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.

On the very few occasions when he is given a chance to speak he is surrounded by a load of Greens/libs and labour MPs who heckle, laugh, make stupid noises and comments which makes it impossible to hear him

Farage has the same chance to speak during PMQs as every other MP/leader of a minor party. Or does he expect the long established process to be changed just for him?

As for the heckling etc, although I don't support it, he needs to learn to deal with it if he wants to be PM.

Reform has only ever had 4 or 5 MPs; the Lib Dems have over 70, so it’s not contempt, it’s just the system - and there’s a separate debate to be had about that…

Look, he signed up to be Clacton’s MP, he’s paid by the taxpayer to do that job, he could be in parliament today holding the PM to account about Reform’s views on net-zero in his question on energy, and instead he’s cashing in on yet another personal appearance back in his comfort zone of giving grandstanding speeches to his echo-chamber. He won’t go to PMQs and ask the question, because he knows that MPs will put him under scrutiny.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to direct the councillor defections comment at you and absolutely, defections have happened across most (all?) parties, not just Reform.

This was in reply to @BeAmberZebra

Just watched today’s PMQS. With everything going on in the world and the Uk the first thing Starmer did was to attack Reform! I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that it shows they are terrified and know they will never be in power again for a very long time. No other MP is treated to repeated attacks of this magnitude with no chance to respond and heckled to this extent. However he deals with it magnificently and proves again and again what a great PM he will be.

Don’t agree with you much but love the response. The “pits of a soft play centre”😂

Well he didn't deal with it magnificently today, did he? He wasn't in the House. He wasn't doing the job he is being paid for. He was too busy pursuing his media career. Is that what he'll do when he's PM?

I would suggest that the US attacking Greenland/Denmark, a NATO member, would bring about global panic, a GFC type scenario, not too mention further embolden Farages paymaster, Putin.

That would mean no money to fix the things that should have been addressed by the Tories years ago.

UK/EU are collectively still a v powerful economic block and the US has bases all over Europe.

You re being extremely shortsighted.

Tbh never mind Reform! The US is attacking Russian oil tankers. The world is wild. The US is challenging Russia indirectly. It’s not simple.

The US wants a bigger operational base in Greenland to deal with the Arctic Circle and the Arctic passage that is now developing. Denmark and Greenland should get on and have a treaty discussion which is what Trump really wants.

All of this really is electric. The UK is going to have tread a very careful line internationally.

I’d argue with the state of the world, having a media savvy PM is more useful than one indulging in ad hominem squabbling across the floor

Oh come on. I'm sure his media commitments today weren't exactly altruistic and carried out for the good of the nation. I'm pretty sure that if the PM or leader of the opposition missed PMQs to do a private media commitment there would be criticism.

We’ve all been there, right? Campaign to stop Inset first day back after Xmas too, please. 🫠

Come on, he’s no martyr - he could be in Clacton today or at one of Reform’s councils, but he’s grifting for himself and lapping up the attention. Personally, I think he loves the spotlight and the status, but hates the actual graft and responsibility of politics.

Also, Farage is going to have to toughen up, as the backlash from his own party is going to come his way, at some point - because membership grew so quickly without any real core foundations (other than loose ideas about getting tough on immigration and being ‘something different’) and members are from such different/opposing political backgrounds, it’s going to be almost impossible to balance all of this and meet the expectations of his media hype once the reality of policy-making, etc. kicks in. He can only lead a party on his media savvy ‘man of the people’ act for so long, and he definitely can’t lead a government on it. It might explain why things are still so vague.

Most people I have spoken to who bang on about Reform and Farage are people who have never voted. So they will have to get their act together and vote. I know there are a number of people who have changed views - John Lydon would be a famous person I would cite. But the people I personally know who are Reform supporters now have never voted. So I expect to see queues when the day comes like when The lib dems promised the students no tuition fees.
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Just before Christmas I passed a homeless man and I heard him say to a passing couple about being hungry and the woman shouted at him "look at my face I don't fucking care" to me that summed up the way we are going and I don't think it's just Mumsnet.

You really underestimate Reform supporters. There's unanimity on the aims, Grand Restoration to pre EqA, GRA and HRA. I don't know about you, but I don't recall any lack of freedoms before Blairs pivot to the legal state
Slash the civil service, absolutely turnaround welfare culture, unencumber business, turn around Net Zero. Plus restabllsh border security w Detain Deport
If you think there isn't common agreement for Reform supporters on that, you haven't been following closely enough.

I don’t think that’s correct for local elections or anymore probably.

Pardon?

They get out and vote, the numbers for local elections show that.

Apparently, Farage was on media duties introducing the Reform candidate for the London mayoral contest.

Well the ones I know as I said have never voted in their lives. Yes some have gone out and voted but a dam sight more will have to learn where to put their cross for them to get in.

Let’s hope they (or anyone but Sadiq) wins.

Platform is a crackdown on crime and driverless trains on the Underground. The second is long overdue.

MN was certainly more left leaning but not so much in the past few years

The issue is really the lack of conversations, you have some on the left that are not interested in any discussions other than you agree with their point of view and some on the right where their prejudice they barely bother to hide and often not at all and these people are so often leading the way in political discussion across the media

This absolutely suits the likes of Farage, Trump etc and manipulates both sides of the spectrum of politics

Perhaps you’re right. I definitely should have mentioned their anti-woke/DEI, ‘net-stupid’ and anti bloated state stuff. And I hadn’t heard of ‘the Grand Restoration’ as a specific phrase - I’m no marketing expert, but it seems to have echoes of associations I was under the impression they wished to avoid…

The problem is that this feels very much like a collection of buzzwords and populist phrases. It’s all so vague and loaded, isn’t it? We’ll only really know how united they are when they flesh it out and announce policies, I guess.

I notice you didn’t mention Health / the NHS… We won’t go there, eh?

I still think people are overestimating Farage, and he’s manoeuvred himself into a longterm position that’s going to become increasingly challenging for him - let’s see if he can handle it.

Farage was allocated a question at PMQ on energy policy today. Don't you think he should have turned up to ask it, especially as he is always tantrumming about not being allocated questions at PMQs?

Rather patronising and unpleasant. Reform voters have been faithful voters for many years. Large numbers were Tory who’s supporters turned out in large numbers and the number of ex tories voting Reform have increased exponentially, A fair number were red wall labour voters who are feeling that labour no longer is a party for workers and were always reliable voters in their day. A good number have been faithful UKIP then BREXIT party and would trudge through fire and snow to “put their cross” down. If that’s your strategy to keep Reform out you are going to be disappointed.

So why did Reform win so few seats in 2024?