Well, what are superior forms of life like him going to do when mass employment is upon us & many hitherto respectable, mortgaged types are turning into scum overnight?

I would have almost all of these people in better jobs in 5 years. All New Labour could ever do is make a hash of what should be a natural, human-led recovery by trying to get the Daily Wail’s approval.

Do these geniuses realise that bullying & intimidating the most vulnerable people in the country won’t get them into sustainable work or save money, it will be an expensive waste of time?

I have encountered more than enough people sent on wholly futile “courses” & just as unlikely to get jobs afterwards. The best thing that can be done is allowing them to do voluntary work, whilst still receiving their benefits.

This should not be made mandatory or directly paid for as it would be bad for the voluntary organisations to do so. (In a similar way, one of the main things that sunk the original National Service was that the army didn’t want to have to deal with young, unwilling recruits). But those who want to improve their skills should be exempt from looking for low-paid jobs as they are making a long-term investment.

There should be much wider education about this. Additionally, it could be arranged with universities that students can receive credits if they volunteer.

I reiterate that no one should ever do this kind of work for financial gain as it would be deeply counter-productive. But it is better for them to do this than be forced into applying for jobs they are never going to get.

With any luck, as middle-class people become unemployed, the Job Centre will stop treating its “clients” like minions.

But the first thing to do is to put this piece of idiocy right next to ID cards on the bonfire, preferably with New Labour ministers & the Daily Mail in the middle of the flames