Here’s why Theresa May’s prattling about ‘falling unemployment’ is meaningless
If only her nose did grow longer every time she lied. She might think twice about it [Image: Daily Mirror.]
Yesterday, she was crowing about the just-announced seasonal fall in unemployment as though it meant something. It didn’t – and it doesn’t.
Her words: “The employment figures today… show unemployment at its lowest levels since the mid-1970s, and that employment—people in work; people taking home a wage, a salary, to support their family—is at record levels, the highest levels since records began.”
But This Writer pointed out yesterday (September 13) that the rising number of zero-hours contracts means people can be employed for extremely short periods every week – and still be bumped off the benefit books. That’s why productivity isn’t up.
In addition, the fact that people aren’t getting paid enough is the reason tax revenues are down, the government isn’t paying off its debts and there are no money for services (along with the fact that the very rich and huge corporations are being let off paying their taxes altogether because they and Tory ministers are “all in it together”).
Perhaps Mrs May thought she’d get away with this nonsense. She hasn’t.
Aaron Bastani of Novara Media explains the real situation here:
Don't listen to the government and the media on unemployment.
Britain's economy is the sick man of Europe. #PMQs pic.twitter.com/U4DhXMHUuW
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) September 13, 2017
And here are just a few of the reactions on Twitter:
If our media had any decency it would call 'falling unemployment' what it really is, rising in-work poverty.
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) September 13, 2017
Same reason wage rises arent witnessed as they should if companies were competing for workers. "Employed"means 16h weekly + gov tax credits
— Kamran Abid (@kamabid) September 13, 2017
Cynical sleight of hand: “Employment” has been re-defined so that a part-time job or a temporary job or a zero-hours is called a job https://t.co/gnnwxTty4W
— Marcus Chown (@marcuschown) September 13, 2017
Tory government would be saying we have full employment if everyone worked for just 1 minute a year. They must think voters are total idiots https://t.co/NTCJUmgV1V
— Marcus Chown (@marcuschown) September 13, 2017
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Fall in unemployment = more people have been sanctioned.
That would be my first impression, too.
i rarely watch PMQs now. simple reason./i feel sick watching maggie may and her minions telling lie upon lie upon lie all through. sick at their attitudeso people and disregard for their welfare while lining their and their mates pockets with our money. and what does she mean highest since the 1970s? am i not understanding this? i was a young married woman with a toddler and a baby. baby born november 1971. by the time that baby was 7/8 months old, we were in a recession. my hubby had been a soldier for 9 years yet he found it hard to get a job. he landed up on a scheme(a govt run one) whereby, if a person could find a job in another city they would pay for lodgings for him and a train pass every 3 weeks to enable him to go home n see his family. for the first 3 mo9nths my kids hardly saw their father. and trying to keep 2 homes going on the small wage he got, first year at the interrnational cost and management accounts head office as a stores clerk 2nd year a porter at harley street clinic. in that time he ws supposed to find a house for his family. unfortunately, wherever there were jobs, there was a shortasge of houses. we never did find anywhere down south within easy reach of his work.after 2 yrs he had to come back north to the same problem as before.the scheme only paid for that 2 years. wasnt till harold wilson became PM the 2nd time that things got a bit better.then torys got back in and from then on it got worse and worse till 1997..so why was it better in the 1970s? 1960s more like