The Tory Mail's Convenient Amnesia

Blaming Rachel Reeves for 14 Years of Conservative Destruction

Day three of sinusitis. It’s improving, but it’s still very much there, meaning I remain in a bit of a “mood” – what some (my husband) might call terse.

Now, as you may have noticed over the past few months, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Telegraph (or, as I prefer, the Tory Mail). Their latest piece of what can only be described as literary fiction on public sector productivity is a true work of art. This time, they’ve spun a tale that blames Rachel Reeves (Chancellor for a grand total of 96 days) for “destroying productivity,” as if she waltzed into the public sector with a flamethrower and went full throttle.

But, as is so often the case, they’ve conveniently glossed over the 14 years of Conservative austerity that bled the public sector dry in the first place. It’s like setting fire to a house and then blaming the new owner for not sweeping up the rubble fast enough.

Let’s have a closer look, shall we?

🧐 The Telegraph’s Selective Memory Syndrome

According to the Telegraph, public sector productivity has been a disaster since 1997, but they’re really hammering home that it’s gone to hell post-pandemic. Funny how they “accidentally” omit the fact that the Tories, with their relentless austerity, have done more damage to public services than COVID ever could.

Let’s be specific: cuts to healthcare meant the NHS was already on its knees long before COVID hit. Between 2010 and 2019, thousands of NHS beds were axed, and chronic staff shortages became the norm. Waiting lists were spiralling before the pandemic, and hospitals were already stretched beyond capacity.

The education sector? Gutted. Schools begging parents for basic supplies, and teachers fleeing the profession in droves. Social services? Shredded. Councils forced to slash essential services, leaving vulnerable communities abandoned.

The Telegraph would have you believe the pandemic alone is responsible for this collapse. But the reality is, COVID didn’t create these problems; it merely exposed them. Osbornian policies turned public services into a house of cards, and the pandemic was simply the gust of wind that knocked it all down.

Of course, the Telegraph would rather blame a Labour Chancellor and sweep 14 years of their own party’s destruction under the rug.

🧨 The Public Sector Didn’t Collapse Overnight

But the problems didn’t just appear out of thin air; they’ve been baked into the system for years. For over a decade, the Tories slashed funding, cut staff, and stripped resources to the bone. Public sector workers were told to “do more with less” – which is Tory code for “work yourselves to the bone for peanuts while we vilify you in the press.” Investment in training, infrastructure, and technology? Nonexistent. Public sector workers were left to perform miracles with scraps, and the expectation that they’d keep the system afloat without the necessary resources was laughable.

Meanwhile, the private sector enjoyed capital investment that the public sector could only dream of (and, in many cases, paid for). Productivity isn’t just about squeezing more out of workers; it’s about giving them the tools and support to actually do their jobs. But under Conservative rule, that investment never materialised. Years of cuts and neglect left public services crumbling. And now, the Telegraph has the gall to point the finger at Rachel Reeves, as if 96 days of her leadership somehow undid a decade and a half of abject mismanagement.

This crisis wasn’t born out of one budget (that, keep in mind, hasn’t even happened yet). It’s 14 years of vandalism catching up with them. The Telegraph can try to gloss over it all they want, but this productivity mess has Tory fingerprints all over it.

🚑 The Pandemic’s Brutal Impact on Public Services

Let’s set the record straight: the pandemic wasn’t the cause of the public sector productivity collapse - it was merely the final blow to a system already brought to its knees by Tory cuts. Public services, particularly healthcare, were already underfunded and overstretched long before COVID hit. The NHS was operating on fumes, schools were struggling with inadequate resources, and social services were barely functioning. The pandemic didn’t create these problems; it simply exposed and intensified them.

Public sector workers were pushed beyond breaking point, expected to hold the country together with minimal support while the government applauded from a distance. Healthcare workers, teachers, and emergency responders didn’t just face COVID - they did so after years of being undermined by a government that didn’t give a shit. The productivity issues didn’t start with the pandemic - they started with policies that gutted public services long before.

And while the cuts laid the groundwork for collapse, the pandemic delivered the final blow. But the Telegraph would much rather pin everything on the pandemic (and now Rachel Reeves), completely absolving 14 years of Conservative negligence. COVID was the crisis, yes, but the public sector was already in freefall, and the Tories were the ones who pushed it over the edge.

💥 Cuts, Lies, and Gaslighting

Here’s the inconvenient truth (for the Telegraph at least) - public sector productivity hasn’t collapsed because of Labour’s policies - which, as mentioned, they’ve barely had a chance to roll out. It’s been systematically and ruthlessly dismantled over 14 years of cuts, underfunding, and mismanagement. And now, as the public sector tries to claw its way back from the brink, the Tory press wants to distract you by focusing on a Chancellor who’s been in office for less than 100 days. This isn’t journalism - it’s just more disingenuous, agenda-pushing nonsense from the Tory Mail.

Let’s not be fooled. The only “collapse” here is in the Telegraph’s complete inability to tell the truth. Rachel Reeves isn’t the problem (yet). The problem is 14 years of negligence that left the public sector gasping for air long before COVID even arrived.

That’s all for now – if someone could toss me a fistful of Sudafed and a cup of patience, that’d be fantastic. Meanwhile, let’s hope the next Tory attempt to rewrite history doesn’t come with quite so much fiction.