Do you think some people didn't know what level of government they were voting for?

[unn]

Yesterday, at a café, I overheard two elderly ladies saying that they voted for Reform in the county council elections as they wanted their heating allowance back and want the Labour government out in Parliament.

How bloody ignorant are these people? The county council has zero responsibility of your pensions and heating allowance. They deal with potholes and local education.

Probably have forgotten that the general election was 10 months ago.

I think Labour will keep the WFA policy but will tweak the level where it kicks in before next Winter.

One reform candidate can't be found, didn't turn up at the count and hasn't turned up for the first day of training.

Another has had to be sacked off as they broke the rules of being in the armed forces.

Reform want to have council audits - these audits are already done and have been since 2014, so thats either a lie or more money wasted

another reform councillor has been suspended

another in Nottingham Desmond Clarke
has resigned

Someone in my area put up a post saying there should be a referendum to vote out the council. Several people had to point out the local elections were the following week. They still proceeded to say they wanted a referendum. When told they could vote the following week (again) they asked how to register to vote 🤦‍♀️

Maybe they thought that by voting for Reform in CC elections it would send a message to Labour and that's how they'd move closer to getting their heating allowance back, not that they believed Reform councillors would actually reinstate the heating allowance.

You post comes across as a little sexist and ageist OP.

🙄

Woah! Good going for a week!
Do you know which councils?

That's democracy.

Power of the people.

Voting by the people.

What's your alternative?

The people don't vote? or only the educated ones? what does educated mean?

Who gets to decide what it means?

The alternatives are too hideous to contemplate.

Exactly this. Thank you for articulating it so well.

People are turning to Reform because we are all worse off under this government. I can’t think of one positive change they have made for any of us - please tell me if you are noticing positive changes because I’d love to hear some good news. I have no clue how I’d vote nationally if there were a General Election tomorrow.

I don’t know what the complainers want the Gov to do -there’s no money -and when they make some small changes -the winter fuel payment, iht on farmers, NI, PIP -which isn’t actually remotely what the NHS and SS needs money wise to keep it going, instead of saying good that’s a start - everyone’s whingeing and moaning - I’m at a loss….

i think we need a rule where you can’t whinge and moan without proposing your own solution to the problem. (Other than tax the rich)

I don’t know. If you are on X (aka Twitter) follow https://x.com/reformexposed

That means by-elections for those wards that had Reform councillors resign. That means money wasted in paying the casual workers - poll station workers, those who count the votes. I think the casual workers include those who drive round dropping off ballot boxes, screens etc then collect at the end of the day.

I do hope NF and RUK should pay for sone of this. Plus, are Reform going to struggle with getting candidates? Easiest is to ask candidates from neighbouring wards (that didn’t get the seat). Though they may not want to stand again. Plus people may not want to vote for Reform as got messed about.

I voted quite late in the day (8-9pm) in past few elections, As the list of voters is listed by alphabetical order by street. I know that the street before mine alphabetically is council housing. I could see very few names crossed off from the street.

I signed up for postal votes now

People are coming at me for my boomer comment.

Of course not all boomers voted for Brexit, but when we look at who did, the majority of the oldest age demographics did vote to leave the EU. Not by a huge margin, but still the majority, whereas the majority of the younger demographic voted remain.

And the turnout for each age band ? If the younger has matched the older groups……

They can’t stop boats but they can block change of use of hotels to house asylum seekers. I read it in The Independent a couple of days ago. In America some border States put immigrants on buses and bus them to States that are Democratic. It’s sort of in that vein really. Unsure if it’s still happening but one of my brothers lives in Texas and it was happening.

Lots of other countries in mainland Europe are introducing stricter immigration policies.

I do wish there was an 80+ category. People in the younger side of the 60+ range have different opinions etc to those aged 80+. Look at your family.
I think the 80+ would be 30/70 of remain/leave. Though all of my family who were 80+ in 2016 (now 90% are no longer alive) voted leave.

I live in a council area who did not have local elections this time. All over Facebook people saying they hadn't received their ballot paper and it was the council controlling who votes so that reform don't get in!! Granted its not the most educated area!
The local council posted on fb too to explain!! It didn't stop the idiots

Having worked in local government I sometimes think that councillors for local authorities should be independent. Local people who are committed to and interested in doing the best they can for their fellow residents without having to toe the party line.

They Probably forgotten that their elections were last year. The county council voted last Thursday, but not city council. Had idiots here that said similar.

I think it’s about half the councils that voted last week

It’s pretty obvious why, though, isn’t it?
The young felt there were benefits that outweighed the negatives for them.
The older, not so much.

That’s why we have democracy. Everyone gets a say.
The young also didn’t feel the benefits were compelling enough to actually make them go out and vote.

@unn 23 / 317

but covering over 16 million people

The majority in every age group over 45 voted Leave which is why people are pissed off with the boomer analysis. Plenty of Gen X voted to Leave, while nine years ago the over 65 group contained a now dead cohort of the Greatest and Silent generations - who I suspect were largely responsible for the Leave vote in that demographic.

We live in a country were we have sitting MPs and MSPs who don't know who writes the law or how the British courts work. Before that we had foreign ministers who didn't know that trade deals required the agreement of foreign countries.

With this in mind, the general population are not really who I worry about tbh.

In what way?
Average wage increases above inflation.
NHS waiting lists down and this isn't BS, Fil has had cancer treatments and diags done with 3 weeks, he was initially tld 8 weeks min.
Fuel duty never changed.
Neither has employee NI or Income tax rates.
Interest rates are down as is inflation.

They have been in for 10 months, we had Tory Austerity for 14 years!! this cannot be undone in a few months & Reform have nothing more than hot air on offer...

Such as "Turn around boats and send back to France" errr France will not allow that, so we do what? go to war??? Trade embargoes? close their embassy? and what do you think France would do? Instantly stop patrolling the beaches... that'll help us.. not!!

Reform want to increase tax free threshold to £20k.. so where is the 10s of billions coming from to do that?
An insurance backed NHS? Good luck if you have a pre existing condition....

Labour have been a disappointment, no doubt but whatever the question, Reform is not the answer

Ah, but it might send a message to government that they need to reintroduce the WFA or face annihilation at the next general election. So they aren’t entirely stupid. I suspect they know exactly what they were voting for and why. They are cross and this was a big fat middle finger.