Reform winning big

[Keirawr]

Reform had a good night, winning county councils, probably will win a mayoral seat and won the parliamentary by election also.

You don’t have to be a Reform voter to acknowledge that they are taking votes off Labour. Or that they are being electorally effective.

No doubt the ‘basket of deplorables’ crowd will be along in a min with their usual quips calling reform voters names, having learned absolutely 0 from Brexit. Insult the voters at your peril.

These same people also totally miss the point that winning is winning. Feeling all moral and superior about ‘oh well, what will they actually do’ changes nothing.

Perhaps those who label everyone that wants immigration limiting as ‘racist’ Will think again. But likely not.

They are allowed to be concerned about immigration!

I promise you, most factions on the actual right wing hate Farage more than you do. But for very different reasons. They're still voting Reform because there is no other right wing option on the ballot. It's the only way to send the message.

Can you tell us why you think they won? And what it means to you and the area?

That's a contradiction. No-one is "disenfranchised". If you're over 18 you can go and vote, you have the franchise, take responsibility.

I think it's concerning that Reform's rhetoric is cutting through and it's probably because Labour are failing to show they've got any kind of handle on cost of living, ability for people to get well paid and meaningful work in particular areas of the country, and the decimation of public services due to years of funding cuts. And I think it's concerning that they are getting support by even when they don't have meaningful and workable policies in areas I think people actually care about (education, health, social care).

But local elections aren't always a good bellwether. UKIP also did pretty well in those in its heyday. I'm not sure Reform have the infrastructure or the discipline to scale up. There's a reason why Trump went into an established party rather than forming his own.

Sorry to be old-fashioned but your bitchy and entirely unnecessary comment reveals so much more about you than the OP’s choice of language does about them.

I'm the same, I can't muster enthusiasm for any of the political parties.

In terms of change, it's not even a want at this stage - it's a bona fide need. We can't continue on this downward spiral of more debt and worsening services. The UK is a shithole, and it's not down to brexit. It's down to decades of piss poor governance.

Reform gaining ground is encouraging from the perspective that it illustrates how fed up people are, and that we aren't willing to keep resigning ourselves to the slop served up by labour and the tories; people are desperate for an alternative.

If the Runcorn result shows anything, it's that the first last the post system needs to be consigned to the past. Circa 70% of those who turned out to vote there didn't want Reform yet they now have a Reform MP with a majority of six. Six! That is not democratic.

Also the far right often does well in difficult times. That doesn't prove that they're right or that they'd rule well. It shows that people will turn against each other when they're struggling and that will be exploited by those with a nefarious agenda.

Of course. The thing is, what can legally be done? If it was a simple problem I am sure action could have been taken before. There are rules and laws, quite rightly, about the treatment of people and I for one don't want to leave the ECHR.
Nearly every country in N Europe has an immigration issue. Very complex and difficult to tackle.

There’s no doubting the strength of feeling. Really striking swings in the overnight results, even the three mayoralties that Labour held.

IDK where this is leading us though. Stopping immigration is impossible, even if it were a good idea. So if that the main issue, where is this all heading?

The other striking thing, having watched this all for hours overnight, is that both the Reform candidate elected as MP for Runcorn and Andrea Jenkins, new Reform mayor of greater Lincs, are very noticeably poor public speakers. Why don’t they have better candidates?

Have people not learnt anything from watching the disaster that is Donald Trump?
Reform are not the answer, I dont know what is but I don't the answer is not the party spewing racism as their main agenda.

I also think we are seeing the demise to some extent of the Oxbridge educated make (or female) being the default for the political elite. I think people are may be dismissing polished rhetoric or erudition as hall marks for political leadership.and are looking elsewhere. To some extent this may be a new egalitarianism within our political fabric.

Wait Andrea Jenkyns actually won something? Jesus wept I cannot think of a list of people's names and she is the one I would put my cross next to.

I'd be more compassionate to the opinions of the Reform voters if they weren't voting for such horrible people.

How can anyone look at a party with Rice, Farage and Jenkyns and go yep they're the people I want representing me.

Yes, “winning big” is not grammatically correct but it is a standard, informal phrase!

This is a good point, it does concern many people, so allow debate rather than shut it down or label those who have concerns. Maybe those concerns are ill founded? Based on myth? Even so, tackle it, deal with the issues arising.

You are being petty and spiteful, and your attitude is the VERY reason people will vote for Reform, because they are entitled to respect, to be listened to and their view is just as important as yours, however they express it. I see this undercurrent of devaluing and it’s deeply unpleasant and so divisive. .
I think it's a bit late in the day to bring this approach to AIBU.
and, fwiw, I clearly wasn't critical of Reform voters. I was critical of the OP's use of language.
I can totally see why people would vote reform. But I just don't think the party has the ability to work well in power.
But we shall see.

I hope Luke Campbell doesn't win. He looks like he wouldn't be able to organise an orgy in a brothel.

@Santasbigredbobblehat , like Runcorn and Helsby? 🤔

But Farage is the most slippery self serving of them all - railing against the EU for years while being an MEP who never turned up to work but was happy to be paid; lying repeatedly during the Brexit referendum; pretending he’s the man of the people (telling steel workers he used to “work in metals” when he was a fucking hedge fund manager 🤬). He’s an appalling example of an MP and will be a terrible PM. That’s a given.

Well yes, no one took people shouting about wanting to leave the EU seriously and dismissed them as stupid and were then surprised they voted to leave. Same principle here, people keep dismissing Reform voters as stupid instead of listening and hoping the main parties are also listening to what people are saying before Reform end up getting lots of votes at the next GE.

My honest opinion is all politicians are the same. There is no much more integrity within the established three parties.

Oh now don’t be unfair, he’s had at least one constituency surgery. After he lied about being told by the Speaker he couldn’t hold them due to security concerns (the Speaker’s office said they hadn’t told him this, and Farage acknowledged the speaker’s office wasn’t incorrect).
I think there should be certain things MPs should have to do or they lose their jobs. A certain amount of surgeries is one of them - and before anyone produces an example of a Tory/Labour/Lib Dem MP as a kind of gotcha, yes I’d apply that to all MPs equally and I’d be equally critical of any other MP from any other party who didn’t hold a constituency surgery for months.

Bad choice of word maybe but doesn’t change the fact many people feel politically homeless and instead of voting for the “least bad” option they don’t vote at all. Turn outs are ridiculously low and then we get the situation we are in now.

the result doesn’t actually reflect the views of the majority in Helsby. We need people to get out and vote and we need people to be aware of what they are actually voting for not just a “but the others are bad” approach!

Which ever party has the most MPs usually has big loses at local elections.

However the politically landscape does seem to be chnaging. Life in the UK is getting tougher for a number of reasons, some of them are external pressures and others the impact of under funding. The causes don’t matter to most voters they just want to see changes. The older I get the more I believe changing thing nolonger matters for most MP just winning. I have never been a Jermery Corbyn supporter but I suspect he is one of those majority MPs who wanted to make a change for the sake of improving things not for the sake of winning.

That's actually a very good point, and explains the support of populist parties - all over Europe - who seem to be more direct and more relatable. I'm not saying that they're better, just commenting on the appeal.