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i guess the question is when it comes to an actual GE would those people put their X's next to a party with no policies?
I suspect plenty would but i also think a chunk would go back to the Tories
Lowe posted a statement on X asking the party leader, Nigel Farage, to have dinner with him less than 24 hours after Lowe lost the Reform whip
FFS, a candlelit dinner?
THEGUARDIAN.COM I know that we are talking about a Reform UK MP but still, he sounds like someone with a few issues and not the most balanced person in UK politics :
“I have torn out what remaining hair I have left over the last few months trying to talk. That’s it. Just talk. I have tried, and tried, and tried to resolve all of this behind closed doors. I can only smash my head against a brick wall for so long.”
Lowe is clearly a drunk and a particularly unpleasant one.
McMurdock is a domestic violence perp.
Farage and Tice have just happened on an easier grift than timeshares/second hand cars.
30p Lee is just a figure of ridicule.
How anyone can look at this rabble and think "yes, they're the people who most accurately represent me" is totally unfathomable.
Other rabbles?
Other rabbles?
Or less rabbly rabbles that can be painted as rabbly to sway the gullible?
How anyone can look at this rabble and think "yes, they're the people who most accurately represent me" is totally unfathomable
people just see Farage banging on about immigrants and tick the reform box , wnd the reform name helps, because people feel that it means change
How anyone can look at this rabble and think "yes, they're the people who most accurately represent me" is totally unfathomable.
That's the kind of thinking that gave us Brexit. People generally aren't that interested in politics - they'll vote for the thing that seems to address their concerns without being that bothered about what exactly they'll get if they win the vote. Meanwhile the quietly concerned spend more time convincing themselves that "surely nobody would vote for this" than polishing their arguments so their answer looks like the best option.
people just see Farage banging on about immigrants and tick the reform box
It's not even that anymore.
"Strong anti-immigration views were dominant among those who voted Reform in the 2024 general election, but those who have begun to support the party since then have far more diverse views.
“This includes a sizeable group of voters who are actually quite positive towards the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism but increasingly feel the main parties have failed and it is time for something new.”
So people are not necessarily thinking "yes, they're the people who most accurately represent me". They are just looking for alternatives.
Unusually I agree with Ernie on this - Reform attracts a lot of interest from people just disillusioned with the old Tory/Labour choice, we aren't allowed to forgive the LibDems and the Greens aren't quite big enough yet.
Anyway, the bust up continues:
BBC News - Lawyer probing Reform UK row contradicts MP Lowe
BBC.COM
Anyway, the bust up continues:
This is Farage's perpetual curse. His schtick is that he's popular with people who dislike stuff. He easily gets misanthropes to rally to him, but when they do they realise amongst the things they hate are... other misanthropes, including him. And the feeling is mutual, he really doesn't seem to like any of them either.
I just came to add that I really, really dislike Farridge - people I know have started to share his shit on Facebook & it really gets to me that they have fallen for his brand of bull shite.
Lowe and Habib talking about setting up their own party & FT reporting that Musk thinking of backing an alternative to Reform.....
Farage will not be happy
I am sure that Nigel Farage will be very pleased with this. It is one thing for Reform UK to receive defections from the hard-right of the Tory Party but this defection from a LibDem councillor follows a Labour councillor defecting to Reform last month.
BBC.CO.UK I can't imagine this will be the last of the defections from more "centrist" parties as Reform's electoral successe grows and centrists discover that their principles and values are surprisingly malleable and easily redefined.
Reforms constitution is written to make it almost impossible to dethrone Farage, can you imagine getting 50% of their membership to write a letter.... and reform have to get to 100+ MPs before their MPs get the chance to overthrow the anointed one.
Whilst visiting one of my friends his father stopped in, he got to talking about politics...
He's a typical working class fella, now retired, and was telling me he's now going to vote for Reform. His reasoning was very simple - he's voted Labour all his life, but he no longer see's anything related to him in their party, says they're as bad as Tory. They just take everything I worked for, tax this and that, give nothing back.
His pals are of the same view and also going to vote Reform 'because we might as well, they say they will make it better'...
The problem I see is that no one really has any actual interest in politics and the vast majority get their 'news' from the likes of Facebook. People are surprisingly easily manipulated.
We're doomed...
The problem I see is that no one really has any actual interest in politics and the vast majority get their 'news' from the likes of Facebook. People are surprisingly easily manipulated
Accepting this, but also this is also true
His reasoning was very simple - he's voted Labour all his life, but he no longer see's anything related to him in their party,
I just don't understand how people think Reform is the answer. But then, I couldn't understand why people voted for Brexit, so maybe it's me.
Hopefully enough will see the binfire across the pond to put them off voting for "anyone but the establishment".
Lowe and Habib talking about setting up their own party & FT reporting that Musk thinking of backing an alternative to Reform.....
Let's call it Veritas.... The English Democrats ... The Alliance for Democracy... Provisional UKIP ..... Returning Point Uk ..... Continuity Reform.... Regretsit..... Aunty Federalist's League... the Re-Referendum Party .... Paul Nuttal's Greatest Hits..... Robert Kilroy's Ilk?
he's voted Labour all his life, but he no longer see's anything related to him in their party, says they're as bad as Tory. They just take everything I worked for, tax this and that, give nothing back.
I just can't see how people who voted Labour in the 70s and 80s now think Labour is too much of a high-tax state? Labour are well to the right of Kinnock et al now.
There is a (cynical) generational argument that suggests these people were happy to vote for a higher tax state with a decent dole when they were young and skint, but now that they're retired homeowners they want to pull up the ladder for others. I don't want to suggest that's what this guy is like, but it would fit....
The key words were "not seeing anything related to him". What did Labour used to be/do that related to him (and I guess by related he means benefitted)
now that they're retired homeowners they want to pull up the ladder for others. I don't want to suggest that's what this guy is like, but it would fit....
That sums up my parents - every time I see them now the conversation has to be steered away from tax cos they moan & complain about their money being stolen.
They do not like Farage tho - so that is something
The ladder has already been pulled up, the establishment are burying their heads in the sand and are not offering solutions, when the establishment offer no hope it isn't hard to see why false hope can become an increasingly popular option. Put the blame where it lies, with the parties that have been in power for the past 40 years, until they change tact they are making the ground fertile for the populist to take advantage of the continued failure.
The key words were "not seeing anything related to him". What did Labour used to be/do that related to him (and I guess by related he means benefitted)
I’m in a similar position, well, actually, for the last 10+ years. None of the mainstream parties appeal to me. I wont be voting for anyone, as Farage and his cronies would be just as bad if they got any power. As for Labour, I lost faith very quickly with Blair, I thought Starmer may be a change for the better, but no, he hasnt got any principles he’d stand up for, he didnt put up fuel duty, yet cut bus subsidies are my arguments against him, then it was found he was another with his nose in the trough, receiving ‘donations’ of £32k of clothes for himself. FFS, he’s on a decent wage, he has no doubt been on a good wage for the last 20 years, yet still takes £32k+ of gifts. I’ve got no doubt that Farage, Badenoch and any other high ranking Politician would do the same, which, to a working class person, is very close to corruption, so none of them get my vote, but , I can see why people would vote for Reform, as the two main Parties are failing the Electorate, so what other choice is there?
Given that Labour are turning out to be the Tories only with less internal bitching and less external culture wars shit for me the choice is obvious in the Green Party (as it has been for many years) but they will never be a serious contender for many reasons so I may as well not bother voting.
So I see its all calming down between farage & lowe......
I have fought against the rape gangs for over a decade.
For Rupert Lowe to say that I tried to prevent him talking about it is monstrous.
He told Lee Anderson he would ‘slit the throat of the Reform party’.
Lowe is out to cause damage & should be ignored by our supporters.
And Lowe replied:
Desperate.
I said that Reform leadership was slitting its own throat by launching this horrific smear campaign against me, with zero credible evidence.
I raised questions of Reform policy, communication and structure. The day after, you kicked me out.
That’s your real motive
In other Reform news....
BBC News - Ex-Reform UK Wales leader to stand trial over Russia-linked bribes
FFS....
THETIMES.COM
At a working men’s club in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham, the Reform leader made his most audacious attempt yet to outflank Labour to its left on the economy, praising trade unions and calling for the return of nationalised heavy industry, coal mining and oil and gas extraction.
Dismissing attacks on his past support for privatised healthcare — which Labour hope will neutralise Reform’s appeal among its voters — he again positioned himself firmly on the left, insisting: “We’ve never, ever, ever suggested anything other than that the NHS should be free.”
The call for reindustrialisation marked a deliberate breach with Reform’s Thatcherite roots. Farage called for a “pragmatic” relationship between his party and the trade unions and declined to criticise Unite’s ongoing bin strike in Birmingham, instead blaming Labour’s “soft-touch” approach in negotiations.
This is the guy previously quoted as wanting to know why a government should bail out British Steel?
Opportunistic little bandwagon jumping grifter.
the choice is obvious in the Green Party (as it has been for many years) but they will never be a serious contender for many reasons so I may as well not bother voting.
It's always worth voting. 1.8 million votes at the last election and look at the trend:
So Farage is having a go at mixing socialism into his nationalism?
If only there was a catchy abbreviation for this novel new political ideology.
It's always worth voting. 1.8 million votes at the last election and look at the trend:
Yes, I still vote but in my constituency Green got 6% which was 2% down from previous time. I am in a high arsehole area though with the Tory winning yet again (he has been there for almost 30 years) so doesn't go for other areas.
So Farage is having a go at mixing socialism into his nationalism?
If only there was a catchy abbreviation for this novel new political ideology.
Nigel Farage's newfound commitment to nationalisation might be primarily driven by its popular appeal but let's hope that it is greater than that of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
The Nazis government was very big on privatisation, including the steel industry. In fact they were the first government to carry out mass privatisation, 50 years before Margaret Thatcher.
"
The first mass privatization of state property occurred in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1937: "It is a fact that the government of the National Socialist Party sold off public ownership in several state-owned firms in the middle of the 1930s. The firms belonged to a wide range of sectors: steel, mining, banking, local public utilities, shipyard, ship-lines, railways, etc. In addition to this, delivery of some public services produced by public administrations prior to the 1930s, especially social services and services related to work, was transferred to the private sector, mainly to several organizations within the Nazi Party."
Great Britain privatized its steel industry in the 1950s, and the West German government embarked on large-scale privatization, including sale of the majority stake in Volkswagen to small investors in public share offerings in 1961. However, it was in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States that privatization gained worldwide momentum."
Nigel Farage's newfound commitment to nationalisation might be primarily driven by its popular appeal but let's hope that it is greater than that of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
The Nazis government was very big on privatisation, including the steel industry. In fact they were the first government to carry out mass privatisation, 50 years before Margaret Thatcher.
I'm pretty sure that is exactly Farages view of "nationalisation".
His local minions are very vocal on local FB pages ahead of the local elections. Any publicity being good publicity.
‘Working from home?’ Says NF, well forget it.
what a complete idiot. I’ve worked from home for 18 years. It’s enabled me to carry on ‘manufacturing’ something for people, paying into the economy and not paying extortionate rent to a landlord for a workroom.
Hubby also wfh and is more productive (and works slightly more hours, due to not having to travel).
what happened to choice Nigel?
He’s a revolting oxygen thief, who like his bessie over the pond, doesn’t give a flying fig for the environment, nature or any ‘green’ climate issues which are almost at critical level.
And breath.
Well this should be fun. Now farage has control of my county council Im looking forward to seeing how his councillors stop the boats given no part of the county is less than 50 miles from the sea.
He’s about to find out what Unions are capable of with he threats of sacking people for no reason, he even made departments up to try get his fans on board.
Here’s hoping that now they’re responsible for actually making some decisions that actually effect peoples lives, that they’ll now be held up to the same scrutiny as the other political parties.
Thats been woefully absent up until now and Farage always seems to be given a free pass to spout any old bollocks without ever being challenged over any of it
He’s about to find out what Unions are capable of with he threats of sacking people for no reason, he even made departments up to try get his fans on board.
Thinking about that - I wonder if the threats against people working on climate change and ‘DEI’ were really aimed at his US/overseas base (which IIRC is an important source of funding/speaking gigs) rather than the UK electorate?
Here’s hoping that now they’re responsible for actually making some decisions that actually effect peoples lives, that they’ll now be held up to the same scrutiny as the other political parties.
Very likely I would have thought, with responsibility comes accountability, something which Farage uniquely among party leaders has up until now been spared.
I believe that as a baggage-free party leader, combined with an electorate desperate for something fresh and new, that Farage was in a strong position to become UK prime minister in 2029.
Farage might yet rue the day that Reform won control of six councils and scuppered his long-term political ambitions.
His other obvious vulnerability is his perceived closeness to Donald Trump. It is a vulnerability which his political opponents should be exploiting mercilessly and which he himself has apparently recognised
The findings may explain why Reform leader Nigel Farage – a close ally of Trump – has become noticeably more critical of the president in recent weeks.
Edit. : Blimey, I need to keep more up to date with the news, I've just seen that Reform now control 10 councils, ffs.
Still, I guess this just increases their exposure to accountability. Winning one or more parliamentary seats does nothing to increase their accountability but winning control of 10 councils certainly does.
ChrisMac - you must be in the same county as me - Kent?
It is a dire situation, but hopefully people will see they have little policy other than what is popular enough to get them elected. Implementing them will be very difficult I think & hope.
He will not be able to handle the pressure....have you seen his reactions to awkward questions? He will step aside at a time when he realizes he ( and his party ) is out of its depth but ride the wave as long as he can.
Who knew that the Special Air Service are known for financial acumen and auditing skills?
Richard Tice knows!
“So what I’m saying is, we need to adopt a SAS-style approach to this. We’ve got to save money.
I feel strangely, and patriotically, reassured.