The Indian firm  Tata that apparently paid 20% over the odds in exchange for control of what used to be our biggest heavy industry making global exports has started to benefit from a marvellous little earner. It is curently being paid four grand of what little tax money is left in this country for each employee they agree NOT to throw onto the dole.

I suppose the people fortunate enough to be working in the former British Steel plants that Maggie started to run down are only too grateful for anything that means they are likely to fight off the P45 for another week, but when Brown promised British Jobs For British Workers perhapos he should have added "paid for by bribes to Indian Bilionaires" it would have been a little more honest at least.

So how does this work then ? Well, in order to make things look better than they really are, the Welsg Assembly came up with a splendid wheeze called "ReAct Funding". Get chucked on the dole and IF you find another employer WHO GOES TO THE WAG before offering you a job, the WAG may agree to hand over four grand, two grand in training grants, two grand in salary subsidy over the first 12 months. But the application takes ages to process and as the employer cannot employ you until the quango running the show finishes pontificating, it hinders rather than helps the ordinary mortal and I have more than a slight suspicion the only companies to benefit are those already in bed with the quango and / or the varous welsh Assembly Members who seem to love it so much.

But now the ReAct scheme has been extended and become ProAct

And the first to benefit from a bribe of four grand not to throw a worker on the street are ... The Indian MegaCorporation Tata, who are taking money not to throw people on the street at one end of the country and throwing Jaguar employees on the street at the other.