Anyone else gutted about reform ? Feels like it’s going to turn very trump here

Cryingatthegym · 03/05/2025 07:22

Yeah. They've taken over my county council which I find scary. And I completely forgot about the election so didn't vote. It doesn't feel good.

CanYouTurnItDown · 03/05/2025 07:25

It’s blood awful, there’s a thread in here about romance scammers and I feel similarly about reform.

There’s a bloke on our community Facebook groups who posts absolute bollocks about labour or immigration every night. Laughable stuff which is really obviously untrue, most people roll their eyes and say ‘here we go again’ but there will be some vulnerable people who are taken in by it.

Flewaway · 03/05/2025 07:27

No. It’s a sign of how people feel
tje country is not working. And it’s not.

People have lost trust in political parties and rightly so. Politicians fail to talk honestly and directly, and have failed to prevent the country getting into the mess it is in. Many of these problems were preventable, or at least needed not to be this bad.

Reform is not the problem. The problem is what I have just outlined. That is what needs fixing.

PermanentTemporary · 03/05/2025 07:32

Yeah it's pretty glum. I can only hope that being in touch with reality amd having to do the actual job of governing the limited things a council can still do might temper some of them. But yes the knowledge of so many Reform votes, and the genuine potential prospect of Farage as PM makes my guts turn. Thank goodness so many of my older relatives are dead or dying and can't see this.

LizaRadleywasonthespectrum · 03/05/2025 07:33

No not gutted at all.

Lookingtomakechanges · 03/05/2025 07:33

Yes gutted and scared.

Namechangechanged · 03/05/2025 07:35

Very gutted. They disgust me with their barely concealed racism. Thugs in suits.

Whataninterestinglookingpotato · 03/05/2025 07:50

Yeah it’s scary. Having spoken to acquaintances who vote reform they, for the most part, don’t seem to really understand what they’re voting for. Which is frightening. They’re mostly angry and uneducated and looking to blame all their woes on immigrants.

finaldestination55 · 03/05/2025 08:03

After the local elections yesterday, they’ve completely taken over our local area and our council. I’m not surprised given the Facebook traffic on the various residents groups etc. depressing! They won’t have much experience of navigating local issues and some of them don’t live in the area. No or little experience of how the council works which I worked in for over 20 years in a fairly decent role, so I do know how the politics play out. My friends have voted for them so I’m staying quiet. Sad days ahead.

Shudacudawuda · 03/05/2025 08:07

People are just desperate for change, can't blame them for that.
If you are OK with the status quo then you're in a more privileged position than most.
I don't think for one second that Reform hold the answers, but it might make people sit up and listen which is a good thing.

SiobahnRoy · 03/05/2025 08:07

It’s depressing. Hopefully people will soon realise they’re clueless and can’t actually run a council. Unfortunately this will have real consequences for many of their voters who rely on council services. I hope it makes the national government get their act together.

Original poster

ShrunkInTheWashAgain · 03/05/2025 08:09

SiobahnRoy · 03/05/2025 08:07

It’s depressing. Hopefully people will soon realise they’re clueless and can’t actually run a council. Unfortunately this will have real consequences for many of their voters who rely on council services. I hope it makes the national government get their act together.

This in a nutshell

OP posts:

CanYouTurnItDown · 03/05/2025 08:12

Flewaway · 03/05/2025 07:27

No. It’s a sign of how people feel
tje country is not working. And it’s not.

People have lost trust in political parties and rightly so. Politicians fail to talk honestly and directly, and have failed to prevent the country getting into the mess it is in. Many of these problems were preventable, or at least needed not to be this bad.

Reform is not the problem. The problem is what I have just outlined. That is what needs fixing.

So following this logic, why vote for reform? Brexit was a monumental shit show which was initiated by a forerunner of this party. Brexit has caused many of the issues we currently have. It was a stupid idea, we were warned by people who know what they’re talking about that it was a stupid idea, political parties (including successive prime ministers) had to try and make this stupid idea work and failed. The people who initiated it didn’t want a bar of it when it was passed and have made a living out of complaining about other people since then. They’re not going to be a positive thing for the country.

It’s a worry.

Cyclistmumgrandma · 03/05/2025 08:12

Both gutted and alarmed.

Aramox · 03/05/2025 08:20

Yes and as for people forgetting to vote- ffs! Make an effort.

SilverButton · 03/05/2025 08:23

The thing I don't understand is that the anti-Trump effect pushed Canada to the left in the recent elections and seems expected to do the same in Australia. Why didn't the same thing happen here?

LemonWaffle · 03/05/2025 08:26

No, not really OP. I doubt many people think they're particularly great candidates - the whole thing was a protest vote. In my area we have a labour run council and they are useless. Really terrible - schoolchildren could run a better council.

The action now for anyone who is genuinely concerned is to make Labour (or whoever your preferred political party is!) start listening to people and find out why they are voting Reform. They will not all be racists or whatever else they're called here. I imagine most of them are just normal people seeing their public services run into the ground by incompetent councils.

This is a wake up call. Labour et al should ignore at their peril or they will suffer at the ballot box at the next GE.

frozendaisy · 03/05/2025 08:27

If you try and change too much, too quickly the financial markets get jittery and investment stops because of uncertainty.

Look what is going on with the New York stock exchange with Trump adding, subtracting tariffs willy nilly, thinking he can play big man role play with the World Economy.

People who have investments can play these uncertainties and still remain wealthy whilst many little peoples pensions tank.

Who do Reform benefit?

There is a meanness threading through our society right now, a oneupmanship, where people will be happier as long as they have more than groups of people they don’t like.

The young males are veering towards the right politically the young females to the left, the chasm opening between them will create a complex social situation.

There is a lack of compassion with Reform that’s depressing.

But they are not in power (yet maybe) even though people might be acting like they are.

I cannot deny that I am relieved we only have x4 years left for both our teens to get to the end of education (up to 18), and reassured a bit, that we have family private health insurance covered for at least 10. I also know feeling like this doesn’t bode well for a potential future.

Because if Reform get into power you can bet your husband’s car that they won’t take the NHS or teaching staff with them.

Sunny uplands they are not.

Original poster

ShrunkInTheWashAgain · 03/05/2025 08:30

frozendaisy · 03/05/2025 08:27

If you try and change too much, too quickly the financial markets get jittery and investment stops because of uncertainty.

Look what is going on with the New York stock exchange with Trump adding, subtracting tariffs willy nilly, thinking he can play big man role play with the World Economy.

People who have investments can play these uncertainties and still remain wealthy whilst many little peoples pensions tank.

Who do Reform benefit?

There is a meanness threading through our society right now, a oneupmanship, where people will be happier as long as they have more than groups of people they don’t like.

The young males are veering towards the right politically the young females to the left, the chasm opening between them will create a complex social situation.

There is a lack of compassion with Reform that’s depressing.

But they are not in power (yet maybe) even though people might be acting like they are.

I cannot deny that I am relieved we only have x4 years left for both our teens to get to the end of education (up to 18), and reassured a bit, that we have family private health insurance covered for at least 10. I also know feeling like this doesn’t bode well for a potential future.

Because if Reform get into power you can bet your husband’s car that they won’t take the NHS or teaching staff with them.

Sunny uplands they are not.

I’m so glad people on here can articulate my feeling better then I can

OP posts:

Fundays12 · 03/05/2025 08:30

Flewaway · 03/05/2025 07:27

No. It’s a sign of how people feel
tje country is not working. And it’s not.

People have lost trust in political parties and rightly so. Politicians fail to talk honestly and directly, and have failed to prevent the country getting into the mess it is in. Many of these problems were preventable, or at least needed not to be this bad.

Reform is not the problem. The problem is what I have just outlined. That is what needs fixing.

I agree with all this. People have voted for reform because they are unhappy and don't feel the government are listening to them.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 03/05/2025 08:31

SiobahnRoy · 03/05/2025 08:07

It’s depressing. Hopefully people will soon realise they’re clueless and can’t actually run a council. Unfortunately this will have real consequences for many of their voters who rely on council services. I hope it makes the national government get their act together.

I'm horrified that we've got here but I'm hoping that this turns out to be the case. Perhaps giving them widespread, low-level powers is a good way to pressure test their governing abilities and for people to see exactly what Reform are made of. As well as giving the sitting government time to get their act together and move to prevent a fascist landslide in 2029.

happinessischocolate · 03/05/2025 08:34

It’s bonkers

people are unhappy that Labour are doing right wing things so they vote for a party even more right wing than conservatives 😂

reform voters seem to think they are voting for something different to the establishment but Farage is totally backed by the rich media - he’s had more appearances on question time since 2000 than anyone else other than Fiona Bruce 😂

he’s given so much free publicity- everyone knows who Farage is yet many would struggle to name the leader of the conservatives, Lib Dem’s or greens

and that’s before any mention of the shit show that is brexit

A friend who voted reform has posted about labours lies and how nobody should believe them at the next election - fair enough - but he actually thinks that
Nigel doesn’t lie just as bad

lljkk · 03/05/2025 08:39

When was there a period when "The country was working" ?
How did you know it was working, and who was it "working" for?

Genuine question.

1940s & 50s when there was war & rationing?
1960s when food took a high percentage of household income & "No blacks or Irish" signs were common
1970s when there were rolling power blackouts & rubbish on the streets ?
1980s when Thatcher is blamed for attacking the miners and privatising too much?
1990s when we had "Cash for Questions"
2000s .... is this the golden decade?
2010s: Austerity, anyone?
Presumably not the 2020s...

mum2jakie · 03/05/2025 08:40

Yes, my local council is now Reform run! What an absolute joke.

Our new Reform councillor was in the year above one of my kids. So we have an 18/19 year old councillor within a party that has no experience of politics...Ger-ate!

So, either they fuck up running the local council, which won't be good for our area. Or...they manage to make an OK job of it and then gain more credibility for national government...Either way it's lose/lose for us!!!

lljkk · 03/05/2025 08:41

People have voted for reform because they are unhappy and don't feel the government are listening to them.

When did the national govt (ever) do a good job at making people happy, and listen to the people (well)?

I don't think recent govts are different (worse). I reckon voter expectations have changed.