Mumsnetters voting Reform

[Illjustplayostrich]

Mumsnet mothers have always leaned Labour. Now Reform is ahead

https://www.thetimes.com/article/dbd39087-465c-4587-9eaa-292606ffb775?shareToken=a99daa444e8bc0f9444cca2bf01f3851

I'm slightly startled by this. I'm a centrist, slightly more right leaning perhaps but frankly I'm open to any government who will get a firm grip on the public finances and go about growing the economy in a sustainable way. My impression of this site is that it's definitely more left leaning and and Reform enthusiasts tend to get shouted down. Personally, I think we should be talking about them a lot more as it's highly likely they will form part of the next government.

My impression is that they are promising the earth but don't have people with the necessary skill set to make that happen. I really worry that they will get voted in and find out that they can't fix all the problems within 18 months, leading to yet more disillusionment amongst voters.

This isn’t a left wing site though.

It used to be 10 years ago, but it isn’t anymore. The Times needs to get its facts right.

l find it very right wing. I’ve been on 20 years.

Mumsnet most certainly does not “lean left”. I’m not surprised that it as a collective is centre right….

Also- I genuinely don’t understand how
anyone gets “shouted down” on an internet forum. Disagreed with or expected to provide supporting facts, of course. But shouted down? How does that work?

@CurlewKate I've seen it many times. Someone expresses concern about immigration and there's promptly a string of comments calling them racist/bigoted/disgraceful.

The user demographic has definitely changed.

A string from the same 5 or 6 posters though, who incessantly call others bigoted while never actually addressing the concern at hand. Basically a micro-study of why Reform are ahead.

Agree with this. I find Mumsnet definitely more right wing these days.

But also very much vice versa too. There’s a lot of ‘the left hasn’t listened to us so what do they expect’ that seems to get thrown around without any actual sensible discussion.

There’s a lot of pro-Trump sentiment here too and, bots aside, they’re definitely Farage lovers.

I don't think Mumsnet is some group of lefties at all.

As for supporting Reform, I understand feelings about this government being poor and the previous one a disgrace, but Reform is not the answer.

Really? Those supporting Trump are a minority on any Trump thread. I don’t support Trump but don’t condemn everything he does, that makes me ‘Trump Lover’ in the eyes of some.

Ha, I just said there’s a lot of ‘this is why Reform are ahead’ comments. I can’t imagine voting for a party because someone online said something I didn’t like about my views.

You’re absolutely right, though some posters will deny it because sneering, expressions of utter disgust, veiled and overt insults, accusations of racism/bigotry, claims of posters being liars/bots/activists/residents of other countries trying to cause trouble, and performative horror that anyone could possibly think the way you do, are not technically “shouting down”.

Yes, really. I mean, we are talking about a man who’s been convicted of sexual assault and multiple other egregious actions every day. And it took about 30 seconds for someone to pop up who said they don’t hate everything he does. I mean, sure…

My impression is that MN generally favours working parents, and more recent policies from the right have favoured working parents, whereas the left have done the opposite. So i’m not surprised MN is more right this is the case.

I can’t speak personally for Reform as there wasn’t a candidate in my area last time. I would definitely ensure to do my research on all their policies though before considering them.

Here we go… 🙄

No, just my opinion, which you also replied to. I’ve said my piece.

It would be good to try to imagine this, if you genuinely care about your political project. People are social and many are strongly affected by discourse. Discourse really matters, politically. Most people discuss their ideas and take feedback from their interlocutors. The way you talk to people matters.

Can I suggest you try posting as a Left winger and see what happens….

I have no political project. But we can agree that discourse matters.

But a wrong clock is right twice a day. There’s nothing wrong with noticing that some of his policies are successful (if that’s the case- I don’t pay close attention).

To me Trump seems unimaginably awful, and I’m surprised anyone could give him any credence at all. That doesn’t mean he can’t get anything right.

I don’t think the user demographic has changed, more that women using the site represent what is happening on the ground in the country. There’s a groundswell of deep dissatisfaction that is not understood either by the political classes or the media.

So his stance on transgender is completely and utterly wrong and you want TWAW just because he sexually assaulted somebody?

I agree. I’ve been here since the beginning and there has been a massive shift to the right and a (not necessarily related) shift in the class/educational level of mumsnetters.

It’s not that though is it? If the left refuse to deal with pressing issues which are objectively very valid, then is it such a surprise when people move to the right? Surely a child could guess that?

I’m gender critical but if you believe Trump gives a shit about women and children then I don’t know where to start. Abortion rights perhaps? Or how about ripping immigrant families apart? We will not find middle ground though so I rest my case.