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Unemployment in the UK

That is a much better way of putting it. I thank my colleague for that intervention. We need to simplify the benefits system, but we must provide greater incentives. If people believe that incentives of a financial nature are necessary for the masters of the universe, they must also be necessary for those at the bottom of the economic pile. We have to recognise that the national minimum wage at its current level does not provide sufficient incentive in all circumstances, when taking into account all the benefits that people will lose. We need to address that question, and I am very disappointed that the new Liberal party policy seems to be opposed to any increase in the national minimum wage. As I understand it, the Liberals have now swung to the right. The first clear evidence that they are deserting the traditional caring aspect they embraced under previous leaders may be that they are distancing themselves from any prospect of an increase in the national minimum wage. I deplore that, and I am sure that the vast majority of my colleagues do, too, although I do not want to make too much of a meal of it. I simply draw to the attention of the House the fact that the Liberals are opposed to increasing the national minimum wage. My final point is about Scotland. Many Members will be aware that the Scottish Executive have promised that money from Qatar will flow like water, that Qatar will provide an alternative to PFI and PPP and that Qatar will provide funds for public finances and for the private sector. Many Members will have noticed that the nationalists have disappeared from the Chamber. They did everything but intervene when I raised the point earlier. Many Members will be aware that in the past the nationalists said that Scotland's oil would be the answer to the nation's problems. Now it appears that Qatar's oil will be the answer to Scotland's problems. Again, I do not particularly want to make a meal of that fact—I just draw it to people's attention. I am sure that the Qataris will be very unhappy that their name has been used to intervene in domestic British politics in this way. I have been invited by madam gamekeeper not to go beyond 9.40 pm, so I draw my remarks to a close. When we discuss employment, people in my constituency remember that we cannot trust the Tories. We could not trust them in the past, and we cannot trust them now. I do not accept that they are serious about trying to combat the evils of worklessness.