Rich with jokes, but devoid of new policy announcements – or a plan for “levelling up” – Boris Johnson’s crowd-pleasing Manchester speech was also peppered with inaccuracies.
The claim:
“After years of stagnation – more than a decade – wages are going up, faster than before the pandemic began.”
The reality:
The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies says wages are rising no faster than over recent years. Furthermore – while pay is up by about 4 per cent – inflation is above 3 per cent, so there is no “significant wage growth”.
The claim:
“We will make this country an even more attractive destination for foreign direct investment. We are already the number one.”
The reality:
Last month’s UN World Investment Report said foreign investment into the UK had “declined for the second year in a row” – leaving the UK the 16th largest recipient, down “five positions”.
The claim:
“It was not the government that made the wonder drug. It was capitalism that ensured that we had a vaccine in less than a year.”
The reality:
The AstraZeneca jab was made by scientists at Oxford University – through a programme that was overwhelmingly funded by taxpayers and charities, with less than 2 per cent from private funding.
The claim:
“We are going to use our Brexit freedoms to do things differently .... we have seen off the European Super League and protected grassroots football. We are doing at least eight freeports.”
The reality:
The Super League had nothing to do with the EU or Brexit – it was a private venture – while freeports were entirely possible as an EU member. In fact, the UK used to have seven.
The claim:
“We have done 68 free trade deals.”
The reality:
All but two are “rollovers” of deals that the UK already enjoyed as an EU member. The Japan deal added no significant extra, trade experts found – while the agreement with the EU itself is vastly inferior, causing a massive slump in exports.
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The claim:
“This party that has looked after the NHS for most of its history should be the one to rise to the challenge – 48 new hospitals.”
The reality:
Many of the 48 promised are new units at existing hospitals, or major refurbishments of them, while others are rebuilds of community hospitals. In August, it was revealed that NHS bosses had been ordered to describe all such projects as “a new hospital”.
The claim:
“When I stood on the steps of Downing Street, I promised to fix this [social care] crisis. This government .... is going to get social care done.”
The reality:
In that speech, in July 2019, the prime minister said he already had “a clear plan we have prepared”. The plan took two years to emerge – and the vast majority of new funding will go to the NHS, not social care
The claim:
Labour “decided to oppose step four of the roadmap in July”, which would have meant the UK “would still be in lockdown”.
The reality:
Labour supported the lifting of social distancing restrictions – the key aspect of step four – reserving its criticism for ending the requirement to wear masks in crowded indoor settings and the lifting of work-from-home guidance.
Blah, Blah, Blah, words and no action.
In a Con Men conference winding up speech, it is not what you say, but what you do not say, that matters.
The Rousing Orator full of bluster, pomp and no content. Intent on cheap laughs and resorting to foreign phrases and poetry quotations. Let me entertain you, but I will not address current problems. I will not be serious. Spouting to a transfixed audience of giggling sycophants listening to talk, talk, talk, avoiding the problems of Boris Brexit Britain.
Of course, as he is the creator of most of the problems and has no solutions, it is as well he avoided the subject matter.
A speech full of promises, like 4,000 clean buses, which by the way have not emerged onto British streets just yet.
A Speech of promises to the future based on no existing facts.
True Broadband is spreading across the country, though not as fast as other countries, but one in six families cannot afford it.
True new homes are at last being built, but again who can afford them?
Talk Talk of Pfizer and Nissan, but no talk talk about Honda, about farmers, fishing, musicians, the finance and fashion sectors of industry ruined by Boris Brexit. No talk talk about the huge slump in exports for food, drink and cars etc.
Build back better, but when? Level up, but when? Gain control of our borders, but when? Unleash the spirit, hard to imagine on the day 6m have £20 less to be spirited. BUT, no mention of it, keep to the safe ground, the promises, use the word "will", after all you have had 5 years to plan and still using the word "will" and not "have".
AND, when you do stray onto dodgy present day, “Crime has been falling”. Not so.
UKCrimeStats show that in July this year there were a total of 507,306 reported crimes, an increase of 7% compared to April’s 473,396. That’s an increase in reported crimes of a massive 33,862 ranging from Anti-Social Behaviour, Criminal Damage & Arson through to Burglaries and Robberies.
So no mention of crises at the pump, at the supermarket, on the fields, and the Crisis to come at Christmas. No mention whatsoever, no lies to try to reassure the people.
Just rousing fist banging pomp and circumstance bluster with no content. I am a showman, a salesman, a con man, let me entertain you.
Maybe that speech was a sign that he has no achievements to speak of, just failures to ignore.
What else can an incompetent, blundering buffoon do?
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