1. Jeremy Kyle provides space for debate about social issues between people who have been badly educated. People who are sneared at by so-called liberals, generically accused of inarticulacy (clearly disproven by some participants in the programme) and who are judged without consideration. Left wing critics act like ignorant Tories, pretending that people from disfunctional or non-existent families can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

2. The Kyle show is a mirror of lower class/underclass society. What you see are past failures of social policy. You should treat the Kyle show as an education lesson about what has gone wrong and needs to be corrected.

3. Kyle and his ilk will have had their day when government social policy succeeds. Kyle can only exist in the presesence of a badly educated underclass.

4. If Kyle has 1.7 million viewers, surely that qualifies him to ask “why don’t you get off your bum and do something useful, so that I can do the same thing”?

” The DWP has been citing seemingly impressive figures for its Pathways To Work programme, aimed at getting the long-term sick off benefits and back into employment. A press release boasted: “A South Tyneside programme has been hailed a success after helping more than 3,800 long-term sick and disabled people into jobs.”

It did not reveal that the programme cost £9m. took 3 years and covers a huge area stretching to the Tees with around 66,000 people on benefits. Furthermore, the DWP has been forced to admit it has no idea how many of those 3,800 are still in work. It could only cite Policy Studies Institute research showing a 7.4% in the number of those on benefits subsequently employed in Pathways To Work areas, compared to other areas. Lots of money for for very small improvement. Not so impressive after all.”

If memory serves, people on Incapacity Benefit in pathways areas can return to work (which can be for just a few hours a week), but if they are unable to continue working through ill health, are able to return to benefits, at the level they previously received them, with no adverse effects for up to a year after starting work. So some of the people classed as returning to work may well have got jobs – for a few weeks or months, but could also be classed as claimants in other figures.

Is any Labour policy assessed and evaluated? (stupid, rhetorical question.)

But using Kyle…..? Jeeeeezus.

In which case it should, at least, be mercifully short.

Philip’s latest blog post… For Your Safety and Security

ejh’s latest blog post… But not today the struggle

Larry Teabag’s latest blog post… First they came for the dogs with tits

Such is the hollowness of western values.