Why on earth are Farage and Reform so popular ?

[Nonamenoblame]

Their ideology is essentially heated up Thatcherism, more deregulation (if that’s possible) and laissez faire light touch for businesses, more cuts to public services because they love an even smaller state, cuts to benefits apart from those for pensioners, no real solution to the immigration issue apart from sinking the small boats.
So why isn’t Farage being challenged ? Everywhere you read that Farage is the next PM in waiting but his policies are a rerun of the last 14 years but worse, they haven’t worked so far, why would they work with a Reform government ? What’s an even worse thought is a Tory/Reform coalition, are we as country daft enough to fall for it ?
And how long would we give a Reform government to turn things around ? 6 months, a year ?

Not so! You are twisting your own words. And I thought accountants worked on the basis of accuracy. Read your whole post again. The words "my belief" did not come into it. You said "But they can't change direction as most of their voters are either on benefits, students or work for the public sector (ie dependent on expropriation of taxes from the productive sector)."

Define productive? Some of the rail operating companies are now back in public hands to the failures of private franchises; GOWM were re-nationalised by the last Tory Government. But are people working for them not productive in moving people round the country?

Now you are saying "No small business owner would vote for them" suggesting this is a fact. This again is not true. I know SME owners who voted Labour, this is not a point of view this is factual. There are indeed local Labour Councillors who are SME owners.

Have your own point of view by all means, but please do not present your own thoughts as facts.

The private sector has a place in society, as does the public sector (think of the staff in your local hospital) but don't assume because someone has a public sector background they do not understand finance. Some have managed huge budgets with greater accountability than a private company. Let us not forget the banking sector that the tax payer had to bale out during the time of a huge Conservative majority or the sewage that private water companies are polluting our beaches with.

Finally, as you know all the facts, how many Labour MPs have worked in the private sector? You could argue that many Conservative MPs don't understand life or the people they represent because they only have experience of private education.

To sum up don't misrepresent views as facts.

This was Camelot Castle in Tintagel. It would have been great if they could have managed to convert them all to Scientology! We could send everyone there!

How is the public sector non-productive?

Do business owners seriously expect to make profit without the roads being fixed, the population being educated, the police force preventing their businesses from being raided, the courts to resolve disputes, their staff being getting timely healthcare so they can get back to work, etc etc. Such arrogant nonsense. Perhaps they should try Somalia where I don't think there's much of a public sector.

Well, according to my favourite news source;

'Keir Starmer has declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times...'

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/18/keir-starmer-100000-in-tickets-and-gifts-more-than-any-other-recent-party-leader

Lack of education
Poverty
Lack of prospects
Racism

Yes of course its my belief that most Labour cabinet and mps don't have experience of running a business or working in the private sector. I've worked as an accountant in both public (mostly nhs where I was paid alot of money for not doing much) and private so I am basing my views on experience.

That’s because he is declaring freebee

did he have Downing Street re wallpapered?

I have annual subscriptions to the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, NY Times and the FT Edit. I spend decent money out of my pension for all this so I do end up a little peevish when an idiot suggests I read the mail as my sole source of information.

But running a government is public sector! It’s not all about adding up rows of figures. Bringing private sector logic does not necessarily (please note l said not necessarily) equate to running the country.

John Lewis is probably an example of the best of Free Enterprise with a lot of soul (although it does not extend to their cleaners) but let us not forget the likes of P&O Ferries, Philip Green and Liz Truss. Plus the dreadful rip offs in supplies of PPE not fit for purpose, meaning people (largely public sector) risked their lives and lost loved ones while certain Ministers partied on.

And Farage tells you he had a proper job when he was a banker. But what did he do for his MEP constituents apart from not turn up for important voted for the UK.

People in government on both sides and Life Peers often have a wealth of experience and knowledge to bring to the table. It’s about people not profit. It’s called public service.

Good night!

Jesus, is that you Bezos? 😁

You can get some of those free on PressReader which is free from your local library, the Telegraph, Guardian and NY Times are on there.

It may sound daft, and I do know there are cheaper options available, but I think I should pay, because I can afford to do so. I value information, especially informed information. I don't want news from social media. I would honestly prefer to pay so that journalists can be paid properly to do neutral journalism. I really don't want to read influencer content. I want the BBC (and ITV too) to be trenchantly questioning everything and to ask the hardest questions every single time there's an opportunity. A free press is the fastest route to a better world, IMHO.

@Papyrophile there probably are ways to get it free but you're right to pay, if no one did they wouldn't exist

Starmer didn't declare everything on time or transparently, and apart from the fact that Johnson reimbursed the cost of the wallpaper in the end he was kicked out of office not long after. Your post was explicit about Tories being 'voted [back] in' - but if you remember they lost the 2024 general election. The Guardian article also compares the value of Starmer's freebies to other recent party leaders including Miliband, Corbyn, Cameron, May ...

The Guardian again (Dec 2024);

'The public expected us to be squeaky clean ... now they think we're all the same': how freebiegate rocked Labour.

While the focus has moved on, some inside government fear that, given the lack of trust in British politics more broadly, the freebies row will be difficult for some voters to forget – and give other political parties an open goal. “With Reform perfectly positioned to capitalise on anti-politics sentiment, scandals that Labour might have been able to brush off suddenly risk turbocharging Nigel Farage’s rise,”

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/27/the-public-expected-us-to-be-squeaky-clean-now-they-think-were-all-the-same-how-freebiegate-rocked-labour

In cost terms, my media subscriptions add up to about £400 pa. I think I am extravagant, but I also think I am quite well informed and I'm not unhappy.

Sorry, just teasing Papyrophile! I'm a complete tart and take up all the introductory offers and duck out on them before they ask for real money. 😬

ETA, actually, I thought it would come to much more than that.

Don't fret @Upstartled . I'm a tart in other directions, but I have an old fashioned faith in a free press and bright sunlight.

And I also sign up for all the introductory offers... and I try very hard to remember to cancel the ones that aren't interesting after a week's reading. I have no problem with a tease. Concede that I pay Bezos more than I should, but if you live in deepest darkest rural Cornwall, then Amazon may just be the closest link to intellectual civilisation.

Less wallpaper and fewer weddings and rent free properties though.

You mean like the property for his kid to do homework in?

He didn’t live there.

Just £20k worth of donations to sit and revise then, is that, better?

You’re suggesting using a flat for a few afternoons is worth £20k?

Me? No.

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-donation-son-gcse-housing-acoommodation-prime-minister-b1183972.html

What a fucking stupid thing for him to say. Quite obviously that wasn’t worth £20k. I wonder what it was really for.