Jobs not jargon, please!

About a year ago, I attended a 'community consultation' having to do with new money coming into Hastings to combat “worklessness.” There was a caveat that New Labour was quick to exploit as the proverbial vote-getter -- there was no definition of what exactly the money had to be spent on ... in other words, “worklessness” unlike the word “unemployment” was a word the council could define to mean any old thing. I remember the leader of New Labour, Jeremy Birch, pointing this out and going on to describe all kinds of things the money could be spent on, so long as some thread of argument could tie it to the idea of 'worklessness.'

After Cllr. Birch finished his little presentation, I stood up behind him to beg to differ. I said, the funding's focus should remain tightly on training and jobs creation. At this stage, I expected the moderator of the discussion, the Tory leader of the Council, Peter Pragnell or one of the other Conservative councillors in the room to agree, or, even one of the Libdems. Unfortunately, I stood alone. In due course, the money was spent on all sorts of things, Street Wardens, maintaining an old weather station and so on. Ah, well, no surprises there ...

I don't believe that buzzwords like 'worklessness' or slogans like 'narrow the gap,' cure unemployment. I don't believe building excess office space and retail space will cause business to miraculously appear on the streets of Hastings.

I believe, instead, that if you make the town presentable, then lower business rates for smaller businesses and give employment and training-based tax incentives to larger businesses, jobs will be created in Hastings ... funding weather stations, anyway, has nothing to do with it.