It should be very rewarding to be in employment.  There should be dignity to providing for yourself, and knowing that you are making a contribution to society.  There should be wellbeing associated with the knowledge of where the next meal is coming from.  There should be the camaraderie of working with others, the team spirit and banter can lift the soul.  There should be the shared bonds of a community gathering around a common cause.

But I fear that these benefits count for little these days.  The goal of full employment under the present government is for economic purposes only.  Zero hours contracts and removal of workers rights support the economic goal …. but the human benefit is lost.

There are historical examples of full employment driven purely by economic reasons.  Slavery provided full employment for the benefits of the slave owners and the government of the time.  Labour camps provided full employment.

When Labour talk about full employment, they are talking about the benefit to each person. “We will create a million good quality jobs across our regions and nations, and guarantee a decent job for all….”

I long to see our nation turn from the god of ‘The Economy’ to the instruction of God to ‘love one another’.  That is why Labour will be getting my vote.