Saturday 14 May 2011

More inequality in Labour constituencies

If you are born in some Labour held seats, there is a 1000% higher chance of unemployment than if you were born into some Tory heartlands

The study below shows how ridiculous the notion of 'equality of opportunity' is. You inherit inequality. You start from the back of the grid with a half tank of fuel if you are lucky. There is a Ferrari on row one and it is roaring to go. That's the way life works. The national unemployment rate as of September 2010 was 7.2%. Above is the top 15 Parliamentary constituencies with the highest unemployment rate as of then. The main finding is that the regional disparity in the UK unemployment rate is vast. For example, in the case of Birmingham Ladywood the rate is nearly 350% higher than the national average. Labour represent 14 out of the top 15 seats with the highest unemployment.

The chart also shows those seats with the lowest unemployment rates. 6 seats unemployment rates were that low they could not be included on the graph but as we can see in the case of Wiltshire, Henley and Cambridge their unemployment rate is more than 300% smaller than the national average. As a young person growing up, the greatest postcode lottery of our age is whether or not you will get a job. Forget ability and work ethic, if you are born into certain parts of Birmingham and Nottingham your chances of being unemployed are nearly a 1000% higher than if you were born in Henley. The governments harshness on benefit claimants should be more reflective of the fact that work is hard to find in some areas.

This massive disparity distorts people's views on unemployment and general notions of benefit scrounging. There are areas of England where work is just scarce. It is too simplistic to say that people are lazy or unwilling to work. The Tory party is traditionally firm some might say unduly harsh on tackling benefit fraud. But I wonder if the key is convincing them to be just as dedicated to job creation.

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