Because Avant has butchered my post for no reason i should probably elaborate, as my post now reads very strangely indeed.

How else would they be able to support lazy unemployed McDonalds/Greggs munchers who do nothing?

The reason i hate this pathetic argument (usually a silly line like this one) is because the Conservative's have done an excellent job portraying every unemployed person as underclass scumbags. Despite the fact the Conservative's are responsible for rising unemployment numbers. They've also done an excellent job convincing Daily Mail reading middle England that 100% of the Treasuries expendature is on benefit cheats (in reality its 3% of the welfare budget, which in itself is less than half the size of the pensions budget) which is why its always the first thing mentioned whenever Government revenue is being discussed.

The Government spends far too much of our money, billions of it on rubbish they dont need, that much is obvious. Its also obvious that punishing the ordinary person with regressive taxation when the economy is poor will not aid any sort of recovery, however lets stop blaming the unemployed for the Bankers and Government's mistakes please.

Thank you.

I ouldnt care less about what the papers say - in fact; I dont even read them.

I am talking about what I see on a daily basis everyday here in the north-east.

I would hope you're too busy going about your own life to bother observing everybody elses, but the fact is your view of things alone means very little.

Most are able to work (and there is work in the area for those who want it); just prefer not to.

Nowhere near enough work and just because they're able to work doesnt mean employers want to employ them. Theres 3 million unemployed, is there 3 million job vacancies? No theres not. Also the North depends more on the public sector for employment than the rest of the country, and with the Conservative's smashing the public sector in their quest to put all workers on benefits, areas like the North East are affected more than other areas.

You seem to think 100% of jobseekers could go out and get a job tomorrow if they wanted it, the reality is very different. Theres nowhere near enough jobs and its an employers market, employers only want old people with reams of experience, why will they take on someone who's 4 years unemployed when they get 75 applications from superior candidates?

When the job vacancy numbers match the unemployment numbers then i'll take your point.

You cannot solely blame the bankers; now this is what the papers would have you believe! Without them there would be no UK economy

Theres no UK economy now, because of the bankers. Thats like being happy about being shot because its preferable to being crushed in an industrial accident. Both options are pretty dire.

Yes - there is not enough work for all the unemployed; but there are jobs available for some that want them. Alternatively they could be taken up by 'immigrants' who are willing to work perhaps unsociable hours/in 'degrading' jobs only then for the British to complain about how there's no work.

This is a tired argument. The fact you ignore is rising immigration pushes wages down while living costs keep rising. Employers want the earth for minimum wage, because they've got used to Estonians and Lithuanians willing to give the earth for dreadful pay. In this country we expect a higher standard, to be paid what a job is actually worth and we look for as close to long term job security as possible, things which are not on offer in said jobs. You cant live properly or plan financially based on seasonal work at below minimum wage living in a tent. You also ignore the fact theres certainly not 3 million 'unsociable hour degrading jobs' out there, so the whole 'British too proud to work' argument still doesnt wash. In fact i have no problem with foreigners coming in to do some work, what i object to is the ones who live in tents here, not paying any council tax, p***ing all over the countryside who go home when our economy slips, leaving us to sort it out. They'll be back to leech again when we've repaired our country. I do hate people who only stick around for the good times.

We shouldnt bring ourselves down to Eastern European levels so as us in the first world can gain an income, if we keep going like that eventually computer programmers will be working for £1 a day. The major problem in todays jobs market is employers dont want to pay, they want everything for free. From the restaurants who only take on waitresses under 18 (because they can pay them less) to the retail chains who signed up for the Government's free slave labour plan because they cant be bothered to employ anybody. Current estimates show businesses in this country are sitting on over £700billion which they daren't part with for risk of losing it. Thats the problem.

Jamie, I appreciate your view and opinion but I would disagree that there is no economy because of the bankers; this sounds like something one would read in 'the sun'

The banks broke our economy. The Coalition is damaging the recovery. Too many weak measures akin to using a sheet of Xerox to plug a nuclear reactor leak. I dont read the Sun apart from when im really in need of a laugh.

Yes - British people do generally expect a higher standard, which there is nothing wrong with; but the British aren't exactly known for their work ethic are they?

Reputation can often go before people unfortunately. Im not sure where the reputation for 'poor work ethic' came from. Personally i believe in 'you get what you pay for' meaning you pay someone a decent wage you'll get more productivity out of them. Paying somebody £6 an hour and being disappointed when they dont give you the earth shouldnt be mistaken for a poor work ethic.

However with that said, i've met plenty of people - too many to be honest - who are at best average at their jobs. Infrequent incompetence seems to be the name of the game. Whoever hires them has to take some of the blame and i feel theres an odd hiring culture in this country where companies daren't employ somebody of good competence for fear they'll end up running the place, so they go for quiet unambitious incompetence who can just 'see them through.'

People dont appreciate the stress levels and the work bankers do. I agree, they are overpayed and somewhat resposible for the state of the economy, but their job is very demanding.

On their salaries they wont get sympathy from the vast majority of the ordinary public, irrespective of how stressful they find their job. Everybody has problems and stress of their own to deal with and most of it is connected to money, so as far as they're concerned people on bankers salaries have nothing to whine about.

Most of the ones I know are at work at around 6am and dont get home till 8pm. Personally; I wouldnt be able to do that

Maybe they should go home earlier, the less time they spend at work the less time they have to ruin the country. I could do those hours on that sort of salary, do it for a few years, rake in a few bonuses knowing i can destroy entire banks and not face penalty and then retire at 32. Lovely job.

If they do fewer hours: they'll be monitoring the market less and make less money for their company.

Oh no, less trips to the golf club, less ventures to the south of France, less money to evade income tax on, how sad for them.

If you are on the trading floor it takes a while to move up from being a 'junior' trader. Even if one comes straight out of a top 5 uni and straight into working for an investment bank it will take them at least 6-7 years to progress from being a 'junior trader' Most juniors get paid less than dentists/GP's.

What's a top five Uni just out of interest? Anyway, its a better progression than most people have

Who decided they were the 'top five' then?