A casual friend has just told me she's standing as a Reform candidate

Someone called Donna Edmunds, who was running as a Reform candidate, apparently did yes. They are a weird bunch.

He wants a statue of a convicted criminal in every town square? What a moron.

I've never wanted to vandalise before....... I'd have a chainsaw on order in a hot feckin' second!

We're going to get 'taken over' by 'brown folk', haven't you heard?

😂

Some more genius moves from a reform candidate. A tommy robinson statue in every town square!!!

https://leftfootforward.org/2025/04/reform-uk-candidate-called-for-tommy-robinson-statue-in-every-town-square/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJiKZpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHozVAO8ogi015aFrXPkJltge6eLKkseu7hvjsKJQjawT-AycC3AODrYPGyka_aem_by9Fx-q4376Gz0vVAb3GeA. A

I could cope just about with a Reform friend, more so if they had come from a position of Tory than if they had come from BNP/UKIP.
I wouldn't be friends with someone standing for election as Reform though. I wouldn't be rude to them but I would think a lot less of them and reduce time spent with them.

I've checked my list of local councillors up for election, I don't know any of them.

Pleased you've got your priorities straight!

@Goldenbear I think that gets more difficult as time goes on, though. In my experience, while people’s fundamental views don’t usually change, as you become older, they tend to get more extreme. My husband’s views, and mine, were much less developed when we met when I was 17 and he was 21. Now we’re 67 and 70, we’ve both become more entrenched in our opinions. I’ve noticed this with most of our friends as well.

It's not as simple as that though, you have to dissect it to understand the real motivations and much of that is to do with many people have become unable to be intelligent, free thinking agents. It is not a case of the rise in Reform support is founded on a corresponding rise in fundamental understanding of the issues at play. There is lots of social media manipulation, people not applying critical thinking to these vox pops, just becoming feverishly outraged and not knowing why. A good example of that was in a Welsh town that had the highest votes for Brexit but also received the highest number of grants from the EU, they got caught up on the feverish hate and they ironically turned on themselves!

I'm not referring to always agreeing, I stated, "diametrically opposed" so I could not entertain a relationship with someone who is extremely right wing, racist or sexist/misogynist as I have principles that I stand by and it would be completely unattractive to me. Disagreeing or debating an economic policy or political approach to an issue, perhaps informed by our jobs (where one or other of us may know more about the issue being debated) is an entirely different prospect to understanding someone who is a hot headed, unthinking fascist for example.

Not a big shot but I did ensure my investments were not at her mercy. Up 20% in 8 months and tax free.

A big shot investor scared of rachel from accounts indeed...

Politics is something that we’ve always discussed round the dinner table too, as did my parents, but I think it’s quite healthy to be able to debate different viewpoints rather than have identical opinions and agree with everything the other says. No matter how opposed your views are on uk politics in general, there are always things that you will agree on- for example, we both discuss the situation in Gaza on a daily basis with growing horror, particularly as our son in law is Palestinian and has lost a large number of his family over the last 18 months. My parents had very differing political views but it didn’t cause any problems in their relationship either because they were mature enough to accept that not everyone shares the same opinion.

She is a complete economic liability, literally everything she does is counter productive for the economy.

I have done rather well financially out of her stupidity but it does break my heart watching her impoverish the country and scare off investors (including me) day after day.

You're not even close friends. Just acquaintances the way you've described it. So no headspace or faux outrage needed here. Just get on with your life....

This isn’t the last time you’re going to have a Reform UK friend unless they are all lying in case you shame them. Reform has a lot of supporters and the support is growing. More and more people want to preserve Britain. ESpecially young people who see their future as bleak with the current policies.

Yes, this is so true and why more than any other party are they constantly batting off accusations of racism!

From the outset I wouldn't be bothered with DH if he had diametrically opposed views to me. I think it just touches every aspect of your life, luckily he feels the same and politics, economics, society is always a talking point around our dinner table, with our teenagers, with our friends but we both grew up in households where this was very much the case.

Funny you should say that- yes.

I see you are another one who thinks the 'rachel from accounts' line is a) acceptable and b) funny. It is neither.

Also, I bet you know less than her about economics.

Do you prefer the economic mastermind that is Rachel from accounts? 😂

Yes I've done that too. I generally like to associate with people with economic and political acumen greater than an invertebrate.

Just reply with "reform does not fit with my views so sorry I won't be voting for you. See you next week at ...

Unfortunately for you and your acquaintances on various sides of the debate, there are laws we're signed up to.

In order to determine if someone is an economic migrant, they need to have their case processed. You can't just ask someone on the beach.

We're not talking about due process, we're talking about a Reform candidate describing how the army should be using people as target practice. He didn't sound hysterical to me.

Sounds like you have done everyone a favour there. You sound very immature.

So long as she’s not sharing her political views with you on a regular basis, I don’t see why it matters. My husband and I have very very different political views in most respects but it’s not something that has caused an issue between us in the 50 years we’ve been together because we’re both mature adults and can accept that other people have opposing views. We’ve had many robust political debates over the years but his views don’t make him a different person from who he was when I met him and fell in love with him. I’ve also got a couple of friends with quite extreme views but that doesn’t stop me from being friends with them - we just know not to discuss politics.