... to think that Nigel Farage will be our next PM?

This, I'm afraid.

None of the mainstream political parties address voters concerns. We can only stand by and watch them flush the country down the toilet. Brexit was a distress vote and Reform is a distress vote. The population is in distress. They're angry. Reform are a shower, but it's the only way people can register their distress.

We are in an abusive relationship with our politicians and we can't escape so people look to other ways of addressing the problem. Like suicide, it's self destructive, but at least it's a release. This is how far we've fallen.

Out of touch one moment - dangerous populist saying what people want to hear the next... which is it?

No. He didn't say that. That is a right-wing talking point promoted by the Mail, GB News, Telegraph etc, to undermine him

What he said was, he hoped to be able to continue to switch off at 5.30 on Fridays in order to have some semblance of a normal family life (his wife is of Jewish heritage and they have a tradition of Friday Night Dinner.)

You can accuse Keir Starmer of a lot of things. Being lazy or half-hearted about his job seems a strange one to pick, especially after the legacy of Johnson and Cameron.

Very much this too.

Another out of touch ex public schoolboy heigh ho.

He’s a good chance. He has a way of promising things without actually saying how.
The fact is that if you are young and working class life is hard- harder than it was 20 years ago. You have to get into enormous debt if you want to go to university. If you don’t go and you try and find work you end up on a zero hours contract. You can’t afford to buy a house even though you work hard. There is no sign of things improving. Labour seem the same as the conservatives. They can find money for defence spending but not to sort out hospitals or schools. Public transport is still a joke, council tax is still high, waiting lists are still long. Houses are being built but the so called affordable ones rely on a 35 year mortgage or part ownership only.
If I were to name the policies Labour has put in place since they took office I can only recall three- VAT on schools, winter fuel cuts and disability benefit cuts. Two out of those three are things I never thought Labour would do. Also the revenue from the vat doesn’t seem to be as much as anticipated and schools in the state sector are facing further cuts.
I don’t want Reform in - I just pray Labour can sort things out.

It’s not just vocal outliers though, is it?

YouGov, a respected polling organisation have predicted they’ll be the largest party if there was a general election now.

And I do think a lot of Reform voters are shy.

I don’t know Ed Davey’s good at social media, they could break through.

Was anyone other than long term labour voters excited about labour pre general election? I held my nose and voted for them, but my goodness they have really not delivered.

Boris Johnson was always a vote winner and though many Tories didn’t like him they would back him as they knew this. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone who takes an interest in politics outside of their own political beliefs

and American politics is completely different Trump only had to work hard during campaigning which goes on for months and the US population is saturated with the campaigning that also costs billions

And staunchly hate girls and women so they are simply not credible.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/05/nigel-farage-reform-uk-teenage-councillors-vital-public-services

I’m not sure the Reform way of putting inexperienced privately educated teens in charge of massive local budgets is proving that popular.

It’s probably a case of sitting back and letting Reform do themselves in- bit like Trump.

Well, yeah obviously. But I won't hold my breath.

No they didn't - they got in on a 'hold your nose and choose the least worse option ' vote.

Yes, they’re a political party and yes, they’ll be allowed if they have a majority of seats in the House of Commons.

And anyway, being PM is easy - all you need to do is cut immigration and abolish WFH and we’ll be living in a land of unfettered milk and honey within no time.

No, he won’t be. I’m a floating voter - I voted Labour in the last election and Conservative in the one before.

I am not a person who says or who has ever said “I would NEVER vote Tory” or “I would NEVER vote Labour or Lib Dem” - I believe that certainly the three main parties can evolve and respond and adapt and I consider myself to be centrist.

I cannot see myself ever voting Reform as they are too extreme. I have enough faith in voters that MOST people want balance and good public services and the poorest in society to be able to be looked after and heat their homes.

there are vocal outliers screaming on social media that make it look like Reform are popular but they aren’t. I don’t know a single person who would vote for them, though plenty are happy to say they’d vote Tory or Labour or Leave or Remain.

I don’t think Reform voters are “shy” either.

Farage likes being a fox in the hen house. He doesn’t want actual responsibility and hard graft. He likes to float about, unscrutinised, earning money and being an agent provocateur. The day to day grind of politics and running a country holds very little appeal.

Farage has 4 years to maximise his earning potential before the next general election. I suspect he will have a handy excuse as to why he can’t lead the country but should have a lucrative advisory role.

Isn't that a good thing.

Four years is a long time in politics.

Nick Clegg won over a lot of people who would have been labour voters, who then felt betrayed when he abandoned his principles and formed a co-olition with the Tories. They've never recovered. If ever there was a time for them to step up, figure out what it is they actually stand for and offer some sort of credible alternative then this is it but they don't seem to be doing or saying anything to seize the opportunity.

although it’s high time there was a break on Amazon’s endless killing of the high street…

Is it hard graft though? Did Starmer not say he wasn't doing any more than 9-5?

Has he said how?

Given the way our voting system works he won’t be

And Trump was voted president, twice