To be really worried about Reform?

[FiveHorse]

Just that really. They’re predicted to gain the most from the upcoming elections, if this carries on could we see a reform government at the next general elections? Or is it press scaremongering as usual?

I don’t know if Reform are FAR right or just solidly right wing.

There’s not much of an argument for the British right as being driven by white supremacists any more. The most right wing Tory govt members were largely non white - Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, James Cleverly, Kwasi Kwarteng, Rishi Sunak. Equally Reform have quite a few non white candidates and a very vocal Muslim benefactor who by all accounts is poised to step into Farage’s shoes one day.

Whereas the Labour Party have exclusively voted white straight men as their leader, have comparatively few non white big players etc

Yes, I totally agree with you?

Yes I’ve found this too. In fact they are blaming the Labour Government for the previous 14 years a lot of the time.

I do wish Labour had waited a year before announcing the WFP though I can see why they wanted to front load their unpopular polices.
All I hear now is that Labour has killed pensioners!

Reform are driven by keeping foreigners out of the UK and making British great again. Wanting an ethnostate is far right. Talking about the great replacement is far right. Talking about an invasion of foreigners is far right. Wanting mass deportation is far right.

https://bsky.app/profile/tuc.org.uk/post/3lnzjklzxk224

Why does Nigel Farage want me to lose my job?

Politicians on both sides will keep it and the electorate won’t change on it. It’s doable.

There will be various people speaking on it but it’s firmly part of Aus politics now.

It's doable, you keep saying this but you do not explain how.

And I remember reading several studies/reports regarding Ebbw Vale, the South Wales Valleys and Brexit. Despite receiving EU funding, Ebbw Vale still had one of the highest unemployment rates in the UK and the second-lowest median salary. The town lost its steel works in 2002 and manufacturing jobs had moved from the area to Central and Eastern Europe - partly blamed on EU membership and EU grants to those lower wage areas.

One of the studies claimed that the South Wales Valleys had been artificially kept as a low economic area to attract EU funding. Another noted that the universities in Wales were the most to benefit. They all reported that EU funding was a drop in the ocean of what was needed, funding was inflexible, spread too thinly or spent on 'white elephant' or 'vanity projects' that made little difference to employment and prosperity. I remember examples such as a construction worker who was employed on a 2-year EU funded project saying that he and 60 other workers were promptly laid off again after the 2 years.

So you say those voters 'shot themselves in the foot' but how were they really benefitting from EU membership?

And what is actually wrong with being a 'liberal', wanting better for everyone, liberal democracies have brought about prosperity for a lot more people than populist politics that just whips up hate on single issues but doesn't deliver on anything substantial!

Besides it's not 1997, 'Islington class'- really??

They should have put their plans on WFA in their manifesto.

Fair enough, so long as you judge them all equally.

I honestly don't mind if a PM takes a few days off at a quiet time.

No links? That's not like you

Could you enlighten us to any of their policies- apart from dog whistle politics

Good luck. I've asked I don't know how many times.

First reconsider that it can’t be done due to laws, and ask Australia for policy help. Someone who devised their approach. Use that as basis for manifesto for GE and get a mandate. They keep some of it under wraps so you’d need access.

They are not losing out on the international stage but pretty much all citizens are happier with actually having secure borders. It feels odd that countries are ok with not doing so, it pretty much becomes a basic gov requirement when you have it.

I don’t see why the U.K. can’t do the same and if we do I doubt people would vote to go back.

Very odd that none of the right wing media has been able to identify a single pensioner who’s died because they lost £150.

I was recalling from memory. Do you find my summary implausible?

Would you be happy to give up your human rights as they are ?

From the BBC article I shared

And perhaps most critically - she says - while Australia is a signatory to international treaties, it has no legally binding human rights framework, similar to the UK's Human Rights Act or the European Convention on Human Rights. "So I think there is going to be a real legal issue."

I think it’s one sided, whether true or not. Money going into the economy for whatever purpose will spread itself around - even ‘white elephant’ projects employ people who can then spend in shops, bars and restaurants etc. the people on the 2 year funded contract got 2 years of employment - lots of jobs are only short term funded. Doesn’t mean they are of no benefit to anyone.

I’d be happy to have the same rights as I do when I’m in Australia for sure.

They are not within that organisation and citizens are happy with that and Aus tends to top ten or so freedom index / rights charts.

I’ not so sure about low risk @CautiousLurker01

these top tier councils run things like Children’s Services with all that entails. Significantly more scope for things to go tragically wrong than say with collecting the bins. Add to that the further outsourcing opportunities for vulnerable kids and you can suddenly see the appeal to Reform as their is money to be made.

on the one hand Reform having to actually run one or more seriously big Councils might expose them for what they are. Or might show that people like me have badly misjudged them and they do a brilliant job. I’ll stick with the former for now.

if I think of the longer term greater good then Reform winning and having to run Kent County Council would be interesting.

I wouldn't rely on your memory, no.it can be selective. A link would be informative.

Good choice but you're a few years late.

Good. I hope you get a Remain council. That should cure you of ever doing it again. Why didn’t you vote for them last year?