There is no doubt that Iain Duncan Smith, or anyone else for that matter, could survive on £53 per week. There are calls for him to prove it after he made the claim that he could survive on the equivalent of £7.57 per day if he had to. I am sure that he could calculate his budget for one week or maybe two or three or more. I don't know his personal circumstances but it may well be that he pays a gardener more than £53 per week. He could cancel the gardener. He may pay more than £53 for one meal. He could avoid restaurants for a week or two.
It may be that he has really expensive overheads but he has calculated that there are benefits to cover them. Well not any more since George Osborne decided that benefits should not cover essentials.If a market trader tells Radio 4 that his housing benefit has been cut and £53 is all that he has left to live on, then IDS should not be surprised of a strong reaction if he says anyone could live off £53 if they had to.
It's not about £53 for a week, it's about £53 week after week. It's about no hope of changing the situation. It's about the arrogance that says it is alright to cut benefits to the poorest. If only IDS could understand that.
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After he has allowed for his electric and gas, and water rates...there wouldn't be much left of the £53....and week after week, he would start to feel totally demoralised.
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