Aspirations are one thing and to promise X number of hospitals is great and eminently acceptable.
Where this becomes a LIE is, when an impossible time frame is repeated, day after day by, politician after politician (although it is mainly Johnson who likes to repeat these things.
Why on earth say these things ?
6 hospitals within 5 years would be decent but, there isn't a hope in hell of an additional 34 within the second 5 year term, unless of course, they are counting 30+ that are already built and look ok , which would go nicely with the 50,000 NEW nurses or, is that 30,000, something again that would have been a decent achievement without the spin and LYING.

The unicorns are real, I've seen the seed money and the horns + superglue

Why not? Cos you say so?

None of us can predict what could change or affect plans over the next decade, but in general 10 years to plan and build a hospital seems entirely reasonable. I agree it's an ambitious time frame to complete 34, but to call it a lie is incorrect.


I must have imagined the leader's debate the other night when Johnson very clearly explained the 50,000 would consist of retaining 19,000 who would otherwise be lost to attrition, while recruiting 31,000 new nurses (undergrad/postgrad, apprentices and from abroad). Indeed, it's been explained since the manifesto was released. I don't see any lies there. Any sensible business factors in attrition when planning resources.

Just because it's not "50,000 brand spanking new nurses" you call it a lie. I get it, the left are making the most of the supposed issue of 'trust', but at least make your accusations credible.

The problem is he said 50,000 NEW nurses, not 31,000 new nurses which was correct.

No, he didn't.

I bet you also believe the worst thing he has done was ride his bike on the path.

No, you're right, he didn't.

His exact words were "in this manifesto, we pledge 50,000 more nurses, and their bursaries".

Ah, the good old hanging comparator.

Tbf, he did ‘clarify’ it in the debate.

I do think he and Cummings tie themselves in knots unnecessarily. For most voters, I suspect a big-sounding number is enough. If they’d put the accurate net contribution to the EU on the side of the bus or just said 31,000 more nurses they could have avoided this. Is it just recreational dishonesty? Or do they perversely want to get called out on it - like an internet troll who doesn’t care about winning the argument, just that it rumbles on so they can keep repeating their spurious point?

I agree. 31,000 sounds plentiful, if a touch optimistic. To stretch it to 50,000 just sounds like a figure plucked from the air. At least the 31,000 figure [isounds[/i like it's had some working out involved.

The Nicky Morgan interview on GMB when she carried on quoting the 50,000 figure, despite being repeatedly told it was 19,000 retained and 31,000 new, was just surreal. The thing is, despite multiple clarifications of the figures since the initial announcement, there will still be vast sections of the general public who will still be banging on about 50,000 NEW nurses.

But, but, but, it is 50,000 new nurses, honest

“There will be a substantial increase, I think from 280,000 to 330,000 nurses.”.......so said Mr Johnson on LBC ....same interview, he claimed “40 new hospitals will be built”. Same interview....Mr Johnson said: “I'm also proud that we're putting 20,000 more police out on the streets”.....so slightly fewer than the police numbers before the tories came to power.....
....then...Mr Johnson then turned to education, saying: “we're lifting up funding for every school in the country.”....Hmmm.....Lifting Up eh

I will enjoy the campaign in 5 years time

There's that deliberate obfuscation of the English language again. Lifting up as in raising it? Lifting up as in taking it away? How far are they lifting it up? A quid a year, for every school, would be classed as lifting up funding. It leaves the public with more questions than answers, and allows them to make it into whatever they want.

"Boris Johnson’s promise to employ an extra 50,000 NHS nurses has unravelled further after a cabinet minister suggested that the pledge would not be met for 10 years.

Nicky Morgan, the culture secretary, said the additional nurses would be in place “if you look in 10 years’ time” and struggled to explain how the government would convince current nurses not to leave."

And so the rowing back begins...

The 50,000 (well 30,000) new nurses would indeed be a great effort and you dont fancy their chances any time soon.
However, the promise of 40 new hospitals is far more of a stretch and I have offered a couple of wagers some "new" and old Tory voters, none of whom are prepared to back their leader.

The pledges of spending on public services were made to blunten Labours record on public services and it worked very well.
Will they deliver - not a fecking chance - does it matter ? only to those in need but, when have the Tories ever cared about the less fortunate in our society.
Their roll out of Universal credit and regular assessments to cut benefits have been a feature of the Conservative government for the last 10 years. There is zero prospect of any change to their style, although, trying to defend some of the new blue constituencies may keep them a little more honest.

In [i10[/i years' time? So basically, give us another 5 year term after this one, and judge us then. The nurses can has been kicked further down the road, and campaigning for the next election has already begun.