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

Many people have explained on this thread again and again but personally I am a centrist, I'm not into extremes and values that are so opposite to my moral code, basically views that maybe questioned at the pearly gates.

Actually Brexit was mainly about keeping East Europaeans -and to some extent all Continentals- out, though it was certainly latched onto by colour-prejudiced racists.

And earlier there was a lot of anti-Irish hostility in England.

Some of the worst forms of racism in history did not involve people of different skin colour: e.g. the Nazis and Europaean Jews.

But certainly colour prejudice plays a large and nasty part in racism. Just not the only part.

in what way in terms of those views and how are those views different from someone who is part of the main 2 parties ?

Views that is.

Yes when they are not morally repugnant.

So anti Muslim isn't racist? What?

people can still be friends and have different views

The closest thing I've ever heard to racism is anti-Islam rhetoric. But given that Islam is a religion, it's not easy to make the case for that being racist.

Cobblers, you really think they are talking about Islam the religion and not just 'muslims' in general?

Was it? Oh by name you mean😂, yes, we never had a party run by Farage did we...oh hang on.

No they didn't win the election with FPTP which has been the system that every party had to work with and no one else was whining.

You're perfectly aware that Farage has been around since the 90s. He's a long standing figure in British politics and led UKIP.

He left UKIP and started Reform, their core message is anti immigration. Reform may be a new party but Farage isn't.

It's pretty obvious, given their lack of quality candidates or experience, that people would vote for a pig with a rosette if it was grunting about getting immigrants out.

Reform have a few seats. Yes, their popularity surged after Musk stirred up a load of anti Muslim feeling. Some people lack critical thinking and don't realise when they're being played.

Oh I'm sure she does.

@Goldenbearyour earlier post on builders to solicitors etc. if that was across the board you’d see it in MRP polls etc

There’s been some threads / posts on support for Reform collapsing due to Lowe or Trump etc but so far they are moving upwards, Labour went down after Spring statement.

I've personally spoken to Reform candidates in candid chats, and I've read what they say in public. And I've never heard anything racist from them.

They are anti-immigration of any kind. Brexit was about white European immigration.

The closest thing I've ever heard to racism is anti-Islam rhetoric. But given that Islam is a religion, it's not easy to make the case for that being racist.

In fact I've heard some candidates very clearly say they have no issue with skin colour. It's unchecked immigration (and for some Islamic culture, ie anti women etc).

Of course it could be possible that some Reform members or candidates are racist, but to assume that Reform is automatically racist has no basis in reality.

Reform was a new party, only a couple of months old, and it got more votes than Labour. It's only due to the electoral system that these votes didn't translate into seats.

Sorry can you elaborate on that?

I highly doubt there is a friend.

Before the General Election last year our local regional news station interviewed a group of middle aged people to see who they were thinking of voting for. Out of the six or seven giving their views the only one thinking of voting Reform was black.

If your comment holds you’d see it in the loss of support. They are still leading.

What does that even mean? No, I don't live in a bubble, I live in reality which I'm afraid many Reform enthusiasts don't as in the real world, Reform have 5 seats, 5 poxy seats, sorry but that doesn't say 'winners' to me.

If you don't want to be thought of in a certain way, you really do need to be aware of the company you keep and the message that is projecting to the world. That's your decision to make, nobody else's, take some responsibility and own it.

Yes, polls mean nothing 6 months in - of course there is going to be backlash as many people are not interested in deep analysis, they listen to vox pops and they don't apply critical analysis to it. Equally, many people said they vote Reform but didn't vote at all in the end. Equally, how many seats did theses votes translate into? Still nobody responds as the harsh reality is Reform are not winners. They are not just a party, they are on the right of the right wing Conservatives, many people in Britain just aren't into extremes. That's the hard facts they'll have to come to terms with.

I’d write back “It’s nice to know where we stand…”

Turkeys vote for Christmas, look at Brexit.

I agree with this.

Reform are an inherently fascist, rascist misogynistic party. Farage thinks Andrew Tate is a great bloke.

And frankly I'd like to see an in depth investigation into just how much support Reform and Farage receive from Russia.

I'm all for embracing different political opinions, but really I draw the line at someone supporting those viewpoints. I could not be friends with someone who thought it was OK to be sexist or anti semitic etc.

But its important to remember she's of the same class as Farage, he's also uber posh having gone to Dulwich college. He can pretend he's a man of the people swigging his pint but he simply is not.

People like her are realising that the likes of Trump and Farage can enjoy power and even greater wealth by telling the lower socio economic, poorly educated classes that foreigners, people of colour and women are to blame for all their ills.

Look at how people lapped up Farage's Brexit lies. Despite the fact that he had personally profited as an MEP whilst doing nothing. They still support him. Why? Because their hatred of those who are different blinds them to his lies and wrongdoings. Their support becomes cult like.

She's buying into that. She's helping create a society where we all have less rights, less freedom and blameless groups are scapegoated.

Look at all the posts online about how in the aftermath of Adolescence white men and boys are being scapegoated for the crmes of black men and boys. It's so clearly rubbish, but that narrative is running because it allows men instead of self reflecting to just blame people of colour. When they're just casting complicit in the rapes, murders and brutalisation of women.

She's joining that very movement, that contingent of people who are happy to oppress and benefit from oppression.

She would be dead to me.

In our local elections, the Reform candidate is an Indian immigrant, so I’m not sure it’s as clear cut as that.

I will never not demonise people who hold racist views. Not all views are respect worthy.