Comments on: Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate

By: Vote 2010: An election reflection | Left Foot Forward

Vote 2010: An election reflection | Left Foot Forward — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:32:40 +0000

[...] deserves much praise for its Future Jobs Fund, which the Tories oppose, a wider discussion of unemployment has been noticeably absent during this campaign. As widely reported, the three parties have left [...]

By: Government investment is preventing soaring unemployment | Left Foot Forward

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:13:49 +0000

[...] reducing young people’s risks of long-term unemployment – and all of its associated costs – meaning that despite the largest drop in GDP since the 1920s youth unemployment levels, [...]

By: Wayne Strnad

Wayne Strnad — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:41:38 +0000

Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate | Left … http://bit.ly/bxcpZg

By: Cash Rules

Cash Rules — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:41:34 +0000

Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate | Left … http://bit.ly/c7f4Tv

By: T. De Paoli

T. De Paoli — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:41:34 +0000

Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate | Left …: Adults in workless households are twice as … http://bit.ly/bfucIC

By: Web links for 16th March 2010 | ToUChstone blog: A public policy blog from the TUC

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:31:48 +0000

[...] Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate Richard has a guest post at Left Foot Forward, arguing that unemployment is the test of political ethics. How high a priority do politicians give it? [...]

By: Neil O'Brien

Neil O'Brien — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:49:12 +0000

You note that “the most worrying thought about a change of government is what might happen to the benefits of the long-term unemployed.” You then mention Policy Exchange’s proposal to reverse the effects of the Government’s one-off above-inflation increase in benefits.

It might be worth noting that we proposed this measure precisely in order to recycle the money into more generous disregards for the long term unemployed.

This is in order to prevent people (particularly single parents) from facing such a large loss of benefits if they attempt to ease their way back into the labour market.

At present the system means that after travel-to-work costs many people are little better off working, and some people are even worse off, as Lawrence pointed out in a previous post:

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/03/how-to-shrink-the-poverty-trap/

By: El Sid

El Sid — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:14:08 +0000

Dear Richard What is the TUC's policy on the proposed increase in taxes on employment, which have been estimated to remove 175,000 jobs from the economy from 2012/3?

By: ToUChstone blog

ToUChstone blog — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:11:48 +0000

Richard has a guest post at @LeftFootFwd: Unemployment should be at the heart of the election debate: http://cli.gs/rta6s