Have you ever heard of the word 'Chutzpah'? It is an old yiddish word for 'bare faced cheek' and is usually used to describe someone's action's in the face of difficulty. Well, I thought of this expression, when I read my Harlow Star this week about the high unemployment levels in Harlow. In essence, the newspaper highlighted a report, funded by the East of England Development Agency, showing that Harlow had one of the highest unemployment levels in the East of England. Harlow has had a 2.5% increase in unemployment claims. The town has sadly suffered the worst of of the Government's mishandling of the economy - repossessions are high, taxes are high and now we have the dreadful unemployment figures.
So where does 'Chutzpah' come in. Well, astonishingly, the Labour MP for Harlow, seeks to blame the ever increasing unemployment, on the Conservatives, despite his party having been in power since 1997. He claims that the Conservatives oppose a '£5 billion unemployment package' to help the unemployed.
Well, I am mystified by this claim. It would be interesting to know from which mythical set of figures he chose to use. You always know when someone is flaying at the edges, the bigger the porky pies that are told.
The truth is rather different: People simply don't believe Labour's dishonest scaremongering about what the Conservatives will do. Far from being inactive on unemployment, we have been calling on the Government for years to introduce welfare reform, to develop a network of back to work centres that can offer people personalised support, advice and training to help them back into employment.
During this recession Conservatives have led the way on policies to respond to the unemployment crisis, such as subsidies to employers to help create new jobs and encourage companies to take on the unemployed, which Labour belatedly took up. The reality is that Labours reckless approach to the public finances means that they will be raising taxes on jobs just as the economy will be trying to recover.
It is time for Labour, and for the Government MPs to get real and face up to their responsibilities. Rather than trying to blame the Conservatives for everything, they should apologise to the electorate for the economic mess we are all in after 12 years of Labour rule. Instead of accusing the Tories of exaggerated cuts, they should set out their own spending plans and what they are going to do to reduce the £804 billion deficit they have caused - with over £16.5 billion borrowing this month alone.
P.S. Apologies for not having blogged for a few days, I was away, for four days on a work trip, of which I hope to blog about later.
So where does 'Chutzpah' come in. Well, astonishingly, the Labour MP for Harlow, seeks to blame the ever increasing unemployment, on the Conservatives, despite his party having been in power since 1997. He claims that the Conservatives oppose a '£5 billion unemployment package' to help the unemployed.
Well, I am mystified by this claim. It would be interesting to know from which mythical set of figures he chose to use. You always know when someone is flaying at the edges, the bigger the porky pies that are told.
The truth is rather different: People simply don't believe Labour's dishonest scaremongering about what the Conservatives will do. Far from being inactive on unemployment, we have been calling on the Government for years to introduce welfare reform, to develop a network of back to work centres that can offer people personalised support, advice and training to help them back into employment.
During this recession Conservatives have led the way on policies to respond to the unemployment crisis, such as subsidies to employers to help create new jobs and encourage companies to take on the unemployed, which Labour belatedly took up. The reality is that Labours reckless approach to the public finances means that they will be raising taxes on jobs just as the economy will be trying to recover.
It is time for Labour, and for the Government MPs to get real and face up to their responsibilities. Rather than trying to blame the Conservatives for everything, they should apologise to the electorate for the economic mess we are all in after 12 years of Labour rule. Instead of accusing the Tories of exaggerated cuts, they should set out their own spending plans and what they are going to do to reduce the £804 billion deficit they have caused - with over £16.5 billion borrowing this month alone.
P.S. Apologies for not having blogged for a few days, I was away, for four days on a work trip, of which I hope to blog about later.
By Rob Halfon ~ Working hard for Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon & Sheering. http//roberthalfon.blogspot.com
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