having an opinion! Specifically the Welfare Bill. With 4 million claimants there obviously needs to be some action? The working age population is 37.5 million. So nearly 10% are claiming sickness benefits? As benfits are by no means generous it says something is wrong with the economic structure of wages and the economy. the unemployed ratio is 4.6%. 75.1% of people in the UK aged 16 to 64 are currently in employment.
So 20% of the population 16-64 are not employed. Of these There are obviously students in that number, 4.7% in higher education, but it beggars belief that 10% of the population is too sick to work! Let me do the figures again. 75.1% in work; 4.6% unemployed but looking for work; 4.7% students; 10% on sick which leaves about 6% choosing not to work or claim benefits (although most will be parents getting child benefit. We are also told that there is a labour shortage in the UK and thus have to have inward migration.
So my conclusion is that many, millions of people do not think that coping with their medical problems is enough to justify the poor pay offered? The right wing also seem to be paranoid about working from home! Maybe more employers could offer flexi-time? If the minimum wage was hiked up – how many more would be employed? Should there be a maximum wage, based on the minimum in a business? This would prevent price inflation, but ensure that companies can remain solvent and profitable?
It would seem that something needs to be done, and just cutting, already low benefits is too simplistic and not a sufficient policy to cure the problem.
Whilst revelling in statistics …… 1 in 32 children are born via UVF treatment? Basically one in every class. Here I am radical or obnoxious depending on your opinion. Would adoption be a better solution – about 50% of the child abuse uses (blamed solely and wrongly on Pakistani men) are related to girls and boys in care. Just sayin’ – I am ignorant of this issue!
Continuing with stats. BR rose in the UK last year. up 0.6%. There is a geographical difference across the UK. West Midlands had highest increase 3.4%; and London up 1.8%. There was also a 14% increase in births to/by ??? men over 60! Women aged 35-40 experienced the largest rise whilst women aged under 20 decreased by 4.6%. The other stat that I hope will not be abused is that 39.5% of births had at least one parent born outside the UK. This is absolutely positive but will add fuel to the hyperbole of the right wing. At this point I woulld like to say that I am not patriotic or nationalist – 2 terms that deserve to be condemned to the wastes of ? Glastonbury?