THE generar election is on 9 June. Up and down the country in offices, factories and on the doorsteps arguments will begin in earnest for a Labour vote. The real facts and figures of the Tories record since May 1979 are essential to win the argument. Britain: A Guide to the Ruins is a new handbook which provides those facts and figures on everything from privatisation to prescription charges. Below, we reprint selections from the book which graphically illustrate the real face of Thatcher's Ralph Steadman cent.
cent. 'The Conservative government's first job will be to rebuild our reunite a divided and disillusioned people.
Conservative manifesto, The Tories came to power in May 1979 on a promise of lower taxes, more jobs and opportunities. record in office is one of unparalleled failure.
In 1979 the country had a chance to make Unemployment had falling for two years. Inflation was below 10 per cent. Living standards had risen by 17 per cent in two years. Industry was growing steadily and was more competitive than it had been for years.
Above all, we had black gold in the North Sea. We were about to become self-sufficient in oil - giving us an advantage over countries dependent on energy ports. We had a real chance to make the 1980s a decade of prosperity.
Instead: • Unemployment has risen by two million. • Production of wealth has fallen by 4 per cent. • Output of manufacturing industry has fallen by 19 per • Investment in manufac turing has fallen by 36 per • Industry has become at least 20 per cent less competitive.
There are now 3.2 million people officially out of work in the UK - one in seven of the labour force, two million more than when the Tories came to office. The real jobs shortage is even worse than the official figures show. When those on government those not claiming are counted, five million people who want a job have not got one.
Even on the figures, the scale term unemployment is horrific. By October last year, 1.2. million people had been out of work for more than twelve months. For young people under long-term unemployment has 1979 risen from 74,000 to 312,000 in the space of just two years.
The number still in jobs Their dramatically. Manufacturing employment has plummeted 22. per cent since mid-1979. Jobs in metal have fallen 37 per cent; in coal and petroleum products, been 35 per cent; textiles, 33 per cent; vehicles, and mechanical engineering, Young twenty-five make up 40 per cent of the jobless total. Two out of three cannot find work. 460,000 will enter the new Youth Training Scheme this year; half will go on the dole at the imend counted as More would like to work, but are too discouraged to register as unemployed. 'Last in' during economic expansion, they're the 'first out' in recession.
are out of work (1891 figures) compared with one in ten white people. This has been exacerbated by a significant increase in discrimination in special schemes benefits mid-1970s. official Job of longOver jobs tional workers twenty-five, of people white-collar jobs since the losses have hit hardest among the low paid.
three-quarters of unemployed men were in paying below the naaverage. These haven't 'priced themselves out of jobs'
----- pull-quotes -----
Introducing Tories
Jobs to the slaughter