Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Politics
Original poster

Reform lost 6 by elections this week 🎉

1000 replies

TheRealSmurfette · 05/10/2026 03:38

Some good news to start the week!
The mainstream media might be quiet about it, but the numbers don’t lie: Reform UK just lost SIX by-elections in a single week.

Their momentum is officially hitting a wall. On Thursday, they failed to win across the UK and even lost the incumbent seats they were supposed to defend:

  • Amble Ward (Northumberland) — LOST (Gained by Labour)
  • Hirst Ward (Northumberland) — LOST (Reclaimed by Labour)
  • Claremont Ward (Blackpool) — LOST (Held by Labour)
  • Long Whatton & Diseworth Ward (NW Leicestershire) — LOST (Held by Conservatives)
  • Wick & East Caithness Ward (Highland) — LOST (Stormed by Lib Dems)
  • Forth & Endrick Ward (Stirling) — LOST (Held by Conservatives) about:blank 1, 2]

The right-wing vote is splitting down the middle, squeezing them out in low-turnout battles. Proof that real, local communities are seeing through the rhetoric.

Keep it up lads! 🙌

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:24

Efacsen · 18/10/2026 11:22

No surprises there then!

Show quote history

He must read MN!

TopPocketFind · 18/10/2026 11:24

ITV's agenda is informing people about who they are atually voting for, the sexist and racist 'bad apples'

SubstandardMotelsOnTheLa · 18/10/2026 11:24

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:19

Laugh away. But Im not actually on that thread. I maybe posted once a year ago. I dont like threads that are a one sided bitch fest.

Show quote history

Are you calling the LiW posters bitches? That is really rather uncalled for.

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:25

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:22

There's a difference. Rehabilitation of criminals, spent convictions etc. Thats fine.

Convicted criminals in certain professions is not so fine. Eg the law, police etc. You can get in sometimes but only in certain circumstances.

Law making is something that I personally think a convicted criminal should never been involved in. But thats just my opinion and Andy Burnham doesnt agree. So I can just scuttle back in my box as all us plebs must do.

Show quote history

You can’t have spent convictions for some people and not for others. I doubt the legal profession or the police would reject someone for a spent conviction for a lost phone.

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:26

BIWI · 18/10/2026 11:17

Would you, following this logic, go on to one of my Low Carb Bootcamp threads and start talking about Slimming World or Weight Watcher diets?

Show quote history

🤣 I don't really see the connection as we are posting about politics on MN? Im not sure hypocrisy features so strongly in your weightwatcher camp although correct me if I'm wrong.

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:26

You really do have to wonder about the moral judgement people on here calling everyone else racists, or misogynists, whilst being completely blind to the abhorrent behaviour of elected and unelected members of their own party, in many cases much worse than the people they are calling names.

Hence I really don't think we should take the opinions of any of these people in any way seriously. Perhaps instead, we should just feel sorry for them and hope that they come to their senses soon before the issues being discussed impact their own family and cosy middle class existence.

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:26

TopPocketFind · 18/10/2026 11:24

ITV's agenda is informing people about who they are atually voting for, the sexist and racist 'bad apples'

Why just Reform, why not Labour too?

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:27

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:26

Why just Reform, why not Labour too?

Show quote history

Why just Labour?

SubstandardMotelsOnTheLa · 18/10/2026 11:27

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:24

He must read MN!

Show quote history

More likely that there are only a limited number of rather limp defensive arguments that can be trotted out.

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:28

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:17

I just think we need to be careful to use descriptions and words carefully otherwise they loose their power. Eg racisim and Nazi and far right. Those words have been used too often to describe things and people that aren't those things. So now a lot of people don't care if they are called a Nazi. Which isn't great.

Show quote history

You have a point, but when people in certain parties are calling for the implementation of things that the Nazis actually did, I think the comparison is a reasonable one. Let's have an unercover investigation of Labour councils and see whether any of their folks are suggesting concentration camps.

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:28

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:27

Why just Labour?

Show quote history

Why just Reform?

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:29

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:26

Why just Reform, why not Labour too?

Show quote history

I have to say I was shocked at the Labour list above. There were so many. Highly depressing. Many of our representatives are not the type of people we should have but I suppose these days politics doesn't attract suitable people.

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:30

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:28

You have a point, but when people in certain parties are calling for the implementation of things that the Nazis actually did, I think the comparison is a reasonable one. Let's have an unercover investigation of Labour councils and see whether any of their folks are suggesting concentration camps.

Show quote history

I agree that sort of thing is terrible. And Nazi is an appropriate description. But many people these days will just see the word and assume oh well its the N word again lets ignore.

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:31

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:28

Why just Reform?

Show quote history

Because they have a huge swathe of racist and misogynist members. I imagine undercover filming of other parties would be sufficiently underwhelming to send the average viewer to sleep.

TopPocketFind · 18/10/2026 11:31

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:29

I have to say I was shocked at the Labour list above. There were so many. Highly depressing. Many of our representatives are not the type of people we should have but I suppose these days politics doesn't attract suitable people.

Show quote history

Nobody is defending those people, they deserve their punishment.

I assume you don' t agree with the Harman title though?

LittleBowSheep · 18/10/2026 11:31

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:04

But the PP is making a good point. Why have a thread solely devoted to slagging off one party and stick your head in the sand about all the others. Surely you want balance? Theres no use just focusing on one party and not allowing comment about all the other. Isn't the hope that all politicians be held to the same high standard.

Show quote history

No-one is convinced that the balance excuse in this case is anything other than derailment.

SubstandardMotelsOnTheLa · 18/10/2026 11:31

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:26

You really do have to wonder about the moral judgement people on here calling everyone else racists, or misogynists, whilst being completely blind to the abhorrent behaviour of elected and unelected members of their own party, in many cases much worse than the people they are calling names.

Hence I really don't think we should take the opinions of any of these people in any way seriously. Perhaps instead, we should just feel sorry for them and hope that they come to their senses soon before the issues being discussed impact their own family and cosy middle class existence.

It is a shame you have nothing fresher to present than these mouldy old chestnuts. 🌰 🌰 🌰

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:31

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:28

You have a point, but when people in certain parties are calling for the implementation of things that the Nazis actually did, I think the comparison is a reasonable one. Let's have an unercover investigation of Labour councils and see whether any of their folks are suggesting concentration camps.

Show quote history

I think Labour councillors in UK cities are too busy sweeping the child rape gangs under the carpet to have time for that sort for thing.

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:33

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:31

I think Labour councillors in UK cities are too busy sweeping the child rape gangs under the carpet to have time for that sort for thing.

Show quote history

You do know that most of those crimes came to light under the auspices of a series of Tory governments that failed to address them?

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:33

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:30

I agree that sort of thing is terrible. And Nazi is an appropriate description. But many people these days will just see the word and assume oh well its the N word again lets ignore.

Show quote history

Maybe, but not calling it out is tantamount to appeasement, and we all know how well that worked in the past.

One of our local councillors was caught on the record doing a full on Nazi salute. His defence was that he was drunk, that it was banter. He apologised - but only with the caveats. And everyone seems to have forgotten about it. That isn't a society I want to live in, having been born in a country that spent time under Nazi occupation.

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:33

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:31

Because they have a huge swathe of racist and misogynist members. I imagine undercover filming of other parties would be sufficiently underwhelming to send the average viewer to sleep.

Show quote history

Doesn't seem to be, given that list of Labour crimes above.

Politics is clearly attracting a lot of unsavoury people to all parties. Look at the Greens.

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:34

BIossomtoes · 18/10/2026 11:33

You do know that most of those crimes came to light under the auspices of a series of Tory governments that failed to address them?

Show quote history

Almost entirely in areas run for decades by Labour councils.

Tamarindo95 · 18/10/2026 11:37

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:33

Maybe, but not calling it out is tantamount to appeasement, and we all know how well that worked in the past.

One of our local councillors was caught on the record doing a full on Nazi salute. His defence was that he was drunk, that it was banter. He apologised - but only with the caveats. And everyone seems to have forgotten about it. That isn't a society I want to live in, having been born in a country that spent time under Nazi occupation.

Show quote history

You think the Nazi's were bad. You should try living under a communist regime. These regimes have mass-murdered more than 10 times the number of their own civilians that the Nazi's ever did. Nazi's were amateurs in comparison.

Pineneedlesincarpet · 18/10/2026 11:38

pointythings · 18/10/2026 11:33

Maybe, but not calling it out is tantamount to appeasement, and we all know how well that worked in the past.

One of our local councillors was caught on the record doing a full on Nazi salute. His defence was that he was drunk, that it was banter. He apologised - but only with the caveats. And everyone seems to have forgotten about it. That isn't a society I want to live in, having been born in a country that spent time under Nazi occupation.

Show quote history

A Nazi salute is not something that I would consider a crime. Otherwise most children in the 70s who had a go at goosestepping would be criminals. Its highly distasteful but I think that sort of behaviour just reflects very badly on the person doing it. No need to call things out. Calling everything out is what has numbed people (in my view. Not being someone who does a Nazi salute).

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In
This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread