Catweazle wrote:Surely any activity that involves getting money from the banks back into the hands of ordinary people can't be all bad ?
True, but my concern is that the creation of the 20,000 plus jobs is presented in a positive light ("oh, we've created 20,000 jobs from the PPI problem, everything must be OK then!") and, as Ken said, the activity counts towards GDP. Also, much of the activity is being driven by organisations that are operating purely out of self-interest, with no concern for the welfare of the wronged account-holders, or even for calling the banks to account.
I do find it difficult to get me head around the whole, sorry mess. Part of me wants to call the victims to account and cry "Caveat Emptor". I personally have never bought a PPI product, despite taking out various loans and mortgages over the last few years. Why not? Because I read the small print. On the other hand, I recognise that we've all been caught up on a merry-go-round the last few years, and one can hardly blame people for succumbing to the enticement of cheap, readily available credit provided they dance according to the lender's music. So who's to blame? The lenders? The corporations that make the consumer products available to buy? The consumers? The government? The advertising industry? Probably all of the above in some measure.
Either way, I'd rather see 20,000 jobs created doing something useful that actually addresses some of the real problems we are facing with food production, energy shortage, poverty, etc rather than sticking a couple of grand windfall in someone's pocket so they can go and get another 50 inch plasma TV.
Engage in geo-engineering. Plant a tree today.