THE TORIES were jubilantly claiming just before Christmas that the unemployment figures were now below 2 million for the first time in six years. Indeed the November drop of 95,000 is the biggest single fall in the monthly official figures for more than 25 years.
There has been no celebrating amongst the unemployed as it is clear that the new figures do not represent an increase in people with jobs. There are in fact 800,000 fewer people at work than in The Tories fiddling of the figures is well known with more than 30 changes to the way unemplorment is calculatco since fice in 1979.
Labour's deputy leader John Prescott, respondexplained by ence - and no money! Thatcher took ofcous legislation. ing to the Government's announcement, pointed out that "Much of the drop in figures can only be people being driven off the benefit register and off the records all together'.
This is indeed the case with more and more people being denied any means of support at all. Incapacity Benefit, the Asylum Bill, Project Work • and the Job Seekers Allowance are combining to create a layer of non-people with no official existThe situation will get worse as the JSA in particular progresses and more fall foul at new stages.
It is a crime that Prescott and the Labour Front bench are happy to denounce the Tories but will not commit themselves to scrap this vis-