drat01 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 So Cameron again acts like the "typical Tory" and resorts to childish behaviour, the flashman tag certainly seems appropriate to him. It seems that this is something that filters through all levels of the Tory party from what we have seen of late. Add to that the debacle of Cameron making up policy on the spot during PMQ's shows how desperate he is coming to try and deflect from the complete and utter mess he and his followers are making. The bad news coming out of the Tory party was recently a daily event, now it's nearly hourly. What with the farce re Mitchell and his obvious double standards re his calls for transparent Gvmt, he is being seen by so many now as nothing more than an incompetent bully in charge. Yesterday there was a mass pouring out of back slapping from the Tory Gvmt about the jobless figures. What they failed to mention though was the numbers of youth unemployment, the numbers that were "in work" that are actually on minimum wage on P/T contracts. that is a clear case of papering over cracks and fails to look at bigger problems that are still very evident and need to be addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I remember when I had to sign on there was a limit of around 6 months before they stopped paying so do these unemployment statistics include those people who have been cut off from signing on yet still don't have jobs? Statistics would show these people aren't 'unemployed' when they are. Also, unpaid voluntary work counts as a job doesn't it? They can manipulate the statistics in so many ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 TBF most Gvmts do massage the figures to suit their own agenda's but that does not excuse what is happening here in the UK now. The abandonment of the youth and allowance for so many tobe unemplyed is a disgrace. The desire to erode any of teh few rights that workers have is a disgrace. The use of the minimum wage as the norm wage is also a disgrace. P/T workforce is not the long or even medium term answer to any of the problems and using that as some sort of cover for the problems shows that this Gvmt are trying to hoodwink the public into thinking that the austerity cuts are working when the reality shows that they are causing more problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 TBF most Gvmts do massage the figures to suit their own agenda's is that finally an admission What appears to be interesting is that even during a double dip recession companies appear to still be taking on people, even if it is only on a part time basis ... you would have expected unemployment to be rising Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Yes minimum wage on a zero-hour contract, whoop de doo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Unemployment been either flat or falling from August of last year. That said, it's currently around 7.9%, so nothing to be proud of. Remember the unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a % of the labour force, it's defined by activity so those not actively seeking employment aren't counted. It also doesn't tell you much about another big problem: underemployment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 is that finally an admission What appears to be interesting is that even during a double dip recession companies appear to still be taking on people, even if it is only on a part time basis ... you would have expected unemployment to be rising I don't get your point. As said Gvmt's in all countries and at all times will "adapt" figures to suit their own agenda's that is not exactly ground breaking news. What the point is and is hidden by the Tory Gvmt and their supporters is that the jobless figures announced this week, rather than something that is a "pat on the back" for the policies is in reality more of an indication that the ill thought out and idalogically led cuts are not in the interest of the UK in gerenral and certainly not in the interest of the majority who do not fund the Tory party As others have said zero hours contracts and minimum wage are nothing but ways to expolit workers and reduce the figures. Desperation means that people have to accept these - that is quite shameful and one if I was (shudder and a bit of sick just appeared in my mouth) a Tory supporter I certainly would not be proud of that as a fact of this Gvmt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'm guessing labour governments adapt and Tory ones Manipulate though Unemployment was rising under the previous government , quite rapidly at one point ... I.e Jan. 31, 2008 5.10% ...... Feb. 28, 2010 8.00% that it appears to be reversing is a good thing , No ? I'm not sure anyone is "proud" but it is an unexpected boost , which as I said previously is also quite surprising considering the "double dip" , and is a small step in the right direction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The unemployment rate clearly spiked with the onset of the financial crisis. It seems to have 'stabilised' around the 8pc mark, the lowest in 2 and half years being 7.6%. There's no evidence that it's trending downward though, the trend has been 'flat' from 2010. I wouldn't celebrate a 0.1% fall in the unemployment rate, especially given how measurement error is a factor in these things. As for governments 'adapting or manipulating stats' that's not something I'm really interested in debating, personally I get most of my data from eurostat or the ONS and analyse it myself. Most people on the front bench are innumerate anyway so I wouldn't listen to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ads Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have read that the reason the job figures are improving is because the growth forecast were too pessimistic and that we’ve not actually been in recession, more stagnating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I reckon we'll stagnate for quite a long time unless the system changes. And it'll either become a uber pro-business model that forgoes workers rights completely, that the tories kept banging on about China/India/Nigeria highlights this. (Did they mention the Germans much, considering they have rights aplenty and rather useful unions?) Or it will have to change and become more like Denmark and co. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have read that the reason the job figures are improving is because the growth forecast were too pessimistic and that we’ve not actually been in recession, more stagnating. I think you mean the growth guesses (i.e. ONS figures), don't you? The forecasts (i.e. those from the Treasury, OBR, BoE, IMF, IoD, NCP, SLF, KLF and so on) were all pretty wildly optimistic, weren't they? ...it is an unexpected boost , which as I said previously is also quite surprising considering the "double dip" , and is a small step in the right direction... As per comments about previous figures, I'm not so sure that's correct. It may be (a boost/step) but it may bring with it much greater worries about productivity and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 According to Twitter a journo is saying George Osbourne is currently sat it a 1st class carriage on a train to Euston, refusing to leave 1st class despite only having a standard ticket. Inspector asking him to leave. GO is declining and his aide has refused to pay the £160 upgrage charge..... They don't help themselves do they. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Breaking news. George pays and stays in 1st class. An all round PR fail there George. Well played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 But he is a highly intelligent chancellor, I'm sure he had a reason that us poor non-Oxford educated plebs just can't comprehend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Gideon should have thrashed that upstart pleb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 It does seem that the Tory party has many many members who feel they are somehow above others in general public life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 The great train snobbery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 19, 2012 Author Moderator Share Posted October 19, 2012 He gets free first class rail travel as an MP anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I thought it was changed so MPs got free economy travel and have to pay for their own upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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