I dunno Dave, I agree the govt should take measures to promote employment in these circumstances that it wouldn’t normally take (because they don’t work, long-term) and you are right that the share of profits in income has risen in recent years (which is one way of interpreting your idea that fewer jobs have been created through profit seeking), so really I don’t want to take issue with your argument here. But you make a bunch of claims here that could use some backing up. Where’s the job creation data? Jobs lost through a lack of investment? That needs some explaining; investment (in automation) can destroy jobs. Of course mergers are financially driven, but they do not always lead to an increase in profits, and remember that ultimately it is only increases in productivity that create increases in the real wage. Jobs lost through downsizing? Isn’t that like saying jobs being lost through jobs being lost? Plus, it doesn’t make sense to say ‘you did this for the City, now do this for the unemployed’ because what was done for ‘the City’ was done to try and reduce the risk of a titanic recession and loss of jobs – i.e. it was done for the unemployed (prevention thereof). (oh, and there’s the usual category mistake of comparing money spent acquiring assets with money spent purchasing a service – training – which is so commonplace it hardly bears mentioning).

Ouch Luis!

One of the, many, things that I like about Liberal Conspiracy is that we can be rude about what people write, without being rude about them.

It’s a pity we have to go through these period but sadly so many firms and companies are running on empty with no capital, in my area the only work now is retail, but Labour has come up with a grand idea, it has stated that perhaps digging coal might save poor communities, if he thinks I would return to a mine for £5.70 an hour he is joking it’s worth at least £15 an hour.

But it is sad to see firms bought by over sea’s companies now closing because it’s cheaper here then say in America.

oh dear, I didn’t mean to be rude (certainly not to Dave, and hopefully not even to his argument) – on second look, the crack about downsizing was unwarranted – it’s a perfectly sensible way of just saying that jobs have been destroyed as companies cut costs.

“But it is sad to see firms bought by over sea’s companies now closing because it’s cheaper here then say in America.”

Err, cite?

I am sure that Dave will forgive you Luis – economism is the dismal science after all!

I am a couple of years younger than him, but remember the same experiences of youth unemployment. For me though “the number one charge against capitalism” is the British weather. I hated all that rain when I was growing up under Thatcher. And the way it got dark so early as well. Here in Brazil we have glorious sunshine all year around. It must be because we have a left-wing president.

I think I will go for a swim now.

Cite look your bloody self, I have.

I am concerned about UNEMPLOYMENT

I think we need to stand behind Gordon Brown with solidity while he solves problems for us and the world.No-one has done better for our economy so far, and I am certain that he has the courage and new ideas to change the country and the world for the better and in favour of the poor of this world.

UNEMPLOYMENT does not have to be

Let us develop a petion on line at No10’s website as follows:

May I request that the Prime Minister rules in the Kenysian tools in this recession – so the the building industry remains in a sensible shape? Gordon Brown said he will do whatever it takes to deal with the financial system, but can we have that on this as well? Keyne was forsaken twice by this nation, in the 30s, and by John Major (No qulaifications beyond schooling – no university or historical perspective!) conservatives want to do it 3rd TIME, notice how all their speeches say how there was too much spent in the past so we have no reserves to spend in bad times, THIS IS CRAP and frightening to me as a qualified Economist. It is John Major once again. Can the Gordon who obtained a double first explain the bullshit in this thinking please?

Can others who are learned support this forum?

I lost 18 years of my prime life becasue of John Majors hammer to crack a nut approach, and I hope Gordon is given a chance to correct the wrong done then, so that the tools can be used to remove human misery in the future throughout the world.

You have a Labour government who actually took advice from Thatcher carried on using Thatchers policies and her money policies and you moan about Major for god sake.

Hi Dave

How come 3 million British citizens are on the Dole while foreigners step off the plane into a job within a week? I don’t for one second believe that unemployment is at all an issue in the UK in the 7 years I have been here. If you want to work there is work – it may not be what you like doing but its there for the taking just like most of those 3 million people are taking the piss……