Scottish voting coming up soon and I think I am voting reform

[ScroogeMightHaveBeenOnToSomething]

Scottish elections coming up next month. I think I have decided to vote reform.

I guess my reasons are (in no particular order)

1. Policing - I am getting really worried by the lack of law and order. I live in a decent place and there is constant trouble at the bus station at night with buses getting their windows smashed. Police have been seen riding the buses to try and get it under control. However I just don't think our current police force is fit for purpose. The job is too dangerous for what it pays and so it can't attract people. They don't have enough powers to deal with the little scrotes and there is no respect. I mean look at the whole shoplifting chaos and the tik tok riots. The whole thing is start to feel quite dangerous and reform are saying they will have more police with more powers and be more strict with law and order. This is what I want - more jails, more police, tougher sentences, respect brought back
2. Housing. Okay so we all know about the housing situation and it's long been an issue. Tonight I was watching an old episode of 'how to get a council house' and I felt so angry and helpless and outraged. Family of romanians come to UK with no money. Mum and Dad and 5 kids. The dad has no particular skills so has been doing odd jobs at a car wash but currently not working. Both have broken english and missing teeth (in other words I don't think they will find getting work easy). So what does the council decide. Well the man is claiming job seekers allowance which maintains his 'work status' and so because of this and the fact he has 5 kids he gets a 4 bed council house. Presumably paid for then by benefits since neither he or his wife are working. They were both very, very pushy and aggressive and then when they got the house waxing lyrical about 'how generous english people are'. You couldn't make it up. Update on how they were getting on a few months later. Neither parent had started working so them and their 5 children were just in their paid for house living on their benefits with no skills that the UK needed. I mean seriously if you want to see what is wrong with the UK this is a good place to start. British people homeless and this outrage going on. So yes give me reform who can hopefully do a Trump and start rounding the fuckers up. I have no issues with people moving to UK and coming with a plan and money and getting jobs and supporting themselves etc. This family came to the UK with no money, no jobs and literally were outraged when they thought they were not getting their free house. The housing lady said they were getting a house through gritted teeth. I got the impression that it was to shut them up and get rid of them but totally unfair on homeless british people.
3. Benefits/Welfare - well I guess I have touched on that above. I think most of us used to have real sympathy and no issue with real disabled people or genuine out of work people being helped. They were in the minority, it was often short term as it was something they were embarrased about. Now I feel like because there are so 'many of them' I have no empathy at all. Which means the genuine folks are being lumped in with the scroungers and I sort of hate them all now if that makes sense. So another reason for voting reform.

Now I'm no doubt going to get told how terrible I am and that the kids are just having fun throwing bricks at buses, that I'm racist for not wanting unskilled romanians and their 5 children to live life free on our tax pounds. I'll also be a monster for being sick of the benefits issue and woah is me little johnny is going to be out on the streets with his 25 disabilities. Fuck me though. Surely voting for more of this shitshow would be insane.

Will it be better under reform. Yeah probably not but at least it's someone different and it might be better and yes I have read their manifesto.

(By the way one episode of get a council house had a boy with multiple sclerosis and he was getting a council house which of course was right. However you saw him crying and telling his dad he didn't want to live on his own (he was about 20) and it made me think of the posters here who are dead against homes or institutions for their disabled kids. I just thought what a disaster giving this boy a house on his own with careers 4 times a day was going to be (he was in trouble with police alot and was always drunk and getting brought home by them). He was just far too disabled to be living alone even if he was getting a house plus benefits. Sure enough the update was he had been moved into supported accomodation. So for this chap some kind of home was the right place to be and where he wanted to be. I've digressed a bit with this point as it's not really about reform and voting but I just wanted to throw that in there to see why people don't want their kids to go into homes. I mean do they really want to live alone in a council house with benefits. This one definately did not. Anyway might need a seperate thread for that issue or I guess we can discuss both issues here)

The UK subsidises Scotland? 🤣

I really, really wish people would stop quoting that the UK is a rich country.

We are not. Not anymore.

We have a small number of very rich people and the rest of us are average to poor.

Look at GDP per person, not total.

We borrow every month to pay our bills. Our interest rates are going up and up as our credit worthiness goes down.

Sorry for your loss.

Agree OP, I would either vote for Restore Britain or Reform. I don't see there's any other choice. I don't think they will be able to do most of what they promise, but that's the same for any party. I like Kemi Badenoch but won't vote Conservative again. It's time that the whole system had a kick up the arse and represented what many many people are crying out for - curbs on immigration, reining in the abused benefit system, better policing etc.

Given their behaviour to date and what they'd like to do if they could I'd prefer not to give them the chance.

Please accept my apologies for calling you thick. We're clearly very different people with very different outlooks on life.

The amount of Scottish people happy to vote for what's essentially an English nationalist party is mind-boggling.

Also - the main claim on the benefits system is the huge cost of the triple lock and an ageing population being supported by a dwindling pool of workers, but Reform have bottled changing it as they don't want to upset their core voters (the elderly).

The Romanian family didn't receive benefits 5 minutes after they arrived, OP doesn't seem informed about who qualifies for what.

(putting it mildly)

I am guessing you haven't read it yourself.

I have read their Scotland manifesto. There’s nothing in it that answers either of these questions. Theres a lot of talk about how it’s not good enough, no concrete (or even vague) costed solutions. Their plan for the NHS is to improve retention and morale. How? They aren’t policies, they’re outcomes as a result of policies.

Except the UK is rich. I cannot let it stand that the right wing is constantly pushing to downplay how successful the UK is as a country. It's not third world nation, and to paint it as such is unpatriotic.

What is your definition of genuine people?

Yet you’re voting both votes for them?

You think only giving council houses to employed people is a good policy? You were praising the giving of a house to an alcoholic who’d lost his job earlier.

What do we do with John, who has a life limiting disability, can’t work now or in the future. Tell him, you must rent privately? Who’s going to accept his rental
application when his income won’t cover the rent? What about Sheila, who’s spent the last ten years as a carer to her seriously ill husband. No to her to!? What kind of safety net is that 🥴

We don't have to means test benefits.

We could give a tax allowance for each child to be used by the parent(s).

That way people would be encouraged to work. They would see more money in their pocket.

There are people on 'the sick' who are disappointed they can't work because they're not well enough all week. Nothing could persuade an employer to try now changes to eNI, Sick pay, etc. Without making employment easier nothing will change.
We also probably need to have some manufacturing in this country. Currently we buy nearly everything from overseas.
We can't be a country of estate agents and coffee shops.

As of early 2026, the Motability Scheme supports over 890,000 customers across the UK, making it the largest fleet operator in Europe.

gross current expenditure ( GCE ) on adult social care by local authorities was £29.4 billion in 2024 to 2025

Reversing the two-child limit on Universal Credit and tax credits, which caps benefits for third or subsequent children born after April 2017, is estimated to cost between £2.5 billion and £3.6 billion per year. Abolishing the cap could lift roughly 540,000 to 630,000 children out of poverty.

Don't we have relative poverty here rather than absolute?

We are absolutely skint as a country. So much would need to change to make things better.

That’s a whole load of stats.

let’s start with this one: As of early 2026, the Motability Scheme supports over 890,000 customers across the UK, making it the largest fleet operator in Europe

why are you telling me that for example? Removing the motability scheme wouldn’t save the taxpayer a penny. The money comes from someone’s higher rate PIP. If they don’t get a car, they have the money instead. It an either or, not an as well as.

That change isn't Reform. Truss budget on steroids.

Also Brexit and Farage's bestie Trump.

How do you work out the disabled are more protected in Scotland? I’ve been here more than 10 years and haven’t noticed that.

And you blame the poorest and most vulnerable for that instead of the people who are hoarding all that wealth...

Just look at Richard Tice and unpaid taxes.

Agree with everything you say OP, and it's brave of you to say all this on MN where these viewpoints are always going to get slapped down. Despite all the criticism you've got on here, rest assured there are many, many people who feel as you do.

Only a fools mind could think this ! The utter BS the English come up with

I actually really want Reform to win and try to run the country now, although I disagree with everything they stand for. Shut up all the moaners who think they are going to improve everything.

Have you lived in England ? My oldest is severely disabled , the assessments in England alone are 10x worse than here , the medical access is 50x worse and he has more access to help in Scotland as a example the winter payment , for those who claim the carers extra payments , free prescriptions .

See you never mentioned NHS which is just as well because they have openly said they would get rid of it......hope you can afford private