shocked my best friend voted Reform

[clearmoon]

Long standing close friend came round for dinner and we were nattering away, and she just mentioned off hand in the conversation that she had voted Reform. i am really shocked. We don't discuss politics much. But I would have guessed lib dems or labour. I love her dearly. But I do wonder if I should think about her differently now, or just carry on as before

YANBU - She is not such a good person as I thought all these years
YABU-its all fine

But Reform isnt racist. They may have selected some dodgy candidates but it's not like the Labour party and Tories haven't either!

It's not racist to question immigration.

Not everyone who votes Reform is a racist but, in my experience, the vast majority of racists vote Reform. That's not company I want to be in.

People cam vote for reform for lots of reasons. I wouldn't be so quick to judge her at all. She's still that lovely person you know.

Why are you labelling Reform voters as Nazi?

I didn’t see any Reform polices that wanted to annihilate an entire race.

To me it’s all about values. I couldn’t love someone who didn’t have similar values to me - I’m a socialist and I believe in a fair, equal and inclusive society.

Reform are a bunch of racists, at least partly responsible for the current rioting.

Labour has been accused of antisemitism. If you vote Labour - does that make you anti Semitic? No.

I know people, who voted Green, Reform, Labour, Conservative… a wide range of opinions across an informed and well Educated group. The last election there was a lot of tactical voting and a lot do votes that were just a FU, knowing Labour will win but wanting their voice heard somehow.

if we only socialise and have conversations with those who we agree with we will just end up as divided as America.

You sound like a bigot OP.

But the BBC is lying to us. It's lied for years about trans ideology and the clash with women's rights and the harm it does to children. It simply ignores major revelations and events in the issue. E.g. 2 males BOXING as female today in the Olympics.

It's lying about the war that Hamas started with Israel, consistently reporting HAMAS propaganda as facts.

Re: Reform. I agree that many people voted for them as a protest against the major parties and that people are truly worried and the cost of living (not being able to live independently from parents or afford children), and they worry about male, undocumented migrants, both in terms of crime and of using resources/ costing taxpayers money.

Labour Party has an antisemitism problem and panders to extremists who are in no way left-wing.

It is this kind of attitude that leads to radicalisation.

We should be able to debate these issues properly. The just saying 'no issue to see here' drives people to the more extreme ends when they feel they have no voice.

It's the same factors at play with Brexit. Instead of explaining what the benefits are and accepting that in some areas the pace of change wasn't always positive (class sizes, lack of extra support for kids who don't speak English and the impact that has on learning for everyone, rapid changes to agricultural work) we'll just shout 'gammon' at them and insult them for being racist.

Of course racism does underpin some of it but when it is all lumped together with legitimate concerns and things that do need to be addressed in some way with resources, people seek out the parties that seem to offer them a voice and options.

It's a dangerous cycle and we need to stop just shutting down discussion.

I welcome asylum seekers and see what an important role some play in improving our country. But I also question if Vietnam and Albania are the most dangerous places in the world, worry for the women and children left behind and the damage it does to these countries for generations to come, and more the massive impact losing our local hotel has had on the rest of the economy.

There were two long standing businesses connected to weddings that have now closed, the cafe has shut because our visitor numbers are well down etc.

I don't support Reform but I can understand why people feel that these things are not being addressed and trying to find some way of being heard. And I think we need to wake up to that.

That would bother me.

You only have to look at the disgraceful riots happening at the moment to see what the far right is about and what their hateful rhetoric can do.

Reform's views to me are absolutely disgraceful and racist/xenophobic and I could not be friend with someone who supports them.

'@mirrensidhe · Today 00:31
Why do you feel so righteous?'

Because as someone who immigrated to this country and became a British citizen, I will never support racist/xenophobic behaviour or people who seem to have way too many dodgy Russian ties.

Well said.

I walked past a house on Sunday with four posters of Nigel Farage's face in each corner of the front window and in the middle another one with VOTE REFORM on it. Absolutely crackers.

Yes but they're targeting specific groups of people and blaming them for society's ills during a time of economic hardship. This is exactly how the nazis started.

I have a fair few friends and family whose vote is not what I would consider in keeping with their characters. What people vote doesn't necessarily reflect who they are as a person- that is evident in your longstanding friendship. While I would find it odd and possibly concerning, it wouldn't end the friendship for me.

My best friend of 34+ years has VERY different political views and politics to me. We just agree to disagree, I wouldn't let it ruin my friendship and we don't talk about it or try and change each others views. I can guess how she votes but mostly I respect her opinion, which is based on her own experiences and personal circumstances. My mum says, its good to have different friends with different views and interests to suit all sides to your personality. Some friends I would go to an art gallery with, some I wouldn't. Some friends I enjoy going on an all-day drinking session with, some don't drink and wouldn't want to. I don't believe we only have to be friends with clones of ourselves, nor healthy to be.

100%

Dad? Haha just joking.

This is difficult and I would struggle with it. However, I would want to hear why she did it and what she thinks they stand for and why she feels they represent her views. Then I would decide if I wanted to cool the friendship

That's how I should feel about people who vote for labour.. but I don't dislike them. They voted for what they want thought was best for the country, and the vote should be for the majority not the minority. Not everyone will be happy

Reform is the Political Wing of a mish mash of racist, and right wing, reactionary fringe groups & individuals. It makes they feel more legitimate.

I saw FIL after the election, a man I’ve known for 20 odd years, he started spouting Reform (and Tory) lies as fact, talking about “those Muslims”, immigration etc. I couldn’t believe it, I felt like he’d been radicalised.

I argued my corner of course .. I don’t stand for racism. DH was appalled and did the same.

He’s been lovely for years, lives in a white neighbourhood, owns a house, no financial struggles, very comfortably off. His grand daughter has just married an immigrant .. I’m still a bit shocked.

In your position, I would definitely feel a change in how I felt about them. I think we’d remain friends but I’d be constantly aware that my friend, who probably thought Reform, “has some good policies” was willing to overlook that they openly court racists and their leader is a known chancer. Google what his Head Teacher wrote in his school report. He’s not changed.

Hmmmm. Would you not be friends with someone who voted Conservative?

Voting Labour (or Conservative or Lib Dem) is not equivalent to voting Reform. Of course people have a right to vote for the political party of their choice, but voting Reform is outside the box of normal decency.

Good definition of Reform. Which is why I would be disappointed if I found out a friend had voted for them.

This: , it may or may not be strictly accurate and he may have changed his views but it is disturbing.

In Michael Crick’s biography of Farage, One Party After Another, those who shared a classroom with Farage at the private school in south-east London expressed the full range of views on him.
One Jewish pupil claimed Farage would sidle up to him and say: “Hitler was right,” or “Gas ’em.” Another claimed Farage had a preoccupation with his initials, NF, as they were the same as those of the National Front.
“He was a deeply unembarrassed racist,” said David Edmonds, who was in the same class as Farage when they were about 15. Others told Crick they did not hear such comments and that they regarded him as neither malicious nor exceptional in the views he held.

Traditionally you might have voted Conservative because you like old fashioned values or you feel their fiscal policies will work best for the country. That is not the same as voting for a small outfit run by a chancer that openly courts racists.