What I would like to ask Reform supporters what are the specific Reform policies they support?

I’ve only ever spoken to one on the subject, I’m a Labour voter too. They became very aggressive very quickly and all they could talk about was stop the boats, blame immigrants for their own failings and say that these immigrants rape girls and get £1,000’s in benefits, basically what NF has fed them. Talked about “fighting age men”, hotels etc. I’m in SE Kent so it’s a pretty divisive topic and we’ve ended up with a completely useless reform CC. ☹️

It’s still not raising tax for working people. 🤷‍♀️ Fiscal drag started under the last government in any case, the personal allowance hasn’t risen since 2021.

The freezing of the thresholds was baked in by Tories until 2029, Reeves has extended but this does not affect anyone now.

How would you pay for this to be reversed? more borrowing or rising other taxes?

@blossomtoes

Freezing the personal allowance means that income tax is applied to a greater percentage of peoples income. So, although the income tax rates may not have increased, freezing the thresholds drags more people into paying more tax.

Fiscal drag is the term often used.

https://www.diyinvestor.net/money-basics-what-is-fiscal-drag/#:~:text=Fiscal%20drag%20describes%20the%20scenario,falls%20into%20higher%20tax%20bands.

So, every working person is affected.

You seemed to know so much about it though. You must be interested where people’s cash has gone too and what they’re getting for their input and even be concerned it’s not enough cash to conduct this enquiry fully.

@RedTagAlan- seems it’s crowdfunded and will pay for legal fees/panels (including such as the very independent Esther McVey’s!) - witness ‘expenses’ (see article I posted earlier) and ops hire, rooms/recording equipment. They said any spare cash after goes to charities. Hopefully someone will do an FOI on that after.

However, apparently the last official enquiry cost 180m so this puts into perspective how Rupert’s one will be run/how much it will cover.

There is no power of course to compel information, nor to act on any ‘findings’ -so pretty pointless to victims, though a nice dog whistle to followers and a fairly smart way of getting their mental ‘investment’ via their physical one.

Officially, there have been several enquiries - the the Tories did not implement any findings from the last main one by the time they left, but Labour started to I believe, and now also there is another official one.

Erm. He is leader of a political party. The party has a website, and likely a communications person etc. You yourself posted upthread about what is going to be the findings of this 700k quid investigation.

If every individual wanting to know anything has to individually email him, and he has to individually answer, how is that in any way efficient ?

Firstly the pledge was no increase in income tax, national insurance or VAT for working people - that pledge hasn’t been broken. Secondly there were no promises about raising any other taxes. I’m one of the vast majority whose taxes haven’t risen.

For anyone on PAYE taxes haven't gone up (which was actually in their manifesto)

How would you pay for the already agreed public sector pay rises, the Tories NI cuts, PO & Blood scandals?

None of which was ever funded by the Tories as the knew they'd lose the GE.

Growth in the UK has been better over the last 22months than the previous 22months before the GE.

Reform on the other hand are just the right wing of the Tories, with a different name, they were in power for 14 years, plenty of time to show us what they can do... but failed miserably.

Why don’t u just ask him it ain’t difficult instead of wasting oxygen ?

Ahh right. So he could not just put a bit on his website then. In the name of transparency. Or do a press release.

@blossomtoes

I don’t see that there’s been time to get fed up with this government.

Increased taxes affects everyone who is working. Labour manifesto was clear - there wouldn’t be any tax increase. However, Labour have increased taxes in two consecutive budgets.

He didn’t run public services into the ground. Quite the reverse.

Is it necessarily the Tories, it’s too simplistic

I think Tony Blair has a lot to answer for

That’s certainly the received wisdom. I don’t see that there’s been time to get fed up with this government.

So vote for something worse than the Tories who caused it. It makes perfect sense.

I would say that the increased support for both the Green and Reform parties is due to the people being fed up with both Conservatives and Labour.

So vote for something worse than the Tories who caused it. It makes perfect sense.

The difficult of a degree is probably about the same as O-levels when older people did them.

I agree. That I can help my son (42 years younger) with his engineering degree mathematics tells me standards have dropped.

My daughter graduated in 2017 with 2:1 in business and languages, but sells used watches and works in a market every Sunday for extra cash. Both of those activities can be done by someone who left school at 16. She has about £100K of student debt.

Tony Blair devalued degrees when he decided that 50% of the population should have a degree. Simple supply and demand economics dictates that if there is an oversupply, value will drop. It was done to artificially lower the unemployment figures as those in full time education aren’t counted as unemployed.

A lot of reform voters don’t seem to realise Farage has u turned on quite a few things they want to vote for

Until Farage becomes prime minister, he can’t implement any of his ideas.

The current prime minister, Starmer, stood on a manifesto of:

Smash trafficking gangs. Hasn’t happened

No taxes increases. Has happened in two consecutive budgets.

UK will not join the customs union or single market and return to free movement. Now we have Wetting Street who wants to be PM and wants UK to rejoin the EU.

Little wonder Labour did badly in the recent local elections.

Lastly, and most importantly I would say:

The only requirement to be entitled to vote is to be age 18.

People can vote for whoever they choose.

I think quite a few of them are quite well educated but are fed up with how the UK has become in the last few years’

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

It is something you would have to ask Rupert. If you go on their website, there is an email address and you can contact them.

He’s definitely backtracked on raising the personal allowance, I agree it would be helpful but the cost to the country would be the equivalent of losing 4 major government departments, so would be unaffordable. A lot of reform voters don’t seem to realise Farage has u turned on quite a few things they want to vote for

@Blossomtoes Lucky you to live in an area whee there isn't a problem with school places. Not all areas of the UK are London and many areas outside of London are also multicultural.
I just want to point out that many immigrants believe immigration should be controlled themselves.
Many older people have voted Reform. They may not have degrees but I would say they are well educated on politics. Many young people have degrees but they also don't know that much about politics. I also am not convinced that the degree means you are that well educated these days. The difficult of a degree is probably about the same as O-levels when older people did them. Many older people certainly seems to be able to write better English.

The dire state of public services is a result of 14 years of Tory slash and burn. In areas with very multi cultural populations like east London schools are being closed because of the fall in birth rate. But let’s scapegoat immigrants, they’re an easy target.

Wealthy people may be voting Reform, I doubt they’re well educated somehow. Charlie Mullins is a prime example.

Understandably they want immigration to be controlled

Controlled being the key word.

@AuntieFah You may want to believe it is only the uneducated working class voting Reform but that is not true. Many wealthy educated people voted Reform in the recent elections.
I think this is partly because people have valid concerns about immigration. Some areas of the UK have experienced extremely large increases in the population but without an increase in public services like doctors surgeries, hospitals etc. People are finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment and get a place for their children at the local school. They have to wait longer in A&E and there are less jobs available for young adults entering the job market. Understandably they want immigration to be controlled.
Discussing what happened hundreds of years ago re: colonisation is irrelevant to people living in the UK right now. Most people's ancestors in the UK back then were peasants and had nothing to do with colonisation.