Blunkett

Apologies, but prepare yourself for a rant.

There is genuinely no pun intended, but could he not see this coming? He had to go. Again.

I tend to keep my party-political views to myself, but suffice to say that any party that is in government for a prolonged period of time will become arrogant and act as though the rules do not apply to them.

Hence Mandelson and Blunkett's ongoing political careers, and the total lack of contrition shown every time they stick their feet in their gobs.

I for one will not miss him in the Department for Work and Pensions. Blunkett has had a genuinely hard life, especially in his younger years. And yet rather than using his experience to demonstrate how difficult life can be for people with disabilities, who have to deal with prejudice in the workplace and a lack of opportunities, he simply tries to force through policy to say "you can work, you will work".

My girlfriend Nicola is disabled. She is not registered disabled, but according to the official guidelines, her epilepsy is debilitating enough to impair her ability to function. She has encountered great prejudice when attempting to get jobs - of course we have not been able to take any action about this, as you have to be able to prove that they were discriminating. And yet we have had to fight to get Disability Living Allowance, and she is still not eligible for Incapacity Benefit. And to think that Blunkett had the nerve to suggest that people do not work simply because they are martyrs to their disabilities.

Rant over. You can get on with your work now.