Before today’s lesson begins, I want to make it clear that being unemployed is no joke. I’ve been there and worn the t-shirt. I was one of the 80% of disabled people who are unemployed at any one time and that includes anytime during any economic boom.

I know the pain.

I understand the devastation meted out to families after the crash. I know any signs of hope they cling on to when they hear any news of hopes of new jobs.

Richard Bruton probably knows this. That may be why he wanted the jobs portfolio when this government was formed in 2010. I think he actually did want to help people return to gainful employment. From the bottom of his big heart, he believed this.

A belief in something needs a sacred text to lend credence and solemnity to that belief. In Richard’s case, that sacred text is the Action Plan for Jobs. Like all great sacred texts, the plan came in multiple books that rained its wisdom on us in a series of prophetic utterances.

Let’s park the government’s job-creation argument and talk about the number of prophetic utterances.

When I’m not writing Undaunted, I do some research for Newstalk Lunchtime. Every Monday we have our business slot. When the now-departed Ian Guider sat down every Monday morning, we used to dread the time that this week’s Action Plan press release fell into our laps.

It just seemed to be the same set of words, rehashed over and over again.

You don’t believe me? Well here is some visual evidence which my colleague Sue Murphy dug out for me. Three different announcements by our Richard. Here: 

And here:

And this one, too:

Spot the difference? Beyond his necktie? No, thought not.

This kind of things makes a joke of any jobs that are created. In many ways, one job created is good news, that goes without saying.

But am I the only one who thinks Richard is milking it? Or could one job equal a household of voters…

Go figure.