My OperaAm I a Seer or What!
Sunday, November 9, 2008 11:14:40 PM
I can't believe it's been 4 moths since I last blogged - how time flies when your (not) having fun!
Seems my prediction of recession was prescient - here we are with a number of European countries already in the doldrums and others waiting for official confirmation (UK). The USA reported a large rise in unemployment which surprised nobody. The thunder clouds of economic gloom are rumbling above us.
Looking for a ray of sunshine I listened to the results of the USA election - a new man in the White House (well it makes a change from the incumbent donkey). Mr Obama has been to Hawaii so the chances are he will be aware of a world outside mainland US. It's said that his predecessor had only been to one country outside the US before he got the job! So one cheer for the US electorate who saved the world from Ms Palin (it would have been 3 cheers but you did re-elect Dubya for a section term).
In the UK the new DWP rules are coming into play. Much stricter criteria for getting sickness benefit - you have to be close to death (but not actually there) to get anything. If you can walk 10 metres you can be a pizza delivery boy. And, oh yes, if you have received injuries fighting for your country (Iraq etc) expect to have your war pension deducted pound for pound from any benefit entitlement.
According to our lords and masters there are plenty of jobs to apply for, no discrimination and an even geographical distribution of vacancies. What planet are these people living on? In the UK a number of firms have given notice that they are closing for short periods (because of lack of demand). Some companies have gone to the wall and others are cutting their workforce. To me that means higher numbers of people looking for lower numbers of jobs. Tell me that is not plain common sense?
One glance at my two local newspapers seems to show that the jobs-market is shrinking (fewer adverts) and the "leader" in one of them tells me what I already knew - "Age discrimination still rife".The 2006 legislation is utterly useless - it is impossible to prove that you have been discriminated against purely because of your age. Employers want cheap (young) labour so they find ways around any law or laws. The current favourite is to require all prospective employees to fill out a health questionaire - and who over 50 will have a clean slate?
It's galling, but not unexpected, to find that after 4 months life hasn't improved a jot. If all the unemployed are going to hell in a hand basket then it's going to be pretty crowded.
Seems my prediction of recession was prescient - here we are with a number of European countries already in the doldrums and others waiting for official confirmation (UK). The USA reported a large rise in unemployment which surprised nobody. The thunder clouds of economic gloom are rumbling above us.
Looking for a ray of sunshine I listened to the results of the USA election - a new man in the White House (well it makes a change from the incumbent donkey). Mr Obama has been to Hawaii so the chances are he will be aware of a world outside mainland US. It's said that his predecessor had only been to one country outside the US before he got the job! So one cheer for the US electorate who saved the world from Ms Palin (it would have been 3 cheers but you did re-elect Dubya for a section term).
In the UK the new DWP rules are coming into play. Much stricter criteria for getting sickness benefit - you have to be close to death (but not actually there) to get anything. If you can walk 10 metres you can be a pizza delivery boy. And, oh yes, if you have received injuries fighting for your country (Iraq etc) expect to have your war pension deducted pound for pound from any benefit entitlement.
According to our lords and masters there are plenty of jobs to apply for, no discrimination and an even geographical distribution of vacancies. What planet are these people living on? In the UK a number of firms have given notice that they are closing for short periods (because of lack of demand). Some companies have gone to the wall and others are cutting their workforce. To me that means higher numbers of people looking for lower numbers of jobs. Tell me that is not plain common sense?
One glance at my two local newspapers seems to show that the jobs-market is shrinking (fewer adverts) and the "leader" in one of them tells me what I already knew - "Age discrimination still rife".The 2006 legislation is utterly useless - it is impossible to prove that you have been discriminated against purely because of your age. Employers want cheap (young) labour so they find ways around any law or laws. The current favourite is to require all prospective employees to fill out a health questionaire - and who over 50 will have a clean slate?
It's galling, but not unexpected, to find that after 4 months life hasn't improved a jot. If all the unemployed are going to hell in a hand basket then it's going to be pretty crowded.
