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Is there somewhere I can bet on Johnson joining Farage in the last 6 months on the run up to the general election? He's still too tainted to join them now... but by then he'll be forgiven and Covid long forgotten by a big chunk of the electorate Reform need/want. He enjoyed being at the Foreign Office. Not saying he was any good, but he enjoyed shooting off Kipling quotes in front of the scenes, and rubbing shoulders with dodgy billionaires behind the scenes. I think he'd be quite happy not being PM, but still getting lots of attention and bribes.
I think he’s more last minute and tbh he wanted to take the Tories back and his triumphant return.
I’m also not sure the two of them could share the same limelight.
I can’t see him not trying to get back in thou and who knows in what shape the Tory party will be in that time,it folding/merging into reform wouldn’t be a surprise.
I think it's actually a very big miscalculation from Farage, it's an own goal I'd usually expect him to be too politically savvy to make.
Name recognition. The thing Reform needs is MPs, for better for worse people/voters know who Zahawi is, Farage has probably calculated that the chances of him winning a seat are a multiple over Reform's current unknown candidates - some random bald/shaven headed dude called Whitey Mcwhiteface in an ill-fitting rented burton suit (see every election so far), especially in constituencies with large south Asian populations, a demographic Reform (understandably) don't do well with. Plus, Zahawi knows poeple and the institution of Westminster/Whitehall. Zahawi can open doors, get meetings, get stuff...I think from both their perspectives its a win, Zahawi gets an MPs salary, has probs been promised his choice of constituencies, and Reform get a knowledgeable insider with a iPhone contacts list and the obvious camouflage. OK, so you might loose some die-hard racists, but you'll probs attract more voters of the back of it.
Seems somewhat unlikely to me since Farage likes to be the only big fish in the pond.
Farage doesn't like scrutiny or responsibility. Hiding behind Boris as his front man may not be as big a leap as we think.
Though the Venn diagram of Reform voters and covid/lockdown deniers has a big overlap, so who knows.
Though the Venn diagram of Reform voters and covid/lockdown deniers has a big overlap
Those folks who're die-hard conspiracy nut-bars that are showing up in polls as support for Reform, they generally don't vote. I think personally that the poll lead for Reform is mostly made of folks that have either never voted, or haven't for some time. I think a massive amount of their support comes form the "They're all the same" category and the more mainstream Reform become, the more these folks will shy away from supporting them.
I think personally that the poll lead for Reform is mostly made of folks that have either never voted, or haven't for some time.
The polling data doesn’t support that. Dig into any poll dataset and they show you who respondents said they voted for at the last general election.
I think a massive amount of their support comes form the "They're all the same" category and the more mainstream Reform become, the more these folks will shy away from supporting them
Didn’t we complacently say the same about the Brexit vote?
Indeed. The “protest vote” can become stronger not weaker when a win looks more possible as voting day approaches. The more it looks like it won’t be a “wasted vote” the more likely people will be to turn out for Reform (and turn out for others this time as well, assuming that lesson has been learnt and not forgotten).
Dig into any poll dataset and they show you who respondents said they voted for at the last general election.
Yep, I know, I said the poll lead. Loads of ex-Tory voters have switched their allegiance to Reform, but included in those polls are also folks who haven't voted for anyone ever especially not the Tories or Labour. This is broadly true for all '3rd' parties in traditional 2 party systems, it's not a Reform only phenomena (der der dee der der)
It's why sometimes it looks like the SDP/Liberals/whatever they're calling themselves now, will take seats and are showing well in the polls and their leaders are tricked into saying things like "Go back to your consultancies and prepare for govt"
I'm not saying Reform aren't doing well, I'm saying polls aren't always good indicators of reality- especially true in the era of SM
Fair enough.
^^ How the hell did that happen. I mean, to square that in your head would require some sort of brain trauma surely?
Well he did vote for Brexit, but also shows you what a disparate group Reform are, so fingers crossed they'll struggle to stay as one...
I think what the polls don't show is how much effect "anything but reform" will have at the polling booth, I mean I'd vote conservative if it meant keeping reform out.
^^ How the hell did that happen. I mean, to square that in your head would require some sort of brain trauma surely?
Career politicians innit... no morals, no principals, just in it for the easy money and the gold plated pension.
See also Lizz truss, once a ...lib dem then Tory, was pro remain before brexit, after the vote, she was pro brexit.
They just follow the money and shift opinions accordingly.
Career politicians innit... no morals, no principals, just in it for the easy money and the gold plated pension.
Not sure that applies to councillors
horseshoe theory?
i have a mate whos all into the hippy & green stuff but also fell down the wellness route which is antivax adjacent and thats very reform, he sometimes comes out with some very farage like comments
They just follow the money and shift opinions accordingly.
The just follow the money and shit opinions accordingly
horseshoe theory?
i have a mate whos all into the hippy & green stuff but also fell down the wellness route which is antivax adjacent and thats very reform, he sometimes comes out with some very farage like comments
Just going off my own social meedya feed, I can see that the antivax thing led quite a few ‘normal’ people down some very bizarre, tinfoil helmeted, conspiracy-theory wormholes, which tends to lead to Reform territory.
I’ve also got a mate, who is truly the most unlikely of candidates (lives on a canal boat, very into beardy folk music and organic everything), who’s also bought into the whole thing and now apes Farage with their opinions
^^ How the hell did that happen
Because the Greens were, for a long time, attractive to the "Green Conservatives" especially in local govt who generally feel that localism is the answer - empower individuals and small government to make decisions and then get out of the way to allow them to come to their own solutions rather than more centralised "big govt" initiatives. It's only more recently that the Greens have decisively moved to give up on attracting those people, it was the "big thing" at their last conference. I'll bet money he's not the only one thinking of defecting, being moderately right wing in the Green Party probably feels pretty unsettling right now.
Aye - green politics sits apart from the left / right spectrum. Our current green parties are light green / leftie not pure dark green
Have we done Nige's cameo for Ian Watkins?
Have we done Nige's cameo for Ian Watkins?
He does seem to spend a far amount of time on cameo without really worrying about the content. Not quite sure its really suitable MP behaviour. Can you imagine the complete meltdown by the right wing rags if it had been Corbyn?
Would have thought at about 1k an hour he could have managed to do some basic checks.
Reform UK’s London mayor candidate condemned for burqa stop and search remarks - Laila Cunningham accused of endangering Muslims after saying it ‘has to be assumed’ people hiding their face for a criminal reason
Predictable but still disappointing bullshit from Reform candidate for London Mayor. As a periodically immunocompromised person, I feel like I have a pretty good reason to cover my face in public. As a Londoner, I am pretty sure that none of my neighbours are worried about being robbed by burka-wearing women (who I personally have seen about 5 times in my life in London, altho tbf I don't hang out in Whitechapel much); bally-wearing teenagers, maybe.
I’ve also got a mate, who is truly the most unlikely of candidates (lives on a canal boat, very into beardy folk music and organic everything), who’s also bought into the whole thing and now apes Farage with their opinions
Yep, I have examples of those.
Two in particular, both outwardly appear to be typical "90s alternative folk metal" fans and musicians, think New Model Army/Levellers. One of them is overtly a full on Trump supporter/free speech is dead in the UK/Londonistan/UK is an Islamic terror state/hurty words on Facebook doesn't count as incitement to violence even if they are calling for people to be burned to death information war victim.
@piemonster you need to tell your “friends” that they “should do their own research “.
Nij Al Farage is funded by the Saudis to turn the uk into an Islamic state.
He has already ethnically cleansed white Christian mainland Europeans from our land. Now he wants to remove our right to worship a Christian god by removing us from the ECHR.
When you look at THE FACTS it’s hard to disagree.
That should mess their minds just a little bit.
I’ve also got a mate, who is truly the most unlikely of candidates (lives on a canal boat, very into beardy folk music and organic everything), who’s also bought into the whole thing and now apes Farage with their opinions
Had 3 of my close mates go the same way at the start of covid with trump nonsense, religion, Michelle Obama is a man, earth is flat, didn’t go to moon etc…etc…..
They do come from a Scottish hotspot for such illness, Newmilns in Ayrshire
Dropped all contact with them/blocked their numbers etc 5 years ago, my life is shit enough without listening to such bullshit mental illness
I see he pulled out of Frau Kuenssberg's Sunday morning slot saying that he was under the weather.
Or was he not wanting to answer any questions about Donny?
Farage cannot deal with hostile questions. I heard him of the radio , he looses his head.
I wonder when more facts emerge about his life before he was so much in the public eye , the papers/tv and waiting to time it right!
Got to love his comments on the defections. Panicking Tories leaving a stinking shop is exactly why these defections are happening!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gv9gyxgjjo
I wonder who the "well known" Labour defector is likely to be next week, if it's whom it's rumoured to be, she's not been in labour for yonks.
Panicking Tories leaving a stinking shop is exactly why these defections are happening!
Speaking of which Andrew Rosindell has joined tories mk2.
Dunno about you but I am starting to have doubts that reform are really going to be an alternative to the duopoly.
rohipnol rossindale is most upset about the chagos islands....mad as a box of farages
Johnson may have purged the sensible MPs, but Farage is hoovering up the very worst of those that remain
this is awesome
Jenrick has a piece in the times saying the Tories are mad for not booting out Truss
https://bsky.app/profile/sundersays.bsky.social/post/3mcqazoqjys27
and Truss has replied to say he must be getting orders from a secret controller , because hes a Trojan horse
https://bsky.app/profile/sundersays.bsky.social/post/3mcqaupi42s27
Farage has to be setting Reform up so he can continue to throw stones at the government glass house come 2029.
He can't possibly think taking on all these Tory rats is going to help him become PM after the next General Election.
and Truss has replied to say he must be getting orders from a secret controller , because hes a Trojan horse
It’s quite something watching just how utterly batshit Liz Truss is. How much longer before she starts wearing a tinfoil helmet in public?
In May 2022, Rosindell was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust, and misconduct in public office.
What is it about Reform that attracts these sort of people?
In May 2022, Rosindell was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust, and misconduct in public office.
What is it about Reform that attracts these sort of people?
Being led by someone who is mentioned in the Epstein files?
Farage has to be setting Reform up so he can continue to throw stones at the government glass house come 2029.
He can't possibly think taking on all these Tory rats is going to help him become PM after the next General Election.
I imagine he's just loving all the publicity at the Tory's expense. He doesn't have a long term plan, certainly not one that seriously considers 2029.
Farage has to be setting Reform up so he can continue to throw stones at the government glass house come 2029.
He can't possibly think taking on all these Tory rats is going to help him become PM after the next General Election.
He doesn’t want to win. If he wins he will be accountable and wont have time to keep his current 6 jobs. He is much happier where he is now making pots of money throwing stones.
He doesn’t want to win. If he wins he will be accountable and wont have time to keep his current 6 jobs. He is much happier where he is now making pots of money throwing stones.
Agree, Where he is now is perfection for him. Get lots of money, stir things up, wind people up etc,. It is clear that he is enjoying it.
He doesn’t want to win. If he wins he will be accountable and wont have time to keep his current 6 jobs. He is much happier where he is now making pots of money throwing stones.
I've been saying this for ages. It's another level of magnitude (or at least cash) from doing f'all as an MEP. The last thing he wants to do is any real work.
Question: When Johnson became PM, did he give up all his other paid work? Did he earn more or less money, and gifts, from his side hustles than before he was PM? As an ex-PM is he in a better or worse position than other politicians financially once they give up the "day job"?
Personally, I think Farage would love to be PM. And if he can manage that, he'll make sure there will be less accountability for him than past PMs... he'll go further there than even more than Johnson, with his firing of people who tried to carry out their roles scrutinising his office.
I see he pulled out of Frau Kuenssberg's Sunday morning slot saying that he was under the weather.
Why the dog whistle?
No, but the Johnson years show that there are opportunities for an opportunist PM. You'd don't have to give up the grifting. The same can be said for some other ex-PMs as well. Of both parties. Perhaps not to the same extent. But Farage could use being PM, and his life after being PM, for his own aims just as much (I'd argue even more so) then he has used his various positions as an, er, opposition politician to benefit himself.
There were reports that being PM resulted in a pay cut as he lost his media columns etc