Tory cuts would push unemployment to 5m


by Newswire    
5:06 pm - September 24th 2009

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Professor David Blanchflower launched an attack on the economic plans of George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, claiming they would create a “lost generation” of workers.

He said that any cuts in public spending could force unemployment up from its current 2.5 million to four million over the coming years.

But in a message aimed directly at Mr Osborne, he warned that his plan for accelerated action to bring down the £175 billion state deficit would force joblessness up further.

Just days after Prime Minister Gordon Brown accepted the need for cuts once recovery is in place, Prof Blanchflower suggested that they should be put off until at least 2012.

…more at The Telegraph

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Reader comments


1. Liberal Conspiracy

Article:: Tory cuts would push unemployment to 5m http://bit.ly/14c6cU

[Original tweet]

2. cjcjc

Didn’t this guy vote consistently for lower rates even when the housing boom was in full swing?

3. Steve

It seems that people aren’t bothered if it does reach 5m. They will still vote Tory even people in the North.

4. Praguetory

If you add on the 2.5m or so that the govt admits is wrongly claiming incapacity benefit, I think we’re already well past the 5m mark.

5. James Richards

One word for you Praguetory. EVIDENCE.

6. Mark M

Clearly Branchflower isn’t of the school that big government stifles economic growth. Watch Dan Mitchell here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo192DJqvYc) and see for yourself how we need cuts to encourage economic growth.

If we want to stop unemployment ballooning then we must close the deficit through growth and cuts. We can’t get back to growth through tax rises.

7. Will Rhodes

@5

Thanks for the comedic video – Steve Jobs as a bureaucrat! heHe.

8. sevillista

@4 james

Here’s his evidence.

There were a total of 2.2 million IB claimants in February 2009. PragueTory is aquainted with every one individually (and reads the Daily Mail too), so he knows that 2.5 million of them are fraudulent.

9. Ken McKenzie

Blanchflower is a labour market specialist, and has a long track record stretching past even the point where barroom economists on the Internet first started hearing of him.

He’s worth listening to on the subject of employment and should not be dismissed just because you don’t like what he has to say.

10. Ken McKenzie

Should have mentioned that Blanchflower has a couple of *decades* eminence as an expert on UK unemployment.

11. Mark M

Actually, posted the wrong video. Sorry, I meant this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pdmNynEwYA). Same guy, different video.


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