Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,707
10 January 2011
19:5888499Yes
Fairly typical Conservative Home fare that
Rich on rhetoric and sentiment light on real data, real facts and any real analysis.
Probably qualifies as Year 3 Politics and Economics homework
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 January 2011
20:1188504when the stting mp [red,blue or yellow]dose somthing posative and constructive for the town then and only then i will say well done.all ive seen so far in the last 30 years or so is hot air and some form of lip service.
peter,spelling mistakes i do not worry about as long as the big out there gets the message.
ps,this post is more than 8 words and contains spelling mistakes.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
10 January 2011
20:3588509No problem with spelling mistakes but I do struggle to understand how you think repeating the word poo helps your argument Brian.
Perhaps you should meet our MP and see face to face what he has to say.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
10 January 2011
20:3688510Personally I think Charlie's idea of focussing on small and medium businesses is on the right track.
I believe each County should have a wide range of economic autonomy in creating the bases for jobs among local people. In our case,this would focus on all unified Kent, not only East Kent.
A higher percentage of local tax going to the County and less to the national Treasury would supply the financial funds to train people and set up new production infrastructure where necessary.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
10 January 2011
20:5588511The problem with one large employer is if it folds, for whatever reason, there are no other jobs for it's employees and some of the other local businesses struggle or close because the spending power has gone.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 January 2011
22:0088525Jan you are dead right. Diversification is by far the best way. Too many areas have been over dependent on one big employer or industry only to suffer due to its demise.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 January 2011
22:0388528Roger - did you follow the link in Charlie's post?
If you do it leads to source material published by the last government explaining the scheme and it does clearly talk about the 30 jobs issue, it is the 'invitation to bid' as issued by the DWP. Charlie is right based on how the scheme was set up.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
11 January 2011
07:1488543peter,i have had many discusions with charlie over a pint or two in various pubs in dover over the last year or two.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
11 January 2011
08:2688547Well how can anybody argue? More jobs and less focus on big business. Big business also crushes the smaller ones, you only have to look at what has happened to the high streets of this country. Both previous governments encouraging monopolies and outsourcing. Expansion, expansion, expansion, the only problem I see is that ultimately under a capitalist model, the outcome for your small business is for it to be a big business.
The only thing I would point out is that he could refer to 'Labour's Deficit' or 'mismanagement' but suggest it is 'their' recession is a bit poor. It may be partiatially theirs, as it may it is the banks, even the worlds. However we must be clear, it is essentially ours...after all 'we're all in this together'
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 January 2011
08:3088548Any business, large, medium or small, can benefit by the Future Jobs Fund initiative.
It helps by providing "free" work placement for young people between the ages of 18 and 24, to work 25 hours a week, for between four and six months - at NO cost to the employer/business.
The young peopole can work for a business of any size; a charity or volunteer group, even a community group, so everyone can benefit from it.
The young people gain the work ethic - actually getting out of bed and going to work; they also gain by feeling valued and useful and doing something constructive - the work-experience.
These young people are not useless or unintelligent, they are just unemployed - not unemployable.
One young chap there (19 years old) has four languages, is skilled in IT (hardware and software) and wants to have a "proper" job and so is gaining further valuable experience, which will all go towards making his CV more valuable.
They are helped by KCC to build their CVs.
All the young people are going through a two month's assessment for numeracy, literacy, checking out their skills, aspirations and possible future careers.
They are made "job-ready".
I would suggest Charlie comes down to the LSBC and sees for himself what is being done.
A DDC Cabinet member is coming here this week with a Lady from KCC to see what is going on.
Everyone is working very hard to make sure this is a success - for the young people, for their future and for businesses, as they get a free pair of hands (or two or three pairs if they find a good use for them).
The young people's money goes up to reflect their work too.
I am a Conservative and this is a Labour initiative that is doing a lot of good, long may it continue; don't rubbish it just because it isn't a "blue" idea.
Roger
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 January 2011
08:4288550No Barry, I didn't follow the link, I had a quick look on the blog and then had to go out.
There is no restriction in numbers and the cost of £7,500 is way over the top. The total cost of what is being done, may come out at that, but the individuals cost is not.
Being in the thick of so to speak, has given me a greater insight to the benefits of it.
Roger
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
11 January 2011
08:4788551But Roger - the government document gives the 30 figure and the cost is arrived at by using the government figures, taking the cost of the scheme as provided when setting it up and dividing it by the jobs target as determined at that time. The figure includes the administration costs of course, as it should.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 January 2011
08:5388554I'm only saying how it is working in practice Barry and if Charlie and the Government were to support the scheme continuing, then there would be many more young people and companies benefitting from it.
Everyone says that young people are our future, then lets give them a future.
Perhaps some of our overseas aid could go towards it ?
Roger
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
11 January 2011
09:0288557Having read the governmetn document I can't say I support the scheme. The apprenticeships make much more sense to me.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
11 January 2011
09:3388559Just to go back to the notion that big business can be bad...not so at all. Its true there is a certain dependency but they spawn lots of peripheral businesses so i dont agree with DT there for example that "Big Business crushes the smaller ones". Not at all.
We had a very good small business for 30 years but it depended on us selling our services to larger businesses, so we would NOT have existed and employed people which we did, if the larger businesses werent there. We were on first name terms with our corporate bank managers and heavens they even asked us to drinks parties!! imagine that today!!
We were the Spirit of Britain they said...now where have I heard that name in the last few days
!!
Recently Hastings, I think it was Hastings, was featured on BBC Southeast and they were thrilled when a new company opened there offering I dunno 500 or 600 jobs. Brilliant level of work and I was disappointed Dover couldnt be like that. The 500 or 600 employed there then have to buy sandwiches shoes shirts locally... and thats just the staff. The company itself has to buy PR Services, Advertising services, has to buy paper and waste paper baskets..well everything.. you get the idea. It powers the economy breeding new business.
If smaller businesses were the answer what was to stop Dover doing it all along.Its true they can be good but they need buzzing business communities. Ive been down this road and know it well, I wonder if the people making the decisions in high places have ever been through it...like some of us.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
11 January 2011
09:4388561The truth is PaulB we need a mix of businesses. Sadly the mix we have locally includes too few middle sized companies.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
11 January 2011
10:5488562i go along with the idea of small businesses feeding off of the big companies.
as a for instance should a major market leader open up in the proposed d.t.i.z. then others will come in and fill smaller units knowing that the footfall will be there.
paul, i think it was saga that opened/are opening in hastings.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
11 January 2011
10:5788563getting back to the "future jobs fund initiative", from what roger is saying from experience, is that it works and is reasonably cost effective.
i cannot see the point of fixing something that is not broken.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
11 January 2011
11:5388567Howard - I dont think you can say that about the FJF. Take a close look at the criteria in the government document.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
11 January 2011
18:2188601Roger, I fully agree with you that young people are our future, and have expressed this view on the Forum in the past.
I also agree with you that some of our overseas aid could go towards our own young people.
Every step in the direction of helping our own young people get decent work locally is a step towards local prosperity in the name of fairness. It is the centre-part of everything I stand for that has to do with economy.
I wish you plenty of success in finding job placements for our local young people, and hope that this also includes factories such as Tilmanstone Salads and London Fancy Box Factory, and the local farms when they need crop-pickers.
Roger, I recently found out that in South East England there is a big demand for women who can look after children of parents who work, such as taking the children to school and so on.
Wherever you find jobs going here, make sure that local people have a chance to get employed!