Seeing that Repulsive Nigel Farage everywhere now

[stonejam]

I don’t like any of them. I’m politically hornless but seeing this turd getting more and more popular would actually make me leave the country.

The majority wish to see vibrant town centres with shops they just are willing to pay the higher prices in them.

They literally aren’t. Why do you think high streets died in the first place? People’s shopping habits have changed and there’s no putting that genie back in the bottle. Taxing online shopping will just piss people off.

@noblegiraffe Taxing online shopping will just piss people off.

At 4% it won't.

Nigel Farage taxing hardworking people to subsidise his mates in business?

@noblegiraffe

I thought Farage was supposed to be the biggest threat to British democracy of the century- a harbinger of a fascist dictatorial racist agenda.

If all people are actually going to be pissed off about is a 4% levy on online sales then I really don't see what everyone is getting their knickers in a twist about.

Where on earth did you get the impression that that was all people were pissed off about?

The suggestion that people wouldn't be pissed off about their shopping being made more expensive in order to give someone else a tax break is laughable though.

Sadly this .
Brexit was won on lies.

People were sold lies about strong illegal migrant control and more money for the NHS.
More migrants than ever before and Brexshit has been a disaster

Australia got tough on migrants- But U.K. govt. can’t be bothered.

To me that just shows how weak and unprepared the conservatives were.

@noblegiraffe

You are correct my post should have read:

"The majority wish to see vibrant town centres with shops they just aren't willing to pay the higher prices in them."

But in terms of top voters priorities they are:
Economy
Healthcare
Immigration

No one would care much about a 4% online shopping tax. I remember VAT increasing from 17% to 20% and after the initial complaints everyone forgot about it and that was a 3% increase on all VAT eligible items not just online purchases.

Even those people who are directly opposed to Farage and Reform must admit he has a way of connecting with voters which all the other current party leaders do not. We could argue over whether it's genuine, or if he is playing a part, but people listen to him and he stands out away from the PR soundbites you hear from other politicians who come across as just saying briefed party lines.

Of course they would. When voters say their priority is the economy, they are massively, massively concerned about the cost of living crisis.

Picture the headline 'Starmer increases VAT on your online shop to 24%' and pretend that people wouldn't care.

There'd be story after story of people talking about what they could no longer afford. People who can't get to the shops complaining about being targeted. It would be called another tax on the elderly, you know it would be!

Absolutely agree JuniperJungl he is a very successful politician especially on the campaign front but he doesn’t really like to do the real work. Farage has had more of an influence on our politics in the last 20 years than anyone else has

He also uses the constant attacking of him as a way to gain more support, you attack him you attack his supporters Trump uses this tactic very successfully too

it was always wrong to dismiss how much support he had (interesting that he failed so many times to gain a seat though). many in politics didn’t want to engage with him they wanted to attack him and this just increased his popularity but they were so caught up in their self righteousness they couldn’t see this, he played them again and again

he is a master manipulator

@noblegiraffe

So do you think that it is a level playing field where online retailers don't pay local business rates but local physical businesses do?

Do you think it is a level playing field where large online retailers avoid tax whereas legitimate physical shops do not:
www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/tax-avoidance-retailers

Do you think that the majority of people wish to keep a vibrant high street with physical shops even if they aren't willing to pay the higher prices there? Or do people not care either way?

Do you think that replacing legitimate high street shops with cash in hand money laundering fronts laundering county lines drug money is OK?

People want things cheap. They might say the right things and even mean it, but at the end of the day, most don’t want to pay any more than they have to.

This is even more acute at the moment.

Also talk of ‘levelling the playing field’ is music to the ears of Farage and Trump. They are happy to be as far away from woke, socialist, might-cost-more-but-do-good, policies

People want things cheap. They might say the right things and even mean it, but at the end of the day, most don’t want to pay any more than they have to.

Yes, otherwise the likes of Shein and Temu wouldn’t get any business.

It’s funny, this assertion that people would be happy to pay more for online purchases if it meant more shops on the high street but the absolute consistency of the messaging from the same people over the last few years that it’s absolutely a non-starter to suggest increasing taxes to fund better public services.

"It’s funny, this assertion that people would be happy to pay more for online purchases if it meant more shops on the high street but the absolute consistency of the messaging from the same people over the last few years that it’s absolutely a non-starter to suggest increasing taxes to fund better public services"

I totally agree that the vast majority of people want to pay lower prices for their goods and services regardless of the wider socio economic environment such as keeping a vibrant high street.

I would be more than happy for local business rates to be abolished for physical stores which would allow them to charge lower prices (if they chose to pass on such a cost reduction rather than take it as additional profit).

But unlike Liz Truss I recognise that tax cuts need to be funded from somewhere and not additional debt.

An online 4% tax is one option as is cuts to other services or an increase in other taxes.

As for costing the consumer more the online retailers would of course have the option of absorbing this new tax in their profits if they so decided rather than increasing customer prices.

@OnlyMabelInTheBuilding

"People want things cheap. They might say the right things and even mean it, but at the end of the day, most don’t want to pay any more than they have to. "

I completely agree that people primarily want cheaper goods and services. So on that basis presumably you agree with the Reform policy of stopping any new subsidies for renewable energy given that such green subsidies make up approximately 25% of your energy bills and makes the UK have one of the highest electricity prices in the OECD.

For example if price is the key consideration then it would be way cheaper to produce electricity from coal (and also way more co2 emissions). This is after all what China is doing.








Did you show the same concern over Facebook suppressing content during previous elections and the other billionaires involved in lobbying/politics?

Of course. Why would I not?

@BourbonsAreOverated

I agree that the trend for billionaires trying to influence our politicians is worrying:

amp.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/25/keir-starmer-flat-labour-donor-waheed-alli-son-gcses

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8vmv1mpggo.amp

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86l7xqzze8o.amp

Don't forget Greensill, the Bamfords, Frank Hester

@DuncinToffee

"Don't forget Greensill, the Bamfords, Frank Hester"

Absolutely - the very wealthy have always had their influence in politics - left, right or centre.

Let's hope then that Labour will tighten the rules on donations, like they are planning with second (+) jobs for MP's

Not sure if Farage will be in favour.

@DuncinToffee

"Let's hope then that Labour will tighten the rules on donations, like they are planning with second (+) jobs for MP's"

Sadly I think they are all the same and if there are any changes on the donations rules then it will in such a manner to favour whoever is in charge at the time.

The only real solution is for all political parties to be funded by the taxpayer in a clear and transparent manner which I can't see being too popular with the electorate.

For a party that is so keen on sovereignty, Farage and Reform seem quite keen on foreign influence