It's been rather quiet on here lately regarding the economy, can't think why.

Where have all the Osborne bashers gone?

[urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23807182[/url

How's the deficit?

Oh..... Still growing.

Falling.

Great news about the growth hey?

And national debt is shrinking too, no doubt?

You seem a bit grumpy about the good news.

Why is Osborne [istill[/i increasing government spending?

Is this his plan for growth, borrow and spend to make the figures look better then let future generations pay it back?

Yup, he's doing really well ain't he?

Politicians can put any spin they like on any set of figures that they carefully choose to "prove" their propaganda, but there is one awful statistic which still refuses to go away these past five years of recession and that is of the unemployment level of young people and for that you simply have to point at the current political culture of the relaxation of employment laws to make a mythical "flexible workforce".

We were talking about this in the pub last night and as I started to explain how young kids like my brother were employed in the 1970s even I started to doubt what I was saying as some sort of dream-like sequence of unreal events, but with him serving a carpenters apprenticeship and me being employed in the electrical industry I have lots of experience of how "proper" apprenticeships worked, and had worked for at least a hundred years before that.

Being indentured to a tradesman at 16 years of age you had a cast iron guarantee of five years of employment, your employer could not sack you or decide that he was bored with having an apprentice, if he did then he would never be able to employ one again, if your employer went into liquidation then a combination of the trade union and the training board would place you with another employer. You received four days a week training "on the job" with tradesmen and one day a week at college and at the end of five years you had your qualification that was recognised anywhere in the country (and often abroad too, my brother had no problems finding employment as a time served joiner on travels in Australia and NZ)

Compare to now - there are college-run "modern apprenticeships" that offer no guarantee of work placement and the biggest crime against tradesmen is the type of course that an ex-employee of the company I work for is currently doing - he left last November in his late thirties "to become an electrician", when I laughed and told him he was a bit old to start a five year apprenticeship he told me that all you needed was some money and some time to set aside to enrol in a home study course for nine months, then you became an electrician, I now know what the word gobsmacked means as the thought that someone could turn up on a building site with a certificate stating that they are an electrician having never set foot on a building site before is just laughable.

But that is "flexible employment" in practice, no commitment from employers, income for a private college, and a useless certificate at the end of it.

The thing is lefties are so unhappy about this news. They would actually rather the economy flat line than have a recovery where the Tories are in any way involved. All quite ironic considering they claim the Tories are the ones driven by ideology and that they are the ones 'looking out for the poor' - the same poor along with normal decent hard working people who lose out with a stalling economy.

"Football Supporter Politics"

Who are these people, these "lefties" that you speak of ?

And why do you keep categorizing opinions into "left" and "right" - could this be your football supporter politics coming to the fore again - why can you not discuss anything to do with politics, or the economy, or just the PM's holiday snaps, without categorising opinion and dismissing anything that does not follow your dogma ?

If left wing, social, "liberal" means caring about people and humanity then I plead guilty.
If however you are greedy, racist, bigoted, selfish, narrow minded, xenophobic, economically clueless, tell outright untruths, and try and make disaster into victory then you are are a right wing nutter at best.!

There are so many who fulfil the latter who post on these forums.

Why did you say a few weeks ago that you do not engage in football supporter politics and that "all parties are open to praise and criticism" and then steadfastly refuse to give any credit to the Government for anything?

I've seen you start thread after thread bashing the government on various issues but not once seen you give them some credit despite you saying "all parties are open to praise and criticism"

You start a thread on cycling - obviously an issue that is important to you. The Government announce infrastructure spending on cycling - =#FF0000not a peep. =#0000FFSave as to the minor, "good start"

Growth figures, 'a balanced recovery' - not a peep.

Your post was rubbish wasn't it Jerrychicken? You have no intention of ever giving the Conservative party praise for any measure ever. Are you afraid it will dent your 'reputation' amongst your on-line peers? Do you hide your true opinions?

=#0000FF Edited to take account of the one time when JerryChicken praised the Government - the red wording is incorrect

Good news about the economy isn't it?

Who cares? They're still rich, i'm still poor.

This so called strong economy has come at the expense of the working class who are working more hours for less money and in some cases for no money. Why should I see this as good news when a lot of my mates and family members who do work are struggling to get by on the money they’ve earned in this improving economy?

I am as right wing as they come - the reality in the "real world" is that this is utter rubbish, anyone who thinks the economy has shown any tangible signs of recovery is deluded.

Your thigh slapping, high-fiving shows how out of touch with reality you really are.

Osborne is the worst chancellor we have had since Healey - no doctored data will ever change that

and of course you have actual evidence to support this wild claim that flies in the face of all the recent data which strongly suggests the opposite of what you just said.....

Yes I am out there working - this is the same government that claimed the deficit was coming down when it was actually going up!! I personally would not believe a word they say I am a Tory voter.

Yes the economy is improving and would appear from the latest figures that it was improving when we were told it was not. Even the EU is showing some signs of life. So we should celebrate it even though if Egg Moribund and his chums cannot bring themselves to admit it.

You obviously didn't read the post I made in response to the government announcing their funding to promote cycling for all then - the one where I mentioned that unfortunately our local authority had already spent next years increased funding on planned road improvements for Le Tour when it comes to Leeds and Yorkshire, not a government issue because the authorities are left to pick and choose projects, but I did mention it and I did say it was "a good start" - its here, read it and educate yourself [urlhttp://viewtopic.php?f=11&t=555889&tsmp=1377360821&start=60[/url then correct your own post, theres a good lad.

Which economy?



What good news about which economy?



How does this economy (which ever it may be) affect people?



and....

Why do you come across as economically ignorant and use a pornographic avatar?

You speak as though the economy is booming and, plainly, it isn't.
Overall, it is still bumping along the bottom (see Cod'ead's graph above, which you seem to have ignored) and, if you look at the rest of the country outside of the City, not even that good.
80% of jobs created in the last three years are part-time, youth unemployment has got worse and wages of those actually in work are trailing way behind inflation.
UK output is still more than 3% below what it was in pre-recession 2008.

Yeah, if you like all the above, the economy is doing fantastically great, recovering at less than half the growth rate in the US where stimulus was used.
Osborne's plan to just sit on his hands, avoid stimulus, let the economy stagnate for four years and do nothing except wait seems to be just the ticket.

Arguably, Mark Carney's announcement about interest rates has done more good for the economy than Osborne's years of cut, cut, cut and cut again.

The reason Osborne is accused of ideology is obvious and undeniable, his cuts are targeted at welfare and the poor, simple as that.
Yes, the poor do lose out with a stalling economy ... they lose out even more with Osborne.

Most economic policy from the government (there isn't actually that much to be honest) is currently concentrated on winning the next election. Poor bashing and cuts in benefit are deemed electorally sound so there we go with that one. The subsidy from the government for house buying is another case in point. It is contributing to a rising house prices which makes some people feel good, it will help some people onto the housing ladder which makes them feel good. However it is funded by - debt!



I am not sure what to make of Carney's low interest rate promise. I tend to read it as low interests rates will end in a couple of years if not sooner. It would be ironic if it ended sooner given the way the unemployment figures are massaged and calculated. In a part time job on zero hours not actually working this week? You are not unemployed! Not "actively looking for work"? Not unemployed. The figures come down as the government wants to look good. If they are really all rather false and and interest rate rise is triggered by them hitting the threshold we will be in trouble.

Whatever Max Keiser sayeth. Crooks, the lot of em.

Well you have to attack the Govt. somehow don't you.

'there is no recovery'......'it's the wrong type of recovery'



You've been wrong before. You're wrong again.