BBCQT, Unemployed and more Spin – Diary of an employable blogaholic

I feel like I’m always using this blog post to complain about spin. So apologies if again this week I do the same. One big moan. I watched #bbcqt last week, or for the non Twitter gang and old school out there, BBC’s question Time.

A question was asked from the audience.

“Now that the economy is improving was George Osborne proved right and Ed Balls proved wrong?”

Yeah, I thought, time to get past the name calling and school-like politics of just saying he was in the right, he was in the wrong…

But no. Of course in politics, especially ‘nowadays’ politics, all political decisions, and governments are successful, ’cause George, Ed, Mr Cameron or Mr Miliband, sorted it. A bit like Del Boy telling us “he’s got us a fab deal down the market” and we don’t think to think that he’s spinning us a yarn.

So what’s this to do with TheEmployable you may ask? Well, seeing as employment and unemployment figures are often used as a barometer of success v failure, as per normal the Tory and Labour ministers have measured some of the ‘George success story’ based on the fact that unemployment had dropped.

But unemployment dropping from 2 point something milllion to slightly less 2 point something million, is not a barometer of success – it’s a chance to admit, that not much has changed and that we all – not just George, Ed and the Westminster gang could do an awful lot better.

Also the last two weeks, Mary Portas came out and said she had been surprised at the amount of complaints she had received during and since her High Street review and project.

Mary “Queen of the shops” to use her official title as apparent saviour of the high street  (not self proclaimed one may add) had apparently not completely saved the high street.

Of course one lady can’t save the high street! That is after all, up to us – the spending public.

So, hiding behind Mary’s success or failure is a little like the spin we hear from politicians on measuring the economy – pretty much a load of old balls and not in anyone’s best interest, especially the unemployed, underemployed and zero hour contract worker.