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.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. People want rid of current 2 party politics because essentially, they've both been absolutely atrocious. Get them out, put reform in and hope Labour/ Tories get their act together in the mean time. reform can make all the controversial, difficult policy changes and whoever comes back will be absolved of responsibility and get on with leading inline of what the public has been demanding. No one really wants reform, but when you have 2 parties with no backbone or appetite for change, this is where we are.

I was typing to ask how people will feel when Starmer is removed from office - my personal view is that he is done, and it’s merely a function of time - the May elections being pivotal.

Who would you choose as his successor, and why?

Millions of people WANT Reform and certainly not just for one term.What a ridiculous statement. While there is a lot of support for their approach to immigration they have a wide range of excellent policies that will benefit the entire country.

What are those excellent policies?

Yes, absolutely - and some of that will be because of issues with Labour, I’ve said that repeatedly. It’s just so narrow and tiresome to blame it all on Labour, repeatedly and not also acknowledge the huge impact the Tories have also had on the rise of Reform.
Lee Anderson was their first MP - defection from the Tories. Since then, Kruger has done the same. Pochin MP has previously stood as a Tory MP (unelected). Many of their councillors are former Tories, and voted for by former Tory voters. There are several significant former Tory donors who are now donating to Reform instead.
So yes, Labour has many issues and failures, but let’s not ignore the very recent history of the disaster of the Tories either. In my real world, it will be a very long time before anyone falls for the fallacy that the Tories are safe with finances after Truss or has the slightest bit of trust in them after the horror show of Johnson.

But atm Reform are very very small... when or if they get larger, the people on the fringes will take positions of authority and then what?

As to Reform protecting women from attack... well, they refused to even suspend one of their MPs (he had to suspend himself!!) when they found he had attacked his girlfriend, apparently, according to Richard Tice, it was a "mistake"

mmmmm nice to know that battering women is a mistake if you re a Reform MP.

..and yes i know when the attack took place, 18 years ago, does that mean its ok then?

Several Reform councillors have had to step down due to having a history of violence toward women.

They couldn't give a shit about women, anyone who thinks that is an idiot.

I think you've taken my statement literally; I'm not talking in absolutes. Of course some people want reform for the long haul but many others just want someone to do something and if it's not Labour or the Tories, well anyone will do.

Is that really true re Farage and trans egress into women's rights?
In the past, Farage has always been coy when questioned onl trans rights, a mix of genuine minimal interest and a politically correct antennae not to cause offence.
At his crime press conference a few months ago, his prisons spokeswoman, someone who'd run women's jails, pretty much said Reform policy as TIMs would be admitted into those jails depending on the individual case.
Farage initially showed no disinclination to differ ("I've never run a prison, it's very complex"), but only the next day when he'd been shown polling confirming it is a wedge issue for women voters did he then row back and say "of course" no biological man should be allowed in any women's prison.
That doesn't suggest to me Reform are that reliable on this issue.
Questions against Badenoch as well.

Rayner. Just to see the complete meltdowns.

See website, press releases, interviews, media appearances. I haven’t got a day to set out all their current policies on everything from farmers, the countryside, net zero, taxation, the environment, Europe, EHRC, etc etc etc. They are easily available to research and are all pretty good. Some admittedly need fleshing out and refined and will be modified going forward but surely that’s preferable to the bare faced lies re fully costed this and fully costed that that we got from labour. In addition as they don’t know what the state of the country will be when they get elected they need flexibility to be pragmatic and honest when putting together their manifesto. For most people precise detail isn’t essential as we have faith in their values and aspirations for our country and trust they will do the right thing.

"Some admittedly need fleshing out"

That is an understatement. We are four months away from two national elections and Reform has said sweet FA about their plans for the two countries involved.

@BeAmberZebra Hang on, another Reform voter has already said on this thread that Reform are doing the groundwork, think tank research stuff before they release policies - are you saying something different? Hasn’t Farage very recently said it’s too early for policies? Which one is it: ‘excellent policies or a work in progress?

And your ‘soft language’ approach on abortion rights is exactly how it started with Trump - we see you.

From what I've seen they don't appeal. So you're not going to tell us about even one policy that excites you? OK then.

And almost every other politician in here and Europe. You are not completely wrong in your questioning sincerity on this issue but I think Reform people as a whole can be trusted more than any other party. I’m not sure why we have so many politicians who are so out of touch with their voters on this issue.

I've seen Zia Yusuf on Question Time. He's Reform's head of policy, he's very impressive.

Considering that many Reform people are failed Tories the idea that they're trustworthy is laughable.

Oh yes let’s. It’d be interesting for the markets alone.

Leaving the EHRC and cancelling the majority of net stupid zero policies. I’m not a reform representative just a desperate person who thinks Reform is the only hope for the future of the country.

Ah well. I'm fervently against both ideas. Opinions may vary of course. Thank you for your response.

Well they are hardly going to appeal to everyone are they? There are people who still think this Labour government is doing a good job.....

How long would give Reform before saying they have failed?

Reforms problem or rather the UKs, is that on current polling, they have less support than Labour did at the last GE.

On the YouGov poll, just 1 in 4 voters say they will back them.. 75% of the electorate will be against them.

So you would lay off the 100s of 1000s of workers currently in the Green energy industry... approx 560k across all sectors..

There are currently 55k workers directly employed in Wind energy production/installation alone.

Vote winner that.

I would hope they would take some action in their first 18 months that they didn't then backtrack on within weeks. If Reform come in saying they are going to take control benefits, and the back track on everything we will judge them to.

Reform come in saying they are going to take control benefits, and the back track on everything we will judge them to

That is going to be tricky for Reform, given a good proportion of their voters are on benefits.

Most but not all to be fair are costing us a fortune and achieving very little. The ideology surrounding this whole debate is the problem. Don’t forget the thousands of people losing jobs and firms going under because of some of these absurd policies. I know this is a complex issue and I’m really not educated or informed enough to debate in depth but people like Richard Tice and Zia Yousef are and I have faith that their approach is the correct one. As I have said before I believe in their values, their depth of knowledge and their care for the country to trust my vote to them and don’t have anything like that faith in any other party.