Are you now more likely to vote for REFORM (the party)

I live in the West of Scotland and there's a large Pakistani community here - third generation. People who came over in the 50s and 60s. Surely you have to see that not everyone who is Pakistani is involved in grooming gangs - there are people coming here to flee war - why is the suggestion that people are coming here to groom kids?

The trend of people becoming more right wing with age is nowhere near as strong as it used to be - in the last GE, the age where the majority switched from left to right had risen to 65 - 70 whereas it had previously sat at around 40 - 45. As people become better educated, they see parties like Reform for what they are: lazy, incompetent grifters solely out to line their own pockets, blowing out cheap promises like so much hot air.
The reason they are doing well in the polls is that older people are more likely to go out and vote. And even there, they are doing less well than they were three months ago. They are starting to lose council elections because people can see what Reform councils are doing.

Arrogant of you to describe yourself as educated and intelligent to be honest. It’s also been found time and time again that younger people (ie with less life experience and wisdom) vote for more left wing parties and become more right wing with age.

A lot of educated women know about grooming gangs and know how women are treated in Afghanistan and Pakistan etc and don’t want that for their children

My relative who was one of the only white kids in a majority Pakistani school regularly had the crap beaten out of him, sorry I forgot to mention it was more than just “microaggressions” or whatever the current trendy word is.
Maybe I don’t know every detail about their childhood but it definitely didn’t involve any of what my relative went through

Who are you to say that the ‘black and brown’ children were treated the same as everyone else, you don’t know that at all…you’re not living their childhoods.

You have so much inherent racism it’s really sad to see. And deeply frustrating that people like you won’t see past that and actually have a proper read of everything else Farage stands for.

I really struggle to see how anyone can think reform will do anything to protect women. They seem to be focusing themselves in a way which will make things worse not better

HTH with what?

What you are saying is racist. You're doing nothing to dispel the idea that Reform voters are primarily attracted to the party because it normalises racism. Also, re your previous point, it isn't intelligent and educated women who vote Reform; quite the opposite. It's been found time and time again that the more formal education you have, the less likely you are to vote for right wing parties. I'm an educated and intelligent woman and I take exception to you telling me that should make me see the sense in voting for a quasi fascistic party.

Are you trying to suggest that everyone coming over here to seek asylum are coming over for nefarious reasons? Some people are nasty racists. Racism is on the rise - it's out there in plain sight all over social media and with these vigilante gangs who turn up at hotels housing asylum seekers

Ok but I have read a lot of survivors of the grooming gangs stories as well as having a close relative who was one of the only white boys in a majority Pakistani school, it was not a good experience. Strangely whites are always cast as the nasty racists but the school I went to was majority white and the small number of black and brown kids were treated just like everyone else.

What concerns me is the number of vigilante groups that have sprung up because of the rhetoric that Farage and Co are promoting - all apparently to protect women and girls. I don't need a bunch of racists protecting me

I saw a conversation on Facebook about a year ago where a mum was saying they were too scared to order a just eat incase a "Black man" came to the door with the food - it was retweeted hundreds of times

I actually challenged her and said - you're racist. There's someone I know reasonably well who keeps reposting this stuff and she runs a local cafe - she owns it. I just keep thinking - how would anyone who isn't white feel going into your cafe with the stuff you keep posting on social media?

Perhaps if you read some peoples back stories you might understand why they are fleeing. I used to visit asylum seekers in Dungavel

I honestly despair. Farage is laughing at the fact he can create outrageous policies and openly only protect rich white men. He knows that his followers are so blindly racist they will vote for him regardless, just to keep people out who are fleeing wars and regimes they want no part of. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve seen plenty of people who rant about protecting girls also mention Epstein stop being disingenuous.
I have to prioritise my kids future and safety, I’m not saying I fully trust reform they are after all just another political party but we cannot continue to let thousands of men from countries where women really are treated like shit continue to move here

@Moonshadowmoonthese are fundamental protections to women/human rights that they want to get rid of. So they don't want to protect women, and will be moving us closer to the oppressive regimes you despise!

@GeneralPeter I think prioritising growth is something all parties claim to want, but find it near impossible to deliver in practice, particularly since Brexit. I find it odd that Reform are recycling the same politicians that helped to drive our economy into the gutter! And lots of voters think that because they have experience, they should be trusted more.

Men trying to get asylum aren't responsible for the regimes that they live under

I’m not saying it’s good, I didn’t even mention it but long term I think letting in an unlimited stream of men from countries where women cannot study and wife beating is legal would be catastrophic for women’s rights.

🤣 yes I’ve heard of the grooming gangs but that’s literally the only argument that you Reform voters constantly spout. It’s funny all these ranting to ‘protect our women and girls from brown men’ don’t seem to be speaking out about the Epstein files or when rich white men commit the same, or worse atrocities which is only going to make them more untouchable under a Reform government.

Reform want to abolish the Equality act, they want to privatise the NHS, they want to cut taxes for the super wealthy, they want to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and they want to scrap the national minimum wage. If you really think your children will thank you if Reform get into power then go for it. But you just seem to be ignoring everything they stand for that’s not related to racism.

No. I don't want the NHS to be sold off.

: ) I think that's the first time I've seen that on MN. Appreciated.

I don't know how Jenrick personally would do. I suspect that a Reform government would be undisciplined and distracted, and not deliver what they claimed to. For one, their supporter base seems quite split on the economy: market types (probably want less spending) but also traditional types (will want more in many areas). Also Reform voters are usually older, so addressing big-ticket items like pensions and healthcare spending is going to be extremely difficult. I'm happy in principle to have lots of spending if we can fund it. But for twenty years we've neglected to generate that wealth, so now we either need to radically prioritise growth (my preference), or cut our coat according to our cloth with significant cuts.

I was a Remainer and I think Brexit has predictably damaged growth.

I don't know about the waste example. Most 'cut waste' types end up failing to do so, because although there is definitely waste the main financial burdens are a result of demographics and choices we've made about how to deal with it.

@Moonshadowmoonhow is getting rid of equality legislation going to be good for women's rights? I'm judging them for what they plan to do. Look beyond the glossy manifesto.

Trying to get away and definitely not bringing it with them? So You haven’t heard of grooming gangs? And didn’t answer my question on how old aisha was? Do you know about shariah law?

You know the men and women who are moving here are trying to get away from the oppressive regimes in those countries.

Reform want to abolish the equality act so that white males have more privilege than ever and you wouldn’t be protected when on maternity/pregnant/if you ever developed a disability.

He said a lot aren’t aware of the biological clock? I’m kind of inclined to agree as I said I became a mother at 16 and had the piss taken out of me by people who said they were waiting till a respectable age (which is apparently 35 or 40) no awareness that it gets more difficult to conceive for some women at that age.

Anyway I wanted to see where he said men should have dominance over women?

Because we have millions of men moving here who really do think that, also do you know how old the prophet Mohammed’s wife aisha was?