Politics? In my blog? Oh god…
From Tiscali News:
”
Brown pledges major skills shake-up
26/11/2007 19:59
The Government has unveiled a new drive to improve the skills of millions of workers under sweeping welfare reforms which sparked union warnings about “stigmatising” some people.
The Prime Minister said the “uncomfortable” truth was that many jobs filled by British workers were becoming redundant, threatening to leave millions on the scrap heap.
Gordon Brown set out moves to help the out-of-work undertake training and the unskilled to improve their promotion prospects. Unskilled jobless benefit claimants will be forced to enter training when they have been out of work for six months, under a pilot scheme.
A skills screening test will be launched, to identify numeracy, literacy and language problems which could prevent the unemployed getting a job. After six months on the dole, a full skills “health check” by a new adult advancement service - which would refer individuals for training - will become mandatory.
Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain said the Government would pilot making the training compulsory as well.
The Prime Minister told the national conference of the CBI there would be far-reaching reforms of the welfare state and the education system which would help “move claimants from passive recipients of welfare benefit to active job and skill seekers”.
“Of today’s six million unskilled workers in Britain, we will soon need only half a million - over five million fewer. We have nine million highly qualified workers in Britain, but the challenge of the next 10 years is that we will need 14 million - five million more.”
Mr Brown said private firms and the voluntary sector will play a bigger role in helping people move from welfare to work.
Unions including Unison criticised the announcement, claiming that private firms were only interested in lucrative contracts with no risks.”
Hmm. What do I feel there? First thoughts on reading “many jobs filled by British workers were becoming redundant, threatening to leave millions on the scrap heap.” were “that’s the country down the crapper, then.”
But what is he saying here? What jobs? What does britain still, as a point of interest, DO? God knows, successive Governments and meddling factors have destroyed our manufacturing facilities. The NHS is looking a bit bashed. Shipbuilding? Not really. Car manufacture? That’s on a slope, in my opinion. Rising prices and material shortages/global hooha will reduce that I reckon. We already produce far more than is needed.
So, reading that - it’s millions facing shite. Gotcha. Then we get to:
“Of today’s six million unskilled workers in Britain, we will soon need only half a million - over five million fewer.”. Define an “unskilled worker”? Are we about to lose our factories, and have robot cleaners etc? Or am I missing something? Or is this a way of saying “immigration policy means these jobs that a lot of the British feel they’re too good to do will go to non-british people”?
So those 5.x million are the “millions facing shite”..?
“We have nine million highly qualified workers in Britain, but the challenge of the next 10 years is that we will need 14 million - five million more.”
Right. So, if we can get these people retrained and whatever, they’ll be able to do these new “skilled” jobs then? Right. Got that. Books fairly balanced.
However, then add the “jobless unskilled”. Getting the layabouts, malingerers, dossers and general “play the sick” merchants off the dole, eating the money we work to provide for the good of this country (hah)..forcing them to undergo training and making them justify their continued keep at our expense - GOOD. Less money on dossers SHOULD equal more dossers working and paying some overdue money back into the system..yes? More money in the system should be a good all round thing. Surely?
I really approve of that bit. I do. If I played the sick card more, could I play the system? Maybe I could. I AM disabled, yet I don’t feel the need to let others pay for me. I work, and I pay my way. and BOY, do I sometimes feel a right MUG for doing so. However, I earned my money..and if I can work, a lot of claimants can also work - especially the “put on” merchants and “wild exaggerators”.
Anyway..yes..add those to that total up there, and there’s still a surplus in theory of, shall we say, employment challenged.
Still not as bad as it seems to be right now. However - a small point. People breed. Future problem?
I’m not sure what to feel. The first opening bit is very bleak and “doom’n'gloom”..the jobless/benefits system overhaul is LONG overdue, and I like it..and I’m confused as to what would be regarded as “skilled” and “unskilled” workforce?
Should I feel afraid of the future, or should I welcome it? Depressed, or not? Should I plan for a house and offspring, or should I be kind to any future offspring and not have them, so I don’t leave them here after me facing the consequences of our sheer stupidity? As for housing..hah. Affordable housing? WHERE? Don’t make me laugh.
On another tedious note, for the 4th/5th successive night Tiscali has dropped all mail/FTP/Blog client traffic carrying ability from about 7-9pm. The forums are naff all help, the status indicators are all green (but they’re static GIFs anyway, so I set no faith in those), and I’m NOT calling India to complain after my last experience with them.
It’s not that the systems at the remote end are down..I can still blog/FTP/mail from a web interface, it’s just that any and all clients can’t connect.
I must point out that as an MP elected in Scotland, every proclamation on education that Gordon “No Mandate” Brown makes affects only English schools and not those in his own constituency. His own constituents elected someone else to take care of their education system. The same applies to jobs, inward investment, health, housing, environment, culture, transport, etc. When he says “Britain” he means England and when he says “this country” he means England.