Unemployment - Grim figures put premium on optimism

YESTERDAY’S unemployment figures were the second indication in as many days of how terribly grim our circumstances have become.

The by-now instinctive reaction to another round of depressing figures might be to move on quickly to something more cheering but these figures will have an impact in every household and business in the country when the December budget is finally unveiled. They, and their consequences, are unavoidable.

The announcement that more than 8,000 people had to join dole queues last month came 24 hours after it was confirmed that our public finances remain in a parlous state. Tax receipts fell by 5.5% last month compared with July 2009.