Clutching At Straws

So desperate to trumpet anything as a local success story, I suspect even the staff at the Oldham Echo raised their eyebrows & took a deep breath as they billed the necessity for staff at a local debt collection agency as a "jobs boost" (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/04/04/debt-firm-s-liverpool-jobs-boost-100252-23308839/ ):
"A debt collection firm wants to take on at least 100 new staff in Liverpool as recession-hit companies look for help in collecting cash they are owed.
"Intrum Justita said it needs to expand its UK and Ireland headquarters in Old Hall Street."
You have to hand it to the Echo in the way it continues to trot out its tired & jaded "jobs boost" headline, even though the vacancies concerned are a direct consequence of the recession, of which the Echo is otherwise largely in denial, particularly with regard to Liverpool One.
Note, too, the debt collection firm's address. Old Hall Street is, of course, also home to the Daily Post & Echo. The Echo reporter clearly didn't have to travel far for that story. The way things are going at parent company Trinity Mirror, the theme of debt & lost jobs may just be a little too close to home.