what circumstances that led up to the persons involved dying of which as i have stated will take many years
s***, this tw*t is the devil incarnate and must be got rid of. hanging in my book would be justifiable homocide
Spell for Iain Duncan Smith:
Evil Tory Duncan Smith,
malevolent and cruel,
abuses his position
as a handy tool
to persescute the unemployed
and bring to rich and poor
the miseries of poverty,
the Bedroom Tax, and more.
May all the ills he wishes
for folk like you and me
return to him from this day on
by power of three times three.
Let it be!!!
I was going to say “are there no assassins?” but that could be construed as inciting violence, so I won’t.
this a**ewipe is despicable with those flabby lips he reminds me of alfred hitchcock but i bet that would be a right insult to his memory