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)

I suggest you look up what is happening with Kent Council.

And their election promise was cutting tax

"Should he win the election, then, Nigel Farage will be in a uniquely unfortunate position. On the one hand, leading a new party with little track record means he will be subjected to particular scrutiny by lenders already twitchy about Britain’s creditworthiness. And on the other, his voters are among those most reliant on the state for their incomes"

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/0c4ee51b3569ead2

Though obviously my neighbour had been taken in by Farage's assurances that Brexit would end immigration. In fact, it's increased immigration, though we now mostly have immigrants from countries outside of Europe, like India and Pakistan.

Interesting, given you are in Scotland, that you mentioned university fees...I have cheering news for you!

Out of interest, what was Scrooge 'on to'? Treadmills? Workhouse? You know what happens at the end of the book, right??

Hi OP. Hope the thread gave you something to think about. While I vehemently disagreed with many posters I found their views interesting and worth thinking about particularly around NFs support for the war. Some were not so useful. I ve posted a lot and read a lot. Still voting Reform but switching off now and un watching thread.

That’s why I thought she didn’t live in Scotland.

Your correct. I should have checked this. Getting a bit carried away I’m afraid. Going to watch The Capture now. That’ll reduce my paranoia 🙄

I didn't offer any arguments as the type of voter who vote Reform wouldn't pay any attention anyway.

Their politicians are failed Tories, their councillors are being suspended all over the place, their policies haven't been costed and are racist, sexist and divisive. Just look at England to see just how they're performing.

Any voter with more two braincells to rub together and with any common decency will realise this.

Switching off and unwatching the thread because you have been proven wrong about a few things? That is a shame.

Fairly recent immigrants from Chechnya that were allowed to vote?

What do you mean?

I don’t agree with a lot of what the OP said, but what makes you think she isn’t a real poster?

As to what she is saying though….no, I wouldn’t vote Reform. No, I didn’t think she sounds particularly well informed or empathetic.

But I don’t disagree with everything.

Firstly, I do think antisocial behaviour in this country is out of control. The lack of manners, general consideration for others, theft, burglary, shoplifting, the litter, the dog mess, the lack of any sort of pride.

But I don’t know how to fix that. It’s certainly not a quick or easy fix and more police and jails isn’t going to solve it.

People on benefits. People will probably shout me down about this but OP is right that there are people working the system. Benefits were designed as a safety net to sustain a basic level of living, for a short period of time, to the small amount of people who genuinely needed it.

But it is just a lifestyle choice now. People always shout this down and go in about Amazon not paying any tax, go after them, not people on benefits. And yes, that’s not ok either, there are lots of tax loopholes that these big corporations use and they absolutely need closed. But it doesn’t cancel out the people on benefits.

I had to leave my job due to an injury and retrain in a totally different field a few years ago. I had to start at the bottom of the ladder and was on barely above minimum wage. I was working my arse off for the same as people on benefits who sat on their arse week in week out. It was really galling.

Many of these people call themselves “disabled”. I’m not saying that disabled means you have to be in a wheelchair, but disabled doesn’t seem to mean what it used to mean. For the last few years I would hear people describe themselves as disabled and think “oh ok, hidden disabilities etc, there must be something really wrong with them.” Nope. Very little wrong with them and it’s a slap in the face to genuinely disabled people.

something does need to change there. Apart from the fact it’s unfair and a huge drain on society, it’s no way to live for these people.

Indeed.

How easy do you think it is to claim disability benefits?

No one’s business but the OPs.

Of course it isn’t but we can’t assume she “did something useful” to obtain it.

Her political views, while abhorrent imo, are what this thread is about. Too many people on here attack the man, rather than the ball. She’s entitled to her opinion without people calling her useless and demanding to know her personal business. It adds zero to the debate.

As a matter of interest OP, would you have voted Alba if they were still a party?

It’s that you are not the only one as a mega poll is out predicting reform to take second place and become the opposition.

Personally I’m voting Libdem this
time.

Go ahead and vote for a party who helped give us Brexit and whose leader's idea of humour as a Sixth Former was making hissing noises at younger Jewish students to bully them about gas chambers. Great idea 👍 👍

Really? Who ran it do you know? I like the Lib Dems but I’m an SNP member so they will get both my votes. Are you giving both to the Lib Dems?

Why do you have an inability to comprehend and respond to the points raised.

I’ve not attacked her. Someone said do something useful, you said she has she’s bought a house, I’ve said she may have inherited it we have no idea if she did something useful to obtain it.

how she got the house is of no relevance to this thread, correct. But I’ve not seen anyone demand to know her business. My contribution was to correct your assumption that she must’ve worked hard to earn the house.

I said what I said. If you don’t grasp it, it’s not my problem.

You said what you said, I grasped it, but it had no resemblance to reality or the conversation
you were taking part in.

much like every reply on your thread about schools

It was on Sky News

https://news.sky.com/video/share-13530305

Yes Libdem for both votes. They are the only party I don’t find offensive at the moment

So anyway, who are you voting for in the Scottish General Election?