Detector

It is a common place that one knows when politicians are lying - their lips are moving. But the state has found a way to make sure the unwashed proles who claim uneployment benefit (though 'benefit' is an inappropriate term for the pittance one actually receives) actually tell the truth to the civil servants who deal with them.

Callers to welfare centres will have their voices analysed by a software that calculates the probability that claimants are telling lies. The computers can calculate the minute waverings in peoples' voices and this alerts staff who can then ask more searching questions and bump the claimants out of the system.

The idea is so rancid it is only being piloted at the moment and ministers couldn't be pinned down as to whether the scheme would be extended or not. It's rancid because when the program alerts the caller to a welfare centre that they are being monitored to see if they are lying - you're going to feel like you are a suspect. You are treated as if you just can't be trusted. That would really piss me off. My voice might then waver a bit. Thus the civil servants withhold belief about the truths that I tell about my situation. Further deeper enquiries are made into my privaqte life. Eventually I put the phone down and think of other ways to get the money. I put the TV on and see a repeat of Blair in the Houses of Parliament telling us about the WMD's again.