1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: UK bound rod Little Morning, Make Good, Bill and tune make. 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Now we've talked about this before. Explain to me what 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: it is. Nine million plus. So you've got sixty six 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: ish million people in the Great United Kingdom of whom 5 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: nine million plus are not only without warning, but they're 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: not even looking for work. 7 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, nine point five million, it's just gone up. So, yes, 8 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 2: this is remarkable. This is people aged between eighteen and 9 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 2: sixty five. Some of that number is taken up with 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 2: perfectly legitimate stuff like students going to university, and some 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 2: of it is taken up by people taking early retirement. 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 2: But there's still a residue of four to five million 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 2: people who simply haven't gone back to work or haven't 14 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 2: started work. And the figures from the Office for National 15 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 2: Statistics are pretty chilly. That you know, this is something 16 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: which dates back to the furlough times of the COVID pandemic, 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: that we simply haven't got back into the idea that 18 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: we ought to go out to work. Now, my suspicion 19 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 2: is a couple of things that are blamed for this. 20 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: We continue to import foreign labor and an even greater 21 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 2: rate than we did when we were in the European Union. 22 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 2: And so one of the figures which stands out today 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 2: is that there are a million fewer British people working today, 24 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: British born people working today than there were there five 25 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: years ago, and a million more foreign born workers working today. 26 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 2: So that does two things. One thing, it tells you 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 2: who's doing the work in the country. It also tells 28 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 2: you that wages are being kept artificially low through the 29 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 2: consequence of hiring foreign labor. And this is a huge problem, Mike, 30 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 2: because while undoubtedly some people are bone idle I'm sure, 31 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 2: and others, a lot of them cite illness I mental 32 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 2: illness has reasons for not working. One of the main 33 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: reasons people don't go out to work is that there 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: is scant incentive for them to go out to work 35 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 2: given the level of benefits that we have and the 36 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 2: low ranges that we have. 37 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,959 Speaker 1: So what is a labor government of the political disposition 38 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: to do something about it? Either by you know, creating 39 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: a greater gap between welfare and a job, or do 40 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: they increase the test for people who aren't in work 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: and go round saying, make you've been unemployed for nine months, now, 42 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: what are you doing about it? 43 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 2: They don't seem to be doing anything about it at 44 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: the moment. Rachel Reeves, a Chancellor of the Exchequer, has 45 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 2: said if you're able to work, you should go out 46 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 2: to work. But that's all she's done. She has put 47 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 2: nothing in place to actually ensure that this comes about. Now. 48 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: You know, there are many ways to do it. One 49 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 2: of them would be to cut down immigration substantially. Another 50 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: would be to clamp down on benefits, not to have 51 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 2: them rise in line with inflation as has been the case. 52 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: And you know, a third monk be to have a 53 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 2: word with the doctors and say, are you absolutely certain 54 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 2: that these people you're signing off sick or sick? But 55 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: none of those have been mentioned because of course, this 56 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 2: plays very badly with the labor left, that we shouldn't 57 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: be persecuting people who can't work, because the labor left 58 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 2: believes that all of them can't work for very good reasons, 59 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 2: not that they're swinging the lead. 60 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: Funny story earlier on Triva. He's a like called Triva. 61 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,399 Speaker 1: He was one of the people who got jailed in Southport. 62 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: He was not at work. We found out in court 63 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: before he was sentenced to jail. He was not at 64 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: work due to his lower back difficulties and the pain 65 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: of not being able to work, But he did manage 66 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: to get down to the local hotel to throw a 67 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: couple of ciphers through the window. Are there a lot 68 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: of those sort of people? 69 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: There's a lot of that going around, an awful lot 70 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 2: of that going around, and you know, the left and 71 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 2: to a degree, the government will tell you that that 72 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 2: that's not the major problem. That's not the major problem. 73 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: The people who who people want to go to work, 74 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 2: it's just that they're so ill that they can't do it. 75 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: That is not believed by the majority of working people 76 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: in this country. And also, and it greats terribly, particularly 77 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 2: with people who used to be labor voters, when they 78 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: come back after doing the hard day's work for a 79 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 2: low wage and see the people next door with all 80 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 2: the accoutrements that they have, you know, a nice pot car, 81 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 2: great computer devices and so on, doing nothing all day. 82 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 2: It really really great. So of course it's damaging to 83 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 2: the economy. But yeah, there'll be quite a few like Trevor. 84 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: Around related matters. This woman who got fifteen months for 85 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: saying that we need to burn a mosque down. Is 86 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: this what you've been referring to in the last couple 87 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: of weeks, and these are I mean, would you normally 88 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: get fifteen months for saying you want to burn a 89 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: moss down? 90 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 2: No? And I think this is a bit of a problem. 91 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: It's not a nice thing to say. She said we 92 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 2: should burn a mosque down and leave the adult side. 93 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 2: She said it on a social media post and isn't 94 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:10,040 Speaker 2: renowned apparently, according to the court, for saying things like this. 95 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 2: She said it as the court accepted, in a fit 96 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: of anger. It seems to me that, you know, if 97 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 2: you're trying to dampen down the rancor and anger on 98 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 2: both sides in this horrible bunch of riots, if we're 99 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 2: trying to impose a little bit of quiescence, then handing 100 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 2: out fifteen month sentences to a grandmother simply for saying 101 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 2: something injudicious on a social media website, it's just going 102 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: to inflame more people, I suspect. I think it's a 103 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 2: mistaken policy, she cried as she was led away to 104 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 2: the court. I guess she'll only serve four or five months, 105 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,479 Speaker 2: but nonetheless to incarcerated, especially as we kind of have 106 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 2: no prison places left. It seems to me, it seems 107 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 2: to me a degree of overreach, if I can put 108 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 2: it like that. 109 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: All right, mate, you go well, have a good weekend 110 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: and we'll see you next Tuesday. Rod Little Just on 111 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: related matters quickly before we leave that part of the world. 112 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: There's a photo journalist called Joel Goodman who took a 113 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: whole bunch of photos of the rioters. The police have 114 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: been in contact with him and said, look, can you 115 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: give us some of the photos so we can work 116 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: out who these people are? He says no, so that's 117 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: probably going to go to court. The government have weighed 118 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: in again with a thing that government's always weigh in with. 119 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: They're considering a review of online safety and the Online 120 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: Safety Act tougher on disinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence. 121 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: We'll see where that goes, if anywhere. For more from 122 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. It'd 123 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.