Oh but it's an honour, your Majesty.

The New Year Honours List 2012 makes for some depressing reading. There's not just one, not even two, but twenty DWP employees getting an award.

I'm sure some of them are decent people. Some might even be good at their job. I once spoke to a helpful guy in the DLA office: His name was Graham. The fact that I can still remember his name about 10 years later gives some indication as to the sparseness of DWP employees that can tell the difference between their arse and their elbow.

However these people are just doing their job. Those of us fighting against welfare reform are doing so without recognition, without reward, and at great cost to our physical and mental health. The pay cheque the DWP employees get each month is their reward for their work.

At a time when DWP employees are screwing disabled people so hard that it's resulting in numerous suicides their being rewarded makes a mockery of the whole system. OK, I'm a republican so in general think the system's a bit off. But there are occasions where people get rewarded for genuine outstanding contributions to society; and rewarding DWP employees undermines their honour.

Here's the list of DWP employees:

CBE

Malcolm Whitehouse. Formerly Deputy chief Information Officer and Group Applications director, Department for Work and Pensions. (Chester, Cheshire)

OBE

Mrs Susan Harding. Formerly Programme manager, Change Programme, Department for Work and Pensions. (West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire)

Roger Ernest Pugh. Team Leader, Stakeholder Team, Communications, Department for Work and Pensions. (Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire)

Arthur John Row. Deputy Pension Centre manager, International Pension Centre, Pension, Disability and Carers Service, Department for Work and Pensions. (Blyth, Northumberland)

MBE

Derek John Alldritt. Formerly Senior Executive Officer, Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, Department for Work and Pensions. (Kingswinford, West Midlands)

Mrs Margaret Bates. Formerly Senior Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (Atherstone, Warwickshire)

Garry Chambers. Head of Business Management, Commercial Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions. (Sheffield, South Yorkshire)

Mrs Phyllis Close. Executive Officer, Department for Work and Pensions. (Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire)

Ms Marika Fawcett. Executive Officer, Private Office, Department for Work and Pensions. (Berkshire)

Ms Andrea Haynes. Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (London, SE1)

Mrs Sheila Hinds. Formerly Executive Officer, Pension, Disability And Carers Service, Department for Work and Pensions. (Nuneaton, Warwickshire)

Mrs Bernadette Holgate. Higher Executive Officer, Debt Management, Department for Work and Pensions. (Stockport, Greater Manchester)

Mrs Jacqueline Howell. Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (Lincolnshire)

Mrs Joan Little. Executive Officer, Complaints and Appeals Directorate, Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, Department for Work and Pensions. (Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear)

Mrs Sarah McKiernan. Finance director's Office manager, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (London, E15)

Alexander Nairn. Executive Officer, Pension, Disability and Carers Service, Department for Work and Pensions. (Dundee)

David Orrell. Senior Executive Officer, Pension, Disability and Carers Service, Department for Work and Pensions. (Preston, Lancashire)

Mrs Antonina Robinson. Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (Birmingham, West Midlands)

Mrs Karen Mary Robson. Executive Officer, Jobcentre Plus, Department for Work and Pensions. (Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire)

Paul Taylor. Front Line Service manager, Corporate IT, Department for Work and Pensions. (Lytham St Annes, Lancashire)