[CommanderData]

Comparing UK with Spain or Greece? The UK was the fifth largest economy in the world. I don't your comparison to Greece is a fair, to say the least.

We've had an onslaught of austerity measures and public cuts too many to list in a sitting.

[tonyedgecombe]

Yet unemployment is only 5.6%.

[bkor]

In Netherlands they changed the way unemployment is measured. Was something similar done in UK? The change it Netherlands makes me not trust easy figures anymore.

Further, seems in UK there's quite a big difference between working and actually having enough to live comfortably. A lot rely on support or barely can afford anything.

Anyway, that is my impression and don't mind being proved wrong.

[Ntrails]

"Further, seems in UK there's quite a big difference between working and actually having enough to live comfortably. A lot rely on support or barely can afford anything."

I mean, working is not the same as working full time. I couldn't live on 16 hours a week at minimum wage. I could live on full time minimum wage (though not easily if I were still London based). There are benefits and support available to working people, but not in the sense that it's a bad thing.

Unemployment only counts people actively looking and not employed at all - but the ONS publishes all those definitions. There hasn't been any new/recent fiddles that I recall.

[tonyedgecombe]

Yes, the figures have been abused for years but it's still a huge distance from the 25% rate Greece has.

I should add I'm not a fan of what the Torries have been doing, I favour a larger state, it's the use of the term austerity I don't like.