The number of those on zero hours is estimated in the guardian to be
1.4 million as of may 2014, with many in a more recent issue stating
the government has no clue how many agencies there are let alone how
many are employed under these terms and conditions from an
underestimate from the ONS of 583,000 .Furthermore there has been a real
fall in wages since 2008
(http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/01/huge-increase-workers-zero-hours-contracts
,
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/15/uk-unemployment-falls-6-percent-lowest-lehman-brothers
).
In addition since 2013 there has been much made of
the recent recovery of employment figures much of it around London
,south east and east of England .(22nd of January 2014, dailytelegraph;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10589129/Unemployment-in-the-UK-regional-breakdown.html)
. However much of this is self employment rising fifteen percentage
from its low 13 percent in 2008 and largely concentrated ,away from the
more sluggish regions of the north and north west
(http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/17/uk-growing-army-self-employed)
.
What does this tell us that growth is greatly unequal
geographically , that it has in fact lead to widening divides of rich
and poor in the country and largely illusory.
what has
been promised so far is according to george osbourne more austerity by
cutting the deficet by 75 bn by 2018 however this does not factor in his
populist attempt to change taxation in order one believes to garner
votes. Mr Balls on the other other hand seems to be singing from the
same hymn sheet trying to exorcise the idea of labour as the "tax and
spend party" as his predecessors Blair and Brown tried to in the 1990s
in their election campaigns (http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21621934-labour-and-conservatives-have-laid-out-their-plans-help-squeezed-britons-trust-me).
Yet
apart from house building and the like there is little of substance
with each part locked in the prisoners dilemma of hoping each party
stays silent so as not to spend their precious ammunition prior to the
election campaign.
One would hope for more capital
expenditure as seen in the last year or two of mr osbournes budgets. Or
of something for the north given the north east and north west have been
hit hard by the lack of growth in the regions.
Or
perhaps something beyond merely ending the exclusivity clause for zero
hours workers effectively tying them to the whims of unscrupulous
employers and what of mr millibands proposals to end the capricious
nature of privately rented housing thereby ending high rents ,revenge
evictions and poor living conditions for many families presumably with
considerable voting potential especially in the south east and London.
Indeed for all their talk of improving living standards little has
been promised by labour and indeed is conspicuous by its absence in
conservative party policies.
With the conservatives
committed to more austerity and labour committed to a lesser but simular
agenda this hardly seems like we are spoiled for choice , the only
alternative offered seems radical fringe parties with policies unlikely
to implemented such as the greens or the likes of ukip with their
reactionary right wing agenda which seems to be only libertarianism ,
anti immigrant hysteria and a backward revisionist ideal of Britain
somewhat separate from the eu yet capable of sound economic and
political governance as a sovereign independent state in a world of
globalisation .
With this it seems that with no choice but
radicalism or technocratic bureaucrats drumming to the same beat of
neoliberal worship of the market this years election and politics is
going to be business as usual(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/11239826/Legalise-handguns-and-repatriate-migrants-Ukips-7-most-controversial-policies.html)
.
