Reform are getting a shitload of voters

@eggplant16 Yes I do understand the concept of " refugee" and " person seeking asylum".
Are you so deluded that you think all those being delivered by boat to our beaches are refugees?
You know they are supposed to seek sanctuary in the closest place not demand that we provide for them.

When exactly were you in Japan ? The £/yen exchange rate was pretty favourable all through the 80's and most of the '90s. Was it before this

Wow how old do you think I am??? Tbh it wasn’t that long ago that the Yen was strong. I’m not super aware of the exchange rate wrt pounds anyway as I’m not British so not relevant.

If one was being unkind one might describe it as a dying culture, gentle and quaint but certainly slightly stuffy and old fashioned

You probably were in the touristy areas, so it’s not improbable for you to think that. But its youth culture is still quite influential, more influential than most other countries tbh.

It is human nature to immigrate to a nation where your labour is worth more than it is at home, that why our junior doctors are all going to Australia

They are going to Australia because you pay shit wages. Honestly I don’t know how people get on. I feel sorry for the youth here. You don’t care at all about them, gleefully bring in immigrants that compete with them for scarce jobs and housing, will prioritise children of immigrants for good jobs … maybe they should all emigrate, there’s nothing here for them and old British people just don’t care.

Watering down the benefits of citizenship …. don’t expect people to ever fight and die for an economic zone

If I got sent to work with a big oil company in Niger you think I and all the other foreign employees should get to vote and have a say in how the Niger is run? So we could get a say in how we export of earning tax free?

They are paying more in council tax and stamp duty. Fairness doesn't start a jealousy tax.

I think xenophobia and sausages are Lincolnshire’s main exports.

You do grasp the concept of " refugee" and " person seeking asylum"?

Something is fairly simple for sure

My inlaws live in Lincolnshire. They have some terrifying, racist ideas.

Not true, a number of countries e.g. in Scandinavia allow foreign born residents residing in the country to vote after a set period of time e.g. 3 years in Sweden. I personally would welcome us moving in this direction so that more of our taxpayers get a say in how their money gets spent - would also counter-balance some of the anti-immigrant rhetoric.

This foreign worker or immigrant stuff is fairly simple if you just think about it.In the 1970s my Dad worked in the Middle East as an Engineer. He was on a contract, his visa was for the one company. No benefits from the country health service. Everything had to be paid for. Not allowed to buy a property. Not allowed to vote. My mum could visit for 2 weeks at a time as a visitor.
At end of his contract he had to leave. There were no obligations or privileges.
These people on the boats demand and get homes and rights and benefits.
Is it fair?

u ok hun? xx

@Anotherlurkingmale ’Extending voting rights for all elections to all citizens including foreign workers would help counterbalance this. If you're good enough to work in the country and pay your taxes you should be able to have a say in how they're spent.’

No. You need citizenship to vote, same as every other country in the world.

Meanwhile Farage is currently on receiving end of some good old fashioned plain talking himself, protester at his conference telling him he's a racist. He likes people who call a spade a spade so presumably he approves.

Read my posts; I absolutely do not reduce everything to brown people. Perhaps I should have said people from the global south as that is what I meant.

When exactly were you in Japan ? The £/yen exchange rate was pretty favourable all through the 80's and most of the '90s. Was it before this ?

I was in Japan last year one of my best friends immigrated there in 2020, I wouldn't describe it as more properous than the UK. If one was being unkind one might describe it as a dying culture, gentle and quaint but certainly slightly stuffy and old fashioned.

It is human nature to immigrate to a nation where your labour is worth more than it is at home, that why our junior doctors are all going to Australia.

Yeah let the planet burn. Great policy.
More extreme heat deaths, deeper floods, bigger storms, more infrasture damage - it's all a bit of fun really, isn't it?

I also think it’s so reductive and facetious to say “hurr durr Reform hates immigrants and all the voters are racist”. I am an immigrant and have lived here most of my life. I speak fluent English, work, don’t claim benefits and am totally ingrained in British culture and society. I don’t think many people take issue with that.
They take issue to mass uncontrolled illegal immigration in unsustainable numbers, immigrants who never learn English or work, whose values could be totally at odds with traditional British values (like believing homosexuality is a sin and should be banned). Just like those Brits in Spain who live in English enclaves full of Linekers pubs and never learn a word of Spanish, who rightfully piss off the Spanish locals, do a lot of people honestly want areas like this in the UK? It’s a lot more nuanced than just “immigration”.

Also I agree with a PP, many people are sick of fence-sitting vague bullshit and want a party with clear stances on issues.

Let me get this right, you lived in Japan for many years presumably plugging their labour gap due to the declining population and benefiting from a favourable £/yen exchange rate

When I went it wasn’t so favorable, but I was there for graduate study, not really for work (iykyk)

but you don't want brown people to have the same chance in the UK ? Or am I missing something

It is weird how you reduce everything to ‘brown people’. Different nationalities have different effects. I doubt UK would mind well-educated and productive people from, say, Japan.

But here’s the thing. People can work in Japan and never, ever become citizens. Just isn’t possible except in special cases. So they mostly work a few years and go home. Get a big fat lump sum on their way out too.

I wouldn’t make too much of Japan being in a recession, it is still a safe, beautiful and prosperous country. I heard UK was once like this too. I wouldn’t know, I am not actually British but a married-in who won’t take citizenship. I feel I have some outside perspective

Let me get this right, you lived in Japan for many years presumably plugging their labour gap due to the declining population and benefiting from a favourable £/yen exchange rate, but you don't want brown people to have the same chance in the UK ? Or am I missing something ?

Japan is in recession
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/business-68302226.amp

What about the lost decades ?
It is undoubtedly very beautiful and has wonderfully low crime. However it also has enormous problems with depopulation and ghost towns.
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/11/26/the-challenges-of-japans-demography?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=18156330227&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjws560BhCuARIsAHMqE0ExHVkx1mE8O4WQ3Xz1jHZS_kggzqGbQQcIc-WZggAqkY8Xn3SkgB0aAjXWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I will say this.

I LOATHE Reform and everything they stand for. But I know what they stand for.
Ditto Green (don't loathe, wouldn't vote,) but understand their core values.

I think Farage's votes have been made up by a number of things - mainly die-hard Tories who can't bring themselves to vote Tory, protest voters, fed-up WC communities who are just desperate, but also a slice of people who are just happy to vote for someone whose policies and position are clear.

That is not in any way an endorsement, but I reckon they have won a fair few votes through being fairly direct and open in their views - whatever you think of them. People are sick of evasive answers and waffle. Of vote chasing and appeasing. They cut through it.

@Livelovebehappy , I really hope you are not thinking that it is a punishment for Hamas and would not have otherwise happened.
It is Colonisation. The Americans did it when the settler communities on the Eastern coast spread west from late 18Century. Google 'The Trail of Tears'.
The US did it again in with Texas and New Mexico from Spain.

Japan has v. low multiculturalism/ immigration and a v. low birth rate- not working out so well for them is it

Japan is a safe and lovely country that I lived in for many years. It actually serves them fine to have extremely low immigration numbers, and those that do come tend to be East Asians with similar cultural backgrounds.

United Kingdom is not doing economically as well as Japan. So what are you really saying here? Do
you really think importing culturally alien people would improve Japan?

Whereas USA which is effectively a nation of immigrants has bucked the trend of other nations showing strong growth over the last 10 years

You are not growing like America — you are actually declining. I think there are other factors tbh.

You do realise we have had black and brown people living in Britain for over 200 years

Not in any significant numbers. I can also say Japan has had white people living there for 400 years. Still doesn’t make it a multicultural country.

Unfortunately we’re already hearing the excuses coming through that it’s going to take at least two terms for Labour to clear up the mess left by the Tories. People aren’t going to buy into that. They better start making things happen and hit the ground running, or out they go at the next GE.

Give over. Stop spouting stuff parrot fashion.

In terms of womens rights, they are actually the only party that have a clear non-wishy-washy stance on the gender/trans issue.