Cuddly But Tough

Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives, of course, are only cuddly when cuddliness is the right thing to do. When toughness is the right thing to do, they can stop being cuddly and be tough instead. Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives are going to be tough on public services, tough on unions, tough on waste, tough on immigrants and, once they've shunted a few million more people out of gainful employment, they're going to be tough on those too. Daveybloke's Cuddly Minister for the Prevention of Idle Poor People has announced that "while the whole country is tightening its belt it's scandalous that thousands are managing to defraud the taxpayer out of billions". It is not clear who among Daveybloke's Cuddly Cabinet or their chums in the City are tightening their belts at the moment, but the point about defrauding the taxpayer is well taken. The head of policy at the Child Policy Action Group noted that benefit fraud costs the taxpayer somewhat less than payment errors by the benefit agencies, and that the taxpayer is saved fourteen and a half times as many billions as are lost through fraud because the benefits system has such high levels of bureaucratic malevolence built into it that many people don't claim what they're entitled to. He also mentioned tax fraud, which costs the taxpayer thirteen and a half times as much as benefit fraud but inexplicably receives somewhat fewer tabloid headlines. Hence Yvette Cooper, the Glorious Successor's Minister for the Prevention of Idle Poor People, has responded to the Conservative foghorning with the claim that New New Labour are already being even tougher on benefit fraudsters than Daveybloke's Cuddly Conservatives intend to be.