Immigration population up another 700k

[Atallglassimdof]

I understand that this country needs immigration but if you import 100,000s of low skilled workers, in their 30s and 40s, how are they going to fund their retirement or pay for their housing?

It just seems counterintuitive to bring loads of people into this country who will need considerable financial support ( housing benefits, pension credits) when they are no longer able to work, and don’t have the means to support themselves.

Gammon is a racist term.

@EasternStandard - yes countries will have border controls but there will always be illegal immigration as long as there is global poverty and war. What is Farage actually going to do that's any different to anyone else? It's just rhetoric with him. Easy slogans. He could build a mile high fence across the channel, people will just find another way in. People will always move, within borders or across them. For centuries, the British went to all corners if the globe, exploiting populations and natural resources for their own ends. As long as there is global poverty and vast inequality, those who can will move. And if they can't do so legally, some will try by other means. Climate change is going to drive unprecedented population displacement and movement. It will affect everyone.

Slogans like Smash the Gangs, Island of Strangers?

I assume those are Labour slogans as they desperately try to appease Farage fan club? I am not in here to support Labour. All the parties are useless, in my view, but Reform is something really nasty. The worst of human nature dressed up as a political party.

You don't have to support or like Farage to have an issue with current immigration numbers.

Yes, they're Labour slogans, smash the gangs was part of their election campaign, the Island of Strangers speech followed this year when half of those who had elected for them in the general election had buyers regret. So in many ways they are appealling to Labour voters.

I'm not suggesting that you voted for them. I'm just pointing out that immigration isn't just a Reform party talking point. In fact immigration is one, if it is not the, most important issues to voters. And the tactics that Keir and Farage have used are comparable.

Who knows how the Your Party/The Left Party/ Corbyn- Sultana/ Party with No Name will tackle the issue. It's taking them long enough to pick a name.

Your sentiments about other people are quite grim.

Your own emboldened sentiments are pretty bigoted and intolerant of people that don't think like you.

The blind spot of the left. They can be as nasty as they like and consider themselves virtuous for it.

This.

It does have the telltale 'Die in a grease fire bigots #BeKind' vibe favoured of the radicals.

I am not 'on the left.' This actually makes me laugh. Being disgusted by Reform does not mean you are 'on the left.'

In fact, Reform's supposed 'policies' (scant though they are) like tax breaks for families using private schools; tax breaks for small businesses; raising the SD threshold to properties over £750k would financially benefit us, with property portfolios and whi run business and whose kids go to independent schools. How many people in Farage's constituency use private schools? Yet they seemingly support Reform, just because 'immigration.' I would never vote for Reform because I see what they are at core and I despise it.

And no this does not mean I am inclined to vote for this 'Your Party' or whatever it will be either. At present, I know very little about it.

Obviously has categorised Reform voters as the bitter poor people not worthy of consideration.

Blind to their own prejudice.

So you’re on the right?

Very unclear!

I don't think it's as simple as being 'on the left' or 'on the right' anymore. I mean, I live in Richmond-upon-Thames which swings between Conservative and LD. In the past, I voted LD but at present they are a wash out and frankly, I don't identify with being 'woke' if that means buying into all the pronoun / gender politics. I'm 53. Mum of 4. Hardly 'a radical.' I'm British with a Persian -born husband who is a very successful entrepreneur and has created thousands of UK jobs. I think Starmer is non-inspiring, but at least he's not a 'cult of personality' politician. There is that. But as I say, not inspired there. The Conservatives lost any chance of my vote since Brexit and they are a total shambles anyway. Reform ideology sickens me to the core.

What are Labour and the Tories doing to halt the rise of Reform?

Not nearly enough, sadly.

If we do start getting much higher movement as in this post then I think Labour will struggle, they pledged to smash the gangs after all.

We need to have drones flying over the English Channel to stop the boats.

What are the drones going to do?

No. It's not.

👏 It's predictable, it's boring, it's a way of controlling us and I am absolutely sick of it.

Bravo. 👏

Have those who intend to vote Reform actually listened to Farage properly? OK with his intentions to dismantle the NHS? He's also not happy with the welfare state so will be gunning for benefits. And I'm not sure exactly how he plans on stopping the small boats. Well, obviously he personally won't be. The masterplan is to intercept the migrants off the boats and take them back to France. I'm sure Anglo French relations will blossom under that scenario - are we just going to wait till the water's ankle deep off Boulogne Sur Mer and tip 'em off the boats?

We currently, for our sins, have a Reform led council. The mayhem they're causing is ridiculous, primarily because they have zero understanding of how or why anything works within the council's purlieu. Ramping that incompetence up to national level is actually pretty worrying.

Maybe if we took away benefits from UK born work shy and really raised the bar for when you can claim, then suddenly the low skilled jobs become more attractive.

It's wrong that we are building on the counryside to accommodate houses for population growth, so we can have people here to do jobs that our working classes don't want. It's a lose lose. I lose my taxes to funding the lazy and the countryside to hideous new build houses.

They would be more attractive if better paid to reflect the responsibility required of care workers, and employers offered proper contracts not zero hour contracts that could be 30 hours one week and 5 the next. Most companies don't even pay petrol allowance for community carers. I was spending a large proportion of my wage on petrol which effectively saw me on less than minimum wage.