Opinion

Take cost of living figures at face value

GOVERNMENT figures show the gap between the cost of living and earnings growth is narrowing considerably. These figures should not be taken on face value as earnings include extravagant pay rises and colossal bonuses to top executives which inflate the figures to create the illusion that the low-paid are better off. The tripling of poor people depending on soup kitchens and food banks shows the extent to which these figures have been fabricated. The government will undoubtedly use the results to enhance their election prospects. If jobseekers falsified their CVs to the same extent they would be accused of criminal misrepresentation.

DAMIEN GC DEVANEY

Larne, Co Antrim