IDS is of course trying to satisfy those who believe (even propagate) the populist myth about millions of the feckless being subsidised by the hard working.

IDS will fail because the situation is as complex as Michael says, but the danger of his measures driving many in need to desperation is frightening.

1. A very large proportion of those on the minimum wage are also claiming benefits, so raising it is the easiest and quickest wage of cutting benefits (and the number of claimants). Nobody is going to accuse IDS of being a socialist!

2. At the moment anybody who has been on the dole for any significant length of time is entitled to benefits including Housing Benefit for the first month they are back in work, but only if they know of the entitlement and insist on claiming it. The dole office never tells anyone. DWP staff would undermine any attempt to make the Tory Centre for Social Justice proposals work.

3. The earnings disregard stands at £5 and has done since it was last raised nearly forty years ago. Raising it to £50 per week would encourage claimants to work for a day or half a day as well as increasing NI contributions by removing the need for people to work cash in hand. See http://www.neednotgreed.org.uk/

4. Benefits have become more complicated in recent years for no apparent policy reason (apart from keeping policy wonks in a job) so there is some, albeit limited, room for simplification.