Tory Britain 2024.

[az city]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Loads care about the FTSE! Huge sums of people and companies assets are in it. Loads care about unemployment too, even if you dont. Loads care about wages v inflation. And yes, there is bad news as acknowledged but theres good also, which you never do. I guess a change in govt will mean that you miraculously will start to. That's a good thing.

Having presented the current state of the country as a disaster to people, you had better be confident in making it better or people will look elsewhere!

As for this thread, imagine being triggered by an MP tweeting constituents about their water being turned on again! Bizarre!

Anyway, only a day until it's the party you supports responsibility so it will be interesting to see how they do. I fully expect on balance to see no real differences.

BTW you don't understand what unemployment is definitionally. If you did, you'd understand Germany has a higher percentage of people employed than the UK yet a higher unemployment rate. FYI, higher employment rates are more important.

Take a look at your favourite site if you don't believe me.

[az city]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Why on earth do you call him Bluebottle???

I think Sludge called James an annoying fly. So clearly "Bluebottle" as an homage to a radio show of many years ago.

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

BTW you don't understand what unemployment is definitionally. If you did, you'd understand Germany has a higher percentage of people employed than the UK yet a higher unemployment rate. FYI, higher employment rates are more important.

Take a look at your favourite site if you don't believe me.

For Christ sake man, just admit the truth to yourself. You don't need to lie. The economy is struggling in some areas and not struggling in others. In many cases we are outperforming Europe, in others not. That's the truth, that's why I say it.

Claiming the state of the country is an absolute disaster and a catastrophe is a dangerous game, as people will believe it and then you have to wonder what they will think if unemployment does creep up, if the FTSE does falter, if rents don't get cheaper, if inflation does slowly rise again, if waiting lists don't come down etc etc etc..

Just stick a little WD40 in that jerky knee of yours from time to time!

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

I think Sludge called James an annoying fly. So clearly "Bluebottle" as an homage to a radio show of many years ago.

From those two bullies it counts as a compliment!

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

From those two bullies it counts as a compliment!

Stop it you fanny

You have been beaten to a pulp

Squashed

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Stop it you fanny

You have been beaten to a pulp

Squashed

😘

Ed Davey is finally sending me to sleep.
Zzz

[az city]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

For Christ sake man, just admit the truth to yourself. You don't need to lie. The economy is struggling in some areas and not struggling in others. In many cases we are outperforming Europe, in others not. That's the truth, that's why I say it.

Claiming the state of the country is an absolute disaster and a catastrophe is a dangerous game, as people will believe it and then you have to wonder what they will think if unemployment does creep up, if the FTSE does falter, if rents don't get cheaper, if inflation does slowly rise again, if waiting lists don't come down etc etc etc..

Just stick a little WD40 in that jerky knee of yours from time to time!

Care to admit I'm correct about employment?

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Care to admit I'm correct about employment?

You are absolutely correct about employment and it's importance to a country's economy. If someone is looking for work and getting benefits or not looking for work and getting benefits, on the balance sheet it is largely the same.

But..unemployment absolutely does matter, especially to people on the receiving end. I know you know this, I am sure you know many who have experienced it or you have yourself etc. Mass job losses thankfully hasnt been a feature of recent years and that (alongside other things) is a good thing. Countered by bad things in other aspects of society and the economy undoubtedly, but it does us no favours to ignore the good and only amplify the bad, or vice versa!

[Citizen's Nephew]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Labour need to be pretty careful Bob.

Unemployment is low. Wages are rising much faster than inflation, which itself is low. The FTSE is good, quarterly GDP growth is 0.7%, annual GDP growth is essentially in line with European peers. That's contrasted against things that are less good; rents, inequality, energy prices etc but you need to be pretty confident of making things better or people won't look to the Tories or Labour for answers and it may be that France, Austria, Netherland, Italy shows what could happen there

You posted a very solid, reasonably-balanced summary earlier and I felt you should be congratulated for that. Now you've gone and f*cked it by posting this. Sometimes less is more. Tuerto's right. Give yourself a break and stop taking all this so seriously. This is CCMB, it's not a major media network. There's only about 20 of us who read this. Just add up all the minutes you devote to this sh*t and ask yourself what you could do with that time. Learn a language. Read a novel. Have a w*ank. Seriously.

Time is precious. I'm not being mean here btw.

[az city]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

You are absolutely correct about employment and it's importance to a country's economy. If someone is looking for work and getting benefits or not looking for work and getting benefits, on the balance sheet it is largely the same.

But..unemployment absolutely does matter, especially to people on the receiving end. I know you know this, I am sure you know many who have experienced it or you have yourself etc. Mass job losses thankfully hasnt been a feature of recent years and that (alongside other things) is a good thing. Countered by bad things in other aspects of society and the economy undoubtedly, but it does us no favours to ignore the good and only amplify the bad, or vice versa!

We'll go back to "Jimbo".

Jimbo, calm down.

Not being in the workforce is not quite as simple as claiming benefits or not. Everything else being equal, if a country has a higher employment rate and a higher unemployment rate it's clearly in a healthier state that the same country with lower levels of both.

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Appreciate your kind words elsewhere, but the above doesn't seem a particularly fair assessment of something that is - many would admit - fundamentally true.

I can assure you, posting that took a minute and didn't stop me doing all those other things you mentioned - in some cases more than once!

[JamesWales]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

We'll go back to "Jimbo".

Jimbo, calm down.

Not being in the workforce is not quite as simple as claiming benefits or not. Everything else being equal, if a country has a higher employment rate and a higher unemployment rate it's clearly in a healthier state that the same country with lower levels of both.

🤷 I'm very calm!

And I agree with you. But let's not pretend that unemployment doesn't matter, because it does, and it is historically low, which is good. You can say it!

This can be exhausting anyway, so I am taking off the politics hat and putting on the football one. Have a lovely weekend!

[jon1959]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

[TWGL1]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

�� I'm very calm!

And I agree with you. But let's not pretend that unemployment doesn't matter, because it does, and it is historically low, which is good. You can say it!

This can be exhausting anyway, so I am taking off the politics hat and putting on the football one. Have a lovely weekend!

Employment figures are not actually that reflective. People only on certain legacy benefits are included in the government statistics ( you’re probably aware over the last few years how they include figures to suit their narrative)L

Millions of people on ESA , UC, JSA elements etc are not included in these statistics.

[az city]

Re: Tory Britain 2024.

Employment figures are not actually that reflective. People only on certain legacy benefits are included in the government statistics ( you’re probably aware over the last few years how they include figures to suit their narrative)L

Millions of people on ESA , UC, JSA elements etc are not included in these statistics.

That's not correct I'm afraid.

The UK has an employment rate of 74.3% and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. So the rate of economically active is 78.7%. In Germany the same rate for employed and unemployed is 83.1% (77.1% employment rate). The employment rate is critical to the health of a nation's economy.