The UK economy: well on the road to recovery?

[drew]

i didnt say it was. our failure to react to it better was, we had already maxed out the credit card, the deficit was already growing, and economist where getting concerned how growth was to be sustained. some say that it was his loose policy towards regulation of the city (so they could fund his spending) that was a key cause (amongst others) to allowing the global economy to become overreliant on credit. people will say others may have done the same and maybe they would. but the fact is Brown did and nothing can ever hide that

Credit card was hardly maxed out in 2008!!!

 

[Postman Pat]

You still receive 60 quid a week on work placement from government coffers so that is clearly not being employed. The NEA is designed to get people off JSA before the next election. I know that because my NEA mentor told me in January that is exactly what it is designed for, it's basically a thousand pound payout to politely **** off the JSA. You can ignore that all you like, the pedantry of what you wish to call it under Cameron's own standrds are wholly irrelevant I'm afraid.

That is no different to the New Deal / Flexible New Deal programme that Labour introduced in 1998. People on it were not classified as being unemployed as they were on a training scheme for 12 months. Most of the 'jobs' were unpaid work in supermarkets, charity shops, bars or door work.

 

[Nibble]

That is no different to the New Deal / Flexible New Deal programme that Labour introduced in 1998. People on it were not classified as being unemployed as they were on a training scheme for 12 months. Most of the 'jobs' were unpaid work in supermarkets, charity shops, bars or door work.

Very true. Serving to illustrate my point. Governments do it to hide the true number of unemployed.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

I work in Plymouth Dockyard as a Crane Slinger and they can't get enough if us blokes down here at the moment and its been like that for 6 months

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I work in Plymouth Dockyard as a Crane Slinger and they can't get enough if us blokes down here at the moment and its been like that for 6 months

Are you a dyslexic carol singer?

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Are you a dyslexic carol singer?

F##K me my sides are splitting with laughter !

 

[kevo]

Great article illustrating that the economic recovery would be a lot stronger were it not for Osborne's austerity policies. Unfortunately most people think he's doing a good job because there's been a slight upturn, in fact he hasn't even met the Tories' own conservative targets. The biggest growth of the last few years was in 2010, before the coalition's policies came into affect, it has actually slowed since then.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...britains-austerity-experiment-didnt-work.html

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Yes. it's a bitter pill for simplistic Brown bashers to swallow. The man knew what he was doing.

Gordon Brown Quotes of the Day

"I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the recovery."
Gordon Brown's 1997 Budget Statement

"Under this Government, Britain will not return to the boom and bust of the past."
Pre-Budget Report, 9th November 1999

"Britain does not want a return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 21 March 2000

"So our approach is to reject the old vicious circle of the...the old boom and bust."
Pre-Budget Report, 8 November 2000

"Mr Deputy Speaker we will not return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 7 March 2001

"As I have said before Mr Deputy Speaker: No return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 22 March 2006

"And we will never return to the old boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 21 March 2007

The rest is history....

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Great article illustrating that the economic recovery would be a lot stronger were it not for Osborne's austerity policies. Unfortunately most people think he's doing a good job because there's been a slight upturn, in fact he hasn't even met the Tories' own conservative targets. The biggest growth of the last few years was in 2010, before the coalition's policies came into affect, it has actually slowed since then.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...britains-austerity-experiment-didnt-work.html

The only hope is that Mark Carney seems to stand up to Osborne and his chaos. Had it not been for him we'd be staring at another housing bubble in 3 years time.

 

[beorhthelm]

Great article illustrating that the economic recovery would be a lot stronger were it not for Osborne's austerity policies. Unfortunately most people think he's doing a good job because there's been a slight upturn, in fact he hasn't even met the Tories' own conservative targets. The biggest growth of the last few years was in 2010, before the coalition's policies came into affect, it has actually slowed since then.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...britains-austerity-experiment-didnt-work.html

amusing when you consider everyone else has done austerity, Darling's policy was in the same direction and Ball's policy has always been the same, just a bit less and a bit slower. there are plenty of articles to be found that reckon the cut should have gone further. Not that its Osborne responsible for recovery, its the economic cycle, he's done bugger all to help really.

 

[KVLT]

Gordon Brown Quotes of the Day

"I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the recovery."
Gordon Brown's 1997 Budget Statement

"Under this Government, Britain will not return to the boom and bust of the past."
Pre-Budget Report, 9th November 1999

"Britain does not want a return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 21 March 2000

"So our approach is to reject the old vicious circle of the...the old boom and bust."
Pre-Budget Report, 8 November 2000

"Mr Deputy Speaker we will not return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 7 March 2001

"As I have said before Mr Deputy Speaker: No return to boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 22 March 2006

"And we will never return to the old boom and bust."
Budget Statement, 21 March 2007

The rest is history....

Meanwhile the Tories delete all their speeches and previous pledges in an effort to stop people quoting them like that.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Some encouraging unemployment figures out today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25841570

And the the figures released by the IMF yesterday.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25823217

Are we in for an interest rate rise sooner rather than later?

 

[melias shoes]

Cameron never expected to get into power, and he was right, he was never voted in. He found himself in power and immediately devised a way to redistribute wealth upwards which he has proceeded to do. My guess, and it is a guess is that he will win the next election but happily **** off soon after with his wealth and retire a billionaire off the back of the UK citizens he has ruined.

Same as Blair then.

 

[Beach Hut]

Think this joint Government has actually got it right and finally some light at the end of this very harsh recession

 

[Baron Pepperpot]

Consumer confidence and spending up, house prices rising. Sounds familiar.

That's a recovery built on sand.

It's twenty years ago since I studied economics, but one thing I do remember is that when you live in a country who's economy's health is based on something other than it's ability to make stuff and sell it elsewhere you live in an economy that is permanently in a fragile position.

 

[Albion Dan]

This recovery is entirely manipulated with the next election in mind. Regardless of who's in charge the entire western financial system is crippled by unsustainable debt without unprecedented government expenditure cuts or taxation and wealth distribution from from the worlds wealthiest. Neither are going to happen.

 

[worthingseagull123]

Err, not according to the statistics. Claimant Count (those claiming JSA) was down 33,000 on the previous month, and 168,000 compared to the same period last year. Total unemployment was down 24,000 in the quarter, and 105,000 in the previous year, and economic inactivity (which is how those that can no longer claim JSA would be re-classified, if they didn't move on to employment-based benefits as you suggest) is also down 33,000 in the quarter and 52,000 in the year. You can argue that people have moved into temporary work (through NEA or placements) but for the moment that means that they are not unemployed - until these schemes expire we won't know how many people are doing as you suggest.

But wont figures be skewed by season work that is now gone?

 

[South Stand Rebel]

I do hope one day this country will rise to match the great economies of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. There's just so much suffering here in the UK. It's getting ridiculous.

Speaking from experience, are we? Visited any food banks lately? Spent some time in any city north of Watford lately?

 

[Triggaaar]

Think this joint Government has actually got it right

I don't think you're allowed to have that view. You must be rich and selfish.

Consumer confidence and spending up, house prices rising. Sounds familiar.

That's a recovery built on sand.

Labour's suggestion for our recover was to stimulate the economy, and have people spending. That's happening at the moment, and you're saying that's a bad thing. So I guess you don't like the options put forward by any party. You'd like us to make stuff, but it's difficult to compete against countries where the labour rates are about a pound a month.

 

[vegster]

I'd like to see a little bit of wage inflation for once. There was a show on 5Live the other day and a rather crass northern woman who ran an employment agency was bemoaning British people for not wanting to work. She said she had loads of vacancy's for Cleaners, Drivers, Kitchen Porters and Care Home workers and that us Brits didn't even bother to apply.

Under a little questioning she did reveal that they were all poor contracts ie, short term/temporary and all on minimum wage of £6.31 an hour, it had never entered her head to actually offer 30p an hour more in order to gain a little interest. I would have asked if she would do her own job on the minimum wage.