From a Usenet friend:

Matthew Parris is a regular Times columnist. A very clever gentleman, is our Matthew; always has been. You may remember when he decided to ‘prove’ that the British poor were undeserving, by living on benefits for a week? Here’s what he had to say about that little experiment, more recently:

“I’ve tried. Very hard. As an MP seized with the conviction that if people would do more to help themselves they really could manage, I lived on the dole for a week in Newcastle more than 20 years ago, in a bid to prove it for Granada’s World in Action. I heated only one room, bought in bulk, shopped around for seconds, kept warm with gardening, chose an inexpensive sport, etc – and I could have succeeded. But when I sensed the anger I was arousing among nice Geordies I met, not so much because they disagreed with what I said but because of who I was to say it, it dawned on me that I, a sleek young Tory earning ten times what they did, should not be saying it. Not without giving offence. It was a matter of taste, really. So I decided to fail in my bid. In doing so I rescued my political reputation and made my media career.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article4318557.ece

[Note the last two sentences].

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