Nice to see EU solidarity!

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

I don’t think that any government, whether Conservative or Labour (or coalition), ever has intentionally run down the NHS, it’s just a question of policies, with which we either agree with or not. Nobody saw this coming and if anyone had suggested providing the NHS with hundreds or thousands of additional intensive care beds, thousands more ppe equipment, thousands more ventilators, there is no chance that it would have been acted upon as the likelihood of it all being needed was so remote! Like it or not, we have to go along with the government that we have, otherwise there is anarchy.

Well said.

I don't like cheap point scoring. Problem is when someone chucks ill thought out figures at me I tend to retaliate by throwing em back.

Of course no govt sets out to run down the NHS. Something I picked up on reading about Blair years is they did reduce beds and nurses mostly based on the fact that due to improved medical solutions average stays in hospital had reduced from 8 to 5 days. Seems reasonable to me.
Also picked up it was perceived that Blair did more towards moving the NHS towards privitisation than any PM previously.

[WBA123]

You are of course correct there are fewer beds in the NHS compared to 2010 which is nothing for the Tories to be proud of even with the excuse of having to pick up the economic mess left by Labour.

So let's look at what Labour did in the years of plenty 2000-2010.

Number of beds

Labour

2000 241,000
2010 183,000

Tories

2010-183,00
2017-167,00

So like I said nothing to be proud of but you could say in tough times they have at least slowed down the rate of decrease.

Over to you 123

Interesting stats. And completely accurate. You learn something every day, so thank you for this info.

What the Tories have done since 2010 and New Labour did from 1997 was increase hospital beds in some sectors of healthcare such as critical and acute care, and reduce them in others such as mental health.

I still standby the view that Labour under Tony Blair was fantastic for the NHS. And the NHS would be better prepared under a Labour Government.

This is a bit of info from the below source;
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...oney-spent-nhs

"By 2008/9 NHS spending had increased by a factor of 2.9 compared to 1997. NHS spending (in cash terms) increased from £33.5 billion in 1997/8 to £76.4 billion in 2005/6 and is expected to have reached £96.4 billion for the financial year 2008/9"

[kettering_baggie]

The past is just that, past. Best that we all look to the future.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Interesting stats. And completely accurate. You learn something every day, so thank you for this info.

What the Tories have done since 2010 and New Labour did from 1997 was increase hospital beds in some sectors of healthcare such as critical and acute care, and reduce them in others such as mental health.

I still standby the view that Labour under Tony Blair was fantastic for the NHS. And the NHS would be better prepared under a Labour Government.

This is a bit of info from the below source;
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...oney-spent-nhs

"By 2008/9 NHS spending had increased by a factor of 2.9 compared to 1997. NHS spending (in cash terms) increased from £33.5 billion in 1997/8 to £76.4 billion in 2005/6 and is expected to have reached £96.4 billion for the financial year 2008/9"

Obviously this is imo but if we have had, or in the near future were going to have a Labour govt then the finances of the Nation would be in such a perilous state that we simply wouldn't be able to afford to properly fund the NHS. And that applies to every other aspect of British life.

[mickd1961]

Obviously this is imo but if we have had, or in the near future were going to have a Labour govt then the finances of the Nation would be in such a perilous state that we simply wouldn't be able to afford to properly fund the NHS. And that applies to every other aspect of British life.

I’m no Leftie 923 but when you see the size of the bailout underway at present it makes you wonder what is and is not “affordable” when it comes to spending.

This could easily end up costing a Trillion Pounds by the time we're done.

Borrowing is at near zero so in effect you’re just adding to “structural debt” and kicking that large can down the road.

The added interest payments aren’t going to hurt much once the economy gets going again.

This is why I was a fan of Boris and Cummings plan to improve infrastructure with HS2 and road building.

I hope we see a fantastic health service after all of this and to be honest,I don’t think anyone will cringe at the bill.........we need to be “Pandemic ready” at the drop of a hat from now on.

I guess I’m a “Centre Left” Tory if truth be known 🤔😏😆

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

I’m no Leftie 923 but when you see the size of the bailout underway at present it makes you wonder what is and is not “affordable” when it comes to spending.

This could easily end up costing a Trillion Pounds by the time we're done.

Borrowing is at near zero so in effect you’re just adding to “structural debt” and kicking that large can down the road.

The added interest payments aren’t going to hurt much once the economy gets going again.

This is why I was a fan of Boris and Cummings plan to improve infrastructure with HS2 and road building.

I hope we see a fantastic health service after all of this and to be honest,I don’t think anyone will cringe at the bill.........we need to be “Pandemic ready” at the drop of a hat from now on.

I guess I’m a “Centre Left” Tory if truth be known 🤔😏😆

The majority of us could centre be left Tories including me. You know it, I know it, next door's dog knows it but somehow its escaped the Labour Party.

I suspect rather than the extreme right govt some seem to think we have now what we actually have is a govt with a lot of 'Socialist' plans on spending