To not understand why Farage needs to be so smug and flippant about people losing their job?

[LegUcler]

Just seen reports of the speech in which Nigel Farage tells council staff who are employed on DEI initiatives and climate change to “find new careers”.

I get Reform view these things as a waste of public money, and if they’ve been democratically elected on that mandate, then those departments will be cut.

However, whatever you think of those departments, the people he’s talking about are about to lose their livelihoods. They’ll have bills and families. I’m not saying that means they’re immune to cuts or they shouldn’t lose their jobs. I just don’t know why he feels the need to be so shitty about it.

Low turnouts favour parties like Deform, people use them as a protest vote when they're disillusioned. But that's a long way short of putting them into actual real power via a General Election. These local elections are a wake up call for the major parties, make no mistake. But I've heard a lot of die hard Labour, Lib Dem and Tory voters today saying they'd all vote tactically even for their traditional opposition parties to keep out Deform in a General Election. My area has gone Tory from Labour, with Deform coming in second. I'm a Labour voter historically. In a general election I'd vote Conservative to keep Deform out, if that was the only way to prevent them getting into power. It's time for the moderate majority of the electorate, and the historically main parties, to wake up, regroup and realise we're all better than where that odious, vile, divisive, little wankpuffin wants to take us. I think there would be a massive awakening similar to that seen in France if there was a real danger of a party like Deform forming the next government.

As an aside though, we have to change the rhetoric aimed at Deform voters or we have learned nothing from Brexit. Division and discord serves only the evil. And I do view Farage as a dangerous man who must be kept from power at all costs.

Where I work, people people who look at diversity and equality in the organisation look at things like flexitime for working parents who want to drop off at school and save money on breakfast club, or who might want to go to an assembly without having to book leave, to retain more staff. Or who make sure our disabled colleagues have everything they need to be able to do their jobs. Or who make sure that every community we serve is aware of things like health screenings or treatments.

And if you’re in a big organisation with high energy costs, someone looking at that outgoing can actually save money, never mind the planet.

This is a very good point. The entire time I was voting I was the only person in there and one of the ladies who gave me my ballot paper strongly hinted that the turnout has not exactly been overwhelming.

I understand that people are disillusioned and apathetic but not turning out to vote helps nobody. And the many councils that are now under no overall control but with Reform still getting the most of the paltry votes cast is a total bloody shambles.

Of course there's such a thing as DEI in the UK. Until recently my own employer had a member of staff dedicated to DEI. Fortunately they realised this was a waste of money and got rid of the role about 6 months ago.

Exactly this!

He’s just a horrible little man who only cares about himself
I really can’t understand why people vote for him

I'm not arguing that we should, I am saying we shouldn't be gleeful about people being made redundant.

Sometimes it is needed, but it's shitty for the people losing their jobs so no need to rub it in that you're pleased their lives are potentially being turned upside down.

Because they own the buildings that companies pay them huge amounts of rent for.
Follow the money.

Depends on the people to be honest. If someone genuinely does their best in what's a pointless job then that's a bit shit and I hope that they find something else. However I work with one or two utter pisstakers and there would be celebrations if they were given their marching orders.

Well the idiots are now in charge of some Councils so let’s see what happens.

I actually heard a reform candidate say on television how much they were in favour of trade unions!
utter bollocks

I would like to see councils run like elite private sector companies. Ruthlessly efficient and concentrating on the things that people actually want councils to do, instead of wasting money and allowing their employees to rule the roost.

Exactly this! 👏👏

Agree with this. I'm still of the belief that it was the thoroughly nasty behaviour/rhetoric coming from the Remain camp that secured a Brexit victory.
Seems we are now seeing history repeat itself.

He behaves in that manner in order to appeal to his supporters, many of whom feel disenfranchised or forgotten about. Any little win, any instance of them 'getting one over' on the establishment, must be celebrated as a sign of the changing times and an indication of more victories to come.

He knows he'll never be PM, but he'll sell his supporters the dream until he moves on to the next thing.

Calm yourselves, people, it's a meaningless soundbite. Employment laws mean he can't actually do it at all, and councils can't change employment protection laws.

DEI doesn't exist in the UK the way it does in the US, and what he calls "DEI" is actually The Equality Act 2010, which even a full-on Reform majority government would have a devil of a time repealing.

This is really just Farage chucking something out there to ingratiate himself with Trump after he fell out of favour earlier in the year.

Have you not come across Farage before?

First post nails it

I’ve followed the USA election and fallout and what has happened/happening there is absolutely INSANE…and if voters in this country don’t stop naval gazing and feeling sad about politics and not voting out of some weird protest, we are going to go the same way as the US.
The indignant and angry “disenfranchised” are shouting loudest now and they’ll be all over the news with their froggy idol.

Genius! That is exactly what he is!

That's funny because the sort of people in DEI roles are quite happy depriving women who stand up for their rights of a livlihood. Forgive me if I don't feel anything at all for them

You all better be seeking alternative careers very very quickly
Maybe they should try politics - no skills, experience, morals or conscience needed. The bar is set so fucking low. It's not democracy when hardly anyone bothers to turn up to vote because everyone on the ballot paper is such a piss poor choice.

""DEI" is actually The Equality Act 2010"

An aspect of this is still in dispute after being through the supreme court. It's quite clear companies have been allowed to interpret this however they please, so while it may be a challenge to repeal, it is also not worth much if its so selectively enforced.

Perhaps he wants to ingratiate himself with Trump, but I also think it’s about ingratiating himself with British Trump fans, and the general move towards the British right apeing the American right in terms of the words and phrases it uses. See also ‘conservatism’ which has morphed into meaning something very different here to what it meant 10 years ago, when spoken by people like Farage and Rees-Mogg. To be a conservative in the U.K. previously meant cautious, venerating institutions, economically and socially centre-right. It appealed to stockbrokers and the WI.

Now it means being MAGA - culturally very right wing, but economically all over the place. It appeals to the white working class.

My Equality officer has been assisting my blind colleague to secure access to work funding so he can use taxis to travel around the county, visiting blind people to teach them how to use equipment.

But hey, as long as trans people get a kicking it's ok if he no longer gets support, right?

Oh I wouldn’t be so sure that he won’t become PM one day -

I just hope he sticks to his word and fights the government in dumping all the illegals in deprived northern towns