Blogs and Briefings
A difficult night for IDS
Sophie Wedderkopp hears the quiet man turn up the volume...so he can drown out the hecklers…
2 December
This summer's rioting has been the subject of major debate in academia, policy circles and the media, so it was no surprise that a public lecture at the LSE on Families and Young People in Troubled Neighbourhoods attracted so much attention. Professor Anne Power from the LSE and Professor Jane Waldfogel from New York's Columbia University were joined by the architect of some of the most radical welfare reforms in recent decades, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan-Smith.
IDS was a man under siege. Before entering the lecture theatre, the audience were handed flyers claiming that the Work Programme would create a 'sweat shop society'. As you would expect there was a combination of those passionately opposed or in favour of the welfare reforms as well as interested observers, yet within minutes of beginning his speech, IDS was bombarded by a tirade - fairly aggressive yet poorly articulated - from the Work Programme protestors and a banner was unfurled at the back of the auditorium. This seemed to knock the Secretary of State off of his stride, but some order was eventually restored and he was able to continue.
His key point was around the measurement of poverty. He argued that poverty is not just about income levels, but rather a complex range of factors contributing to life chances. This, he said, should be the measure used to establish levels of poverty, rather than a distinct income line irrespective of family, social and environmental circumstances.
He was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers and, though he resolutely continued with his points, as the attacks persisted he visibly shrunk, reduced eye contact and began to look a little bit like a dejected Charlie Brown. However, he was certainly an interesting speaker to watch, not least because he is unlike almost any other cabinet speaker given his grasp of and genuine interest in the details and evidence, and avoidance of political soundbites.
While IDS was clearly the star of the show, having flown overnight from NYC Jane Waldfogel was not to be outdone. She made compelling points around the merits of intervention at all stages of a child's life. Similarly, Anne Power used a raft of research from her book 'Family Futures' to add context and colour to the debate. She offered support to IDS's views of the Work Programme, work experience and apprenticeships - stressing the value of engaging young people and ensuring that skills are gained, used and retained. This sensible voice no doubt helped to quell the outbursts against the Secretary of State during the questions that followed.
It was a fiesty evening, squarely focused on the Work and Pensions Secretary. As someone without any particularly strong opinions about IDS before this, I was struck by his depth of understanding of the overall situation. Whether you agree with his principles or not, it is hard to say that he is just aiming for an easy vote-winner. There was consensus on the panel about the intransigence of social exclusion and it is clear that this is something that the Secretary of State is trying - controversially and not necessarily successfully - to address.
