On 19 March, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) boss Amber Rudd took to Twitter to celebrate her department’s record. Given her own record for getting thoroughly rinsed on Twitter, you might have thought Rudd had learned her lesson. But it appears she hasn’t.
Rudd tweeted:
Ten years ago the number of unemployed people hit TWO MILLION.
Today the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1975.
It’s a chilling reminder of the damage Labour did to our economy.
And we must get a Brexit deal to unleash our economy even further.https://t.co/kf11vhlbLp
— Amber Rudd (@AmberRuddUK) March 19, 2019
Where to start?
There were so many problems with Rudd’s tweet that it’s hard to know where to start. From record levels of homelessness, to reliance on foodbanks and the devastation caused by Universal Credit, the list of damage done by this Conservative government is long:
https://twitter.com/welshlad79/status/1108174023823970305
Please explain if you’re so good, why homelessness, food bank use & in work poverty has increased? Why did the UN condemn the impact of your austerity policies? How many of those employed are on zero hour contacts?
— Angela Perrett 💙 (@AngelaPerrett) March 20, 2019
Massaging the statistics
The Office for National Statistics sets out how work is defined for the purposes of employment figures:
The number of people in employment in the UK is measured by the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and consists of people aged 16 years and over who did one hour or more of paid work per week and those who had a job that they were temporarily away from (for example, because they were on holiday or off sick).
It was therefore perhaps unsurprising that people pointed out the flaw with Rudd’s celebration of these statistics:
If this were true, the economy would be very healthy. If you include 'work' as being minimal 1 hour a week and in work poverty I guess your numbers would look great.
It was an international financial crash.
Brexit will unleash extreme damage.
This will be your legacy.— @ Mrs Socialist (@TSax500) March 20, 2019
Congratulations to you. Because serious industry is thriving? 🤔….Hold on! If I work in 5 different cafe’s and get a cleaning job then I stand a chance of breaking even..Oh look! Loads of employment.
— Charlie Waldron (@GStar4696) March 20, 2019
Come on Amber. In the real world people are juggling 3 zero contract jobs and self-employed for a few £000 a year. What you call petty cash
— Chris M🇪🇺🇮🇪🏴 (@chrismcg21) March 20, 2019
Other people thought there might be another reason why employment rates have gone up:
https://twitter.com/opnsrcersistnce/status/1108315145447575552
Blaming Labour – change the record!
Rudd’s “chilling reminder” about Labour also fell on deaf ears. As social media users highlighted, Labour wasn’t to blame for the state of the economy:
https://twitter.com/AngelMusik2011/status/1108330548441899008
In fact, it was bankers that caused the financial 2008 crash, not the Labour government.
Enough is enough
One tweet managed to sum up succinctly all the problems with Rudd’s assertions:
1) Global crash not caused by Labour.
2) Unemployment is no measure of prosperity when ZHCs/low pay mean workers can't afford food.
3) Tories have stalled recovery for last 10 years.
4) 3 million unemployed under Thatcher.
3) Block capitals are a sign of creeping trollification.— Helen the Zen 🏴 💙 🍉 (@helenmallam) March 20, 2019
And others found a simple visual representation the best way to express their feelings:
Do tell me the truth Amber. pic.twitter.com/1NJ6RqfjNQ
— Rick The People's Poet (@rick_poet) March 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/olemolyee/status/1108138394310397952
Conservative-led governments since 2010 have caused immense damage and the DWP has caused enormous suffering. But people won’t forget. And when a general election is eventually called, let’s hope Rudd loses her small majority and is kicked out of parliament for good.
Featured image via YouTube – BBC Newsnight / Wikimedia – UK government
