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)

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

Try to remember the compassion you once had.

The schools in Scotland are far worse - completely dumbed down, and with a worse violence problem than in England. The SEN children are all in mainstream, which doesn't work for anyone, and the government won't allow schools to expel anyone, however violent they are. The NHS overall is worse too, with far longer waits.

i live in central Scotland and can't get a GP appointment. Had to go private. They are building lots and lots of new houses but not the services to go with them.

I’m telling you that if you think a shower of idiots like Farage and the rest of Reform will make this country better for anyone except themselves you are hopelessly naive

why are you expecting politicians to improve your life instead of doing it yourself?

It's nice of you to sign up especially to tell us your voting intention @ScroogeMightHaveBeenOnToSomething

Are Reform panicking?

Is Trump messing things up for them?

Someone with Downs obviously is going to need looked after.

Autism seems to be one of these where some are very disabled and yes need help where others with mild versions seem to be jumping on the bandwagon and probably don't.

Also the I've pretty much voted tory my whole life up till now. This is a change for me isn't quite true as so many Reform are ex Tories

I have also watched the Romanian family with the 5 kids get housed (in a private let in Birmingham) and was shocked by it. It only happened because Romania was part of the EU, people were entitled to come here and claim benefits.

I wonder what happened to that family in the long-term? I know there was a limit to how long they could claim benefits.

I also think the bus station issue needs to be dealt with urgently. A boy in Kirkcaldy was attacked and left with a bleed on his brain a few days ago.

Dunfermline bus station is also chaotic with gangs of teenagers running riot and making it a no go zone for other people.

I do wonder if the free bus passes making it easier for the kids to travel pllay a part but something else needs to be done. Do I think Reform will make a difference? No.

yes I was reminded of it tonight actually when a genuine person posted.

Whereabouts are you in Scotland? Where I live it's a 1 month wait for a GP appointment, and they've built lots of new houses, so it's getting worse. Waits for referrals at the hospital are extremely long. The ridiculous waits to see someone over suspected cancer are soul destroying - and must be causing lots of unnecessary deaths. I've heard terrible stories about children with mental health problems who wait to be seen for years.

I've seen ads that labour are creating 24/7 healthcare centres. Could we be on the up ?

yes I was reminded of it tonight actually when a genuine person posted

I get that. It's the little things sometimes

Northeast . I completly accept it may vary from area to area but before coming here in England I lived in a town too so I’m comparing a like per like if that makes sense .

If you’re no expert, it’s probably wise to do a bit of research before getting so het up about something you don’t understand, isn’t it?

If an 18 yo did what you describe, they’d be benefit capped and potentially sanctioned if they refused to engage with work searches. This would result in them having an unsustainable amount of money to live on. The idea that benefits are a lifestyle choice just isn’t true.

our benefit bill is so large

1. Because we have more people claiming pensions than ever before (as people are living longer) and we keep triple locking them

2.A full time wage is no longer enough to support a family so more people than ever are receiving in work top up benefits

3.Housing costs have spiralled out of control so people who otherwise could support themselves are having to receive help with hosing costs

4.The pandemic has left behind lots of long term sickness, NHS backlogs, mental health issues and fewer jobs in some fields

5.Greater awareness and better diagnosis of mental health conditions have led to more people successfully accessing support through PIP and disability benefits. This reflects a shift towards recognising that not all disabilities are visible and that people shouldn’t be expected to struggle without support just because they can physically “push through”

If you think the biggest problem for welfare is cost of living (housing/wages etc), how will refom help? They opposed the NMW increase and employments rights bill, as well as the renters reform act. Why plans do they have to address spiralling hosing costs or stagnating wages?

my best shot at reducing welfare would be to means test pensions, seeing as that’s our biggest welfare expenditure but it wouldn’t be popular

Actually I'm in quite a good position for not being affected whoever gets in.

I own my house outright. I retired in my early fifties a few years ago and thankfully I can afford private healthcare (just, although it's a struggle and I have had to adjust my budget for it)

I am being affected by law and order (not directly) and I watch alot of current affairs and am really worried for the future of our country.

Our young are getting poor education, no jobs and no houses for them.
Shoplifting is rife, our local bus station keeps getting bricks thrown at buses.

I am more scared of doing nothing, than voting reform.

Yes if they don't build more prisons like they are promising and give us more and better police I won't vote for them again.

Yeah but you only support the right sort of British People, obviously. Not the ones you don't approve of. Will you be providing a list of who is acceptable to you and your Reform pals?

yes and this is another factor as to why I am voting reform. To me they are 'new' reform ie part reform, part tory.

And you support Trump as well?

Scottish elections are in a few weeks. it's kind of a big deal up here actually.

No idea if reform are panicking. I know lots of people are 'panicking' at the state of our country.

Feel free to ignore the thread if it's not of any interest.

I was hoping for a sensible discussion and thankfully for the most part I have had it.

Exactly…help our own, but not those I don’t deem worthy.

That is not my experience of healthcare in Scotland, I’ve had really terrible care to be honest, I also had gallbladder issues I had to get mine out privately due to how many years I was dealing with attacks with no progress about getting it removed. Had major issues with GP, can’t get an appointment for weeks

Thanks for posting. So in all seriousness who do you think we should vote for to get these issues addressed?

I take on board your points but even if I don't understand why the benefits bill is too high, I think we can all agree that it is too high.

I mean 'more than our income tax' is too high surely. So even though i don't understand the full reasons why it got so high I can still see that it needs to come down.

The trouble with means testing pensions is that people will stop saving for a private pension and so everyone will end up qualifying regardless.

pretty sure I've already answered that.

Not necessarily, means testing it so
we don’t give it to people with millions in assets is very different to means testing it so we don’t give it to people who have an additional few thousand a month in private pensions.

And yes, we may well both agree it’s not sustainable - where we differ is who we scapegoat & who we think has a plan to tackle it.

I think Trump is too old to be in power and i disagree with plenty he has done. However I agree with him putting americans first and i like the fact he has got some backbone to stand up for his country.