The BBC coverage of the welfare reforms has indeed been appalling, they appear to have had no genuine critics of the reforms being interviewed, instead on News 24 only the DWP secretary and the advocate of even harsher reform, Frank Field was interviewed, on the Daily Politics it was Caroline Flint, Michael Gove and for the second time, Frank Field, who has even called for the return of the Workhouse! all partisan supporters of these reforms. later they interviewed the 'masermind' of the new 'sanction report: Professor Paul Gregg of Bristol University.

Why long term critics of these reforms such as John McDonell or even the campaign group Compass who have launched a major campaign against them not interviewed?

 http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/item.asp?n=3525

Its journalists mentioned that disabled people ‘will now have to attend medicals in order to claim IB’, well, they already have to! the UK welfare system is no’ soft touch’ in terms of disability benefits, even the latest ‘adviser on welfare’ the Merchant Banker Matthew Freud notes: "the UK has a more demanding benefits regime than many other countries for people with disabilities” It is already extremely difficult to claim benefits such as Incapacity Benefit (IB): the process involving stringent eligibility criteria, massive application forms, regular interviews and 'tough' and invasive medical tests, amongst the most stringent in Europe. In terms of fraud among people claiming IB, it has described by the DWP as 'negligible'. Now, it is going to even harsher. The use of the effectiveness of sanctions, a very brutal measure, can also be questioned, perhaps BBC News could refer the Minister to the DWP’s own earlier report (not the skewed Gregg Report) which indicated that imposing sanctions actually made disabled claimants worse, particularly in terms of metal well being.

Why weren't the advoctates of such brutal cuts and sanctions, not asked , what happens to these ill and disabled people if they in the very unlikely chance they secure a job , (as disabled people are already much more likely to be discriminate against, and in the economic crisis, we can ask what jobs!), what can they expect? There is nothing in the White Paper about improving workplace environments for disabled people, nothing about tightening up the Disability Discrimination Act, and perhaps most significantly nothing about the massive increase in workplace bullying of which dis\bled people are frequently the recipienst such bevaiour. The figure of 500’000 job in the economy often mentioned is also misleading, many of these are ‘churn’ teachers waiting for posts, temps, etc. And of course, if it is primarily about saving money for the treasury (as I am aware it is being briefed), then what about the billions lost in tax dodging/evasion, etc.?,

People in the Uk need to wake up, soon we will have a welfare system like in the US, perhaps worse than some states, were 1% of the population are in prison, 60 years of progress down the pan....

bbc complaints

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

...see original post above.

Clearly the BBC should have covered the white paper - it's potentially going to lead to thousands of people losing benefits, including single mothers. And it's likely to happen whether Labour is still in power in another two years' time or not, as it's got backing from the Conservatives too.

The BBC should also quiz ministers about why they are doing it. Is the point you're trying to make that they are too subservient? Or that they are not quoting all the groups who are anti it? (like GMB and Gingerbread, both quoted on the BBC website?)

substantial abuse of resource by poverty-creation minister james purnell