to think we're all being manipulated

I think this is true - my DS has been completely manipulated (he would disagree) by tiktok and instagram among others

If you think everyone posting on mumsnet is real you are definitely being manipulated.

A lot of it is to distract you from ridiculous levels of inequality and that we are still paying out £22 billion to support banks who caused the financial crisis https://www.ippr.org/media-office/thatcher-style-tax-on-bank-windfalls-could-raise-billions-for-public-services-says-ippr

Sadly, she's coming out as underperforming intellectually

I think it's relevant because the idea is that they should fight Islamism, corruption, banditry, whatever and make their country better. I know it's not a complete solution, but it does hold validity.

Unfortunately from your post seems you are at the bottom of people capable of even a second of critical thinking.....therefore you are between the most deceived ones

Are you a man BTW and especially an asylum seeker

I couldn't agree with you more OP.
To hear some people you'd think the disadvantage of the WC has only arrived with migrants, rather than being woven into our history forever.
Until less privileged people wake up to the real cause of their inequality, that they are poor because people making profit from them don't reward their labour adequately; that they are poorly housed because people are using the basic human need for housing to feather their own nests at the expense of those less fortunate; that their neighbourhoods are neglected, unsafe and unpleasant because they are not a priority for those with the power to improve them; nothing will change.
If somehow Reform have a magic solution to 'the boats' their supporters will very quickly discover this doesn't put an extra penny in their pockets or improve their lives at all. And in return for seeing fewer black and brown faces in their neighbourhoods they will be sacrificing things they may greatly need. Because they're not the ones with private health care or a cushion of wealth that means they'll never need the welfare state Reform seeks to dismantle.

The government could end mass immigration tomorrow if it really wanted to. We're an island in case anyone hadn't noticed. It's a distraction, suits the narrative.

Don’t worry, you’re not coming across as smarter than anyone else.

Yes we have been manipulated for years, telling us immigration was a good thing. Telling us multiculturalism was an achievable and desirable goal. Ignoring the need for a cohesive society, one that shared ex a common culture, values, goals, beliefs and history.

The term “fighting age men”’has been used for a long time to describe men of s as m ag ex where the eg are generally physically fit enough to fight and is used to decide who should be conscripted - usually 18 to 40ish year old men.

And yes they should be in their own countries fighting to make it a decent place to live

I completely agree and worse still those who shut down debate to "protect" marginalised groups have actually made things worse for them. Anyone with a passing acquaintance with human nature could have predicted this outcome. Some of us were trying to warn about it more than ten years ago and today we have OP opening a thread with a statement about being flamed by Reform voters; Reform wouldn't even exist if people like OP had listened years ago.

I'm so fed up of hearing people complaining about the unintended consequences of their own actions whilst continuing to fuel the division they claim to be concerned about.

I smiled at this too. Prison sentences for anyone whose hips tell an untruth.

But I agree with the OP, manipulation of the masses by the powerful elite is as big a problem now as it ever was.

Unfortunately at the root of it is increasing poverty, increased cost of living and the majority of society feeling very dissatisfied. The only reasonable solution is for the extremely rich to share their wealth. They are too arrogant and selfish to admit this though and are very unlikely to do it in any meaningful way. If they were really paying attention in their history lessons though they should be just as terrified as we are as the end result is probably catastrophic for everyone.

If you look at history all 20th century fascist regimes have started in countries where the 'little guy' is in desperate and impoverished situations. Here's the other significant fact as well .... no fascist regime has ever been overturned without force. No reasonable government has been able to pacify them. Once they're in power it is too late. Also no fascist regime has existed in Europe during the time of modern technology, modern weapons and modern communication and America has never fallen to a fascist regime which would be a complete other kettle of fish. The immigration debate is the symptom not the disease and the end result is too horrifying to imagine.

What a strangely familiar picture 😀

This cartoon again.

I voted Remain but take a look at numbers sent back under the Dublin agreement, they were very low and we took more than returned.

Also have a think about Germany, ROI and other EU countries who can still use it.

Have you noticed the problems they’re facing with the same issue?

They are both an issue for me at the minute.

Left is walking away from it's voted base or hasn't got answers when it gets power.

I really like Andy Burnham not keen on Stamer at all or his lack of progress but not sure up for another round of party infighting and musical chairs with PM.

I also think Farage would be a disatser but I think polls won't be reflective of any election outcomes. Conservative lost as much to Lib dems as they did to reform.

I think there are major issue than none of the polictical parties are willing to engage with or don't have answers to but aren't willing to say to electorate - and it's not just in UK it's most of the western world as far as I can see.

I tend to agree with Gary's Economics that right wing stoking anger and getting media attention to due billionare money as people feel thimngs getting worse and want some kind of change and they don't want it to be tax the rich or look at money flows. But I've not seeing the main stream left rise up and have polices I can get behind - I'm seeing just as much gaslighting and lies.

In fact increasing feel left and right labels in regards to the main parties are meaningless reclics of the past.

Still so apt! https://pjhollis123.medium.com/careful-mate-that-foreigner-wants-your-cookie-aba1c536b0d8

The NHS is failing because successive politicians have pulled it apart over many years . In the process more and more of our taxes have gone into the pockets of private companies rather than directly delivering care .
The press don’t report on what has really happened leaving a bewildered and angry public to blame ‘ volume ‘ ( ie immigrants / older people ) as here because they haven’t paid attention to what’s happening / happened with policy over many years .

A read of the 2012 Health & Social Care act is pretty sobering.That piece of legislation completely dismantled the NHS behind the scenes .
Cameron sold off our blood plasma ( freely given by blood donors ) to an American company , Bain Capital , who further sold it on to a Chinese company . The NHS have to buy it back for use .
Farage is committed to abolishing the NHS . We will have an American style health system if Reform are elected .

Same. A few years ago I said we’d see increased in social and political strain due to the asylum system and immigration. JFC people were bad at hearing that.

And here we are with exactly that. I hope some political careers feel it. All the head in the sand and abuse.

As for manipulated everyone is trying to get us to listen, that includes the left for the op to repeat those lines.

I’m not sure I understand your questions but there’s a detailed paper on the effect of Brexit on migration here.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2025/772910/EPRS_BRI(2025)772910_EN.pdf#page4

Basically, though, when the Dublin Regulation ceased to apply in the UK at the end of 2020, the UK could no longer return asylum seekers to the first EU country of arrival. Hence the huge increase in arrivals and applications.

I’m sure you already know that though and thought about it carefully before deciding how to vote in 2016.

At least on here that's fairly rare and even if you don't mute the posts you can scroll on by. The posts here are arranged in chronological order only. Whereas the more algorithm heavy discussion forums will make sure you see lots and lots of posts that are directly offensive to you. Alongside lots of posts that conform your world view. Just as I would think, if I based my worldview on social media, that all right wing voters have nothing but contempt for "soft liberal lefties". The level of hatred spouted by Trump and Vance. There are people like that in the UK (SYL) but most aren't. I know this because my mum voted for Brexit and she's lovely.

I'm quite encouraged by the results of your poll, OP. More people agreeing with you than I expected, which is welcome.

Is it? Really? Why do you accept the idea that it has to be anyone against anyone else?

To me that mentality is the real problem, in whatever direction it is aimed.

Football ‘hooligans’ are to blame.
God, you should hear yourself.
It’s these kind of snobbish stereotypes that have got us into this mess.