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

I think that has been an issue for a while. And it's hard to see sometimes the connections between small scale programmes and later public issues because of the time lag (it takes several years for a child failed in primary school education to become an adult who struggles to find employment). But we had a large scale social experiment in what happens if you cut public spending and remove services and social programmes. It was called austerity. And a lot of the effects showed up 10, 20 years later. But it is encouraging a shift further right NOT a rethink. You just get threads asking why so many adults are incapable of working etc etc. Plus, it's a lot harder to spend money to get services back when the economy/tax revenue is suffering and stuff has to built up from the ground again.

For crime - I don't think eradicating poverty would eradicate crime as some of the more idealistics types on the left suggest. Rich people also do crimes. But reducing poverty has been proven to reduce many different types of crime.

I completely agree. There's an assumption that everyone starts from the same point and anything that happens after that point is a matter of individual responsibility/failing.
Unfortunately for them, lack of understanding about how life, and people, actually functions is no excuse for moralising.

I think a lot of people can’t, or won’t, see the impact beyond “giving them more money”. They can’t think about the long term issues that come from childhood poverty

As a woman there is very little you can do to undo the damage of Farage. As someone from a poor background I’ve yet to hear any real plans to overhaul the economy and make it work again… from anyone. I’m certainly not trusting a lying snake oil merchant who knows nothing beyond pre existing capital and financial wheeler-dealing. No go.

And, oh yes, as a British person concerned with British people and British economy I’m not impressed with anyone so obviously hooked into either the USA or Russia.

They're definitely not more dangerous, hateful and damaging than Reform. There's no far right connection for a start, nor are they in bed with Putin's Russia.

I think the point of the Opposition is to critique the sitting government. I wouldn't call that supercilious, more part of the job.

I do sometimes wonder how long it would be before a Reform government collapsed. Would they last the full 49 days?

It'll help all of us to some extent. Unequal societies are more violent and unsettled places to be. From a reduction in shoplifting for essentials to kids being less disruptive in classes because they're hungry, from fewer parents using NHS resources to cope with the physical and mental ill health caused by poverty to more people being in a position to work because they're not hamstrung by being too poor to meet their essential needs, the removal of this poverty creating legislation benefits everyone.

I could never understand why people thought it was a good idea to legislate in favour of more inequality based on some spurious and ideological moral grounds. This is why I said earlier that advocates of the two child cap lack the ability to think clearly.

I would rather vote Labour/ Con / Liberal over Reform, but I would rather vote Reform over Greens.

The Greens would destroy the economy with their failure to understand the difference between national debt and debt interest, a confrontational approach to the bond markets (that will make Liz Truss seem rational in comparison), open borders, a racist immigration policy viewing immigrants as slave labour to do the jobs that are beneath UK nationals, an approach to the trans issue that is at odds with most women, a net zero energy policy that is both unworkable and would make energy unaffordable to both businesses and households.

All topped by a man who claims to be able to increase your breast size through hypnosis.

So yes whilst the venom on this thread has been directed at Reform, the Greens are far more dangerous, hateful and damaging than Reform would ever be.

It just seems like recycled, discredited Tories now, so I wouldn’t. But, I haven’t got a clue who I would vote for - they’re all useless.

I'm not any more likely to vote reform as I am to vote labour or conservative. The frustrating aspect is the by design polarisation, the bullshit assertion that reform would be/are actually any worse than the aforementioned.
The UK is a wildly expensive shithole because of consecutive conservative and labour governments. The country is actually on it's knees (it's not just an 'if you vote this way, this will happen' proposition; it's an actual reality) but people reserve their venom for reform, because that's what they've been coached to do. If you're planning to vote labour or conservative in the next elections, you'd be as well voting reform, because you're just voting for different shades of the same shit.

This!

The question was not directed at me. So no I did not answer it.
I am not Reform voter by the way.
I was merely pointing out that the reason i think Reform is getting a foothold is the perception that Labour - which came to office with such a tide of goodwill - is letting people down badly.
They voted for Labour because they felt let down by the Tories and now they feel let down again. So they are looking elsewhere.
If Labour had not been so supercillious and critical of the Tories when in opposition, they would not appear so hypocritical now and Reform might have been held at bay.
Just my observations, not interested in 'gotcha'

I’m looking forward to Reform getting in, it’s the only way these goons will be exposed for the shysters they are. The councils they already have, they can’t manage.. they have put up the Council Tax they promised to cut .. they can’t find the waste they insisted was there.. and have found out that there isn’t massive corruption to be uncovered.

As for a National Government it will the same, but just worse on a National Level.

Dropping the two child benefit cap will help families in need. Not me personally but I don't just think about myself.

I know right!! 😂

This is exactly why I will never vote labour. Watch Rupert Lowes coverage of the trials. Most of the victims were 12 year old girls when it started.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting things are perfect as they are. But we need to be very careful that we don’t end up jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Reform are led by someone who seemingly doesn’t even show up for his own constituency, who only cares about one issue and seems to be focused on himself.

Are you aware of the impact of Reform winning in Kent? Have a read about it. Then come back and tell us that it 'can't get any worse'.

No they are Temu Nazis, never never never.

Jet 2-darling hold my hand.

So basically you can’t answer the question!

I am not saying that things are perfect as they are. They are far from it but as it stands my son gets the education he deserves, NHS treatment in a fairly timely manner and that I don’t need to worry about paying for. I get the support needed to help me care for him and maintain working. There is a lot that needs improving but there is absolutely nothing to suggest that Reform would do anything other than make things worse.

Which of the current Government's policies have made your life better?
Which of their policies have made life better for people with disabilities and their families?
That's the problem.

@YourKonstantine can you explain how it is "giving someone else a go", when they are full of the "bloody useless ... tories"? Braverman, Jenrick etc. were all significant figures in government just a couple of year back.

which of their policies do you think will make your life better?

Which of their policies do you think will make life better for people with disabilities and their families?