To think that those terrified of Reform/Restore vastly overestimate the power parliament actually has?

[BlueJuniper94]

Just as the title says. The fear mongering is intense at the moment but I think people could surely find peace if they looked closer at what our parliament is actually capable of (not much, ask u-turn Kier) there's the Lords, Human Rights law, and the massive unelected bureaucracy which will thwart every effort made by these parties if they do find themselves with enough of a majority. It just won't happen. Look how watered now Meloni is now that she is, to the disappointment of many who voted for her I am sure.

There also seems to be a contradiction, Farage and Lowe are frequently reffered to as populists, populism defined as empty rhetoric without delivery. If you truly believe this, there is nothing to fear. It's all hot air. Anyone who gets close to power will find themselves absorbed into the uniparty or captured as containment.

What makes you think they’ll respect those ‘barriers’?

Erm… do you remember this bloke called David Cameron who decided to have a referendum because a bunch of fairly extreme back Benchers wanted to withdraw from the EU?!

Have a look across the pond…all those fears people have in 2016 have come true and more.

It also says a lot about the views and attitudes of the general public though who are voting for them which is the really scary thing.

And they voted to have more of the same bizzarely!

Yep and who didn’t set a ‘winning’ margin. And a bloke called Boris Johnson who illegally suspended parliament and misled the monarch?

David Cameron should have stayed and cleaned up his own mess!

Oh shit - increasing numbers of people are beginning to notice that the powers that be in Reform and Restore really are just a bunch of racist troglodytes with no moral compass beyond lining their own pockets.
Hey I've had an idea! - Lets pretend that this doesn't matter because they really won't have any power if they form the next Government so nobody needs to worry their little heads about it.
@BlueJuniper94 - if none of it matters I'll carry on voting Labour - you'll surely be more than happy to find peace if it makes no difference? But maybe you won't?
I'm curious - you obviously haven't noticed what's taking place in the US at present? - Oh yeah BAU of course - silly me.

Oh yeah it will all be fine. Nothing to worry about. Did you not experience the economic catastrophe that has resulted post Brexit? Led by the same crew.

What is happening in the US and how does it pertain to us?

Vote for who you like. It makes no difference

Parliament can essentially make and unmake any law. It can withdraw us from international treaties. There’s no limit, provided you have a comfortable majority to vote for the thing you want.

In Keir’s case most of his majority realise they probably don’t have a future in Parliament after the next election. They are looking at the sort of ‘lanyard class’ job they will be able to get afterwards. Therefore they are voting with that in mind not what Kier wants causing all the U turns

so in a sense they are very powerful. They are stopping Labour achieving anything at all.

Forget all the big picture stuff, just small details that they can achieve can make life much harder. The renting/home security stuff for example- in an attempt to provide better homes, they made it far harder to be a landlord. People are evicting tenants so they can sell up and there’s a terrible shortage of rental properties.
They increased the minimum wage for young people, and now youth unemployment has gone up. Why employ an inexperienced untested youngster when you can get a seasoned older worker for the same money?

On the other hand, given that there are quite a lot of business people represented by them- round here all the small business owners/self employed people vote reform- then they may be reasonable employment choices… but who knows.

Well, the US president has far less power within the US system than the PM has in ours. Especially one with a pliant parliamentary majority.

So it’s a good sense-check of your proposition.

I think Reform may struggle to govern as they wish, but not becuase ‘parliament is powerless’. That’s usually said of parliament vs the govt. It’s not at all true of parliament acting with the govt.

The lords, for example, won’t block legislation that’s in the manifesto. The PM can appoint more lords if needed. Law and JR will be an issue, though laws can be changed. I think the senior civil service might be an issue, but then again they were strongly Remain and (quite properly) that didn’t stop Brexit.

No, populism is empty rhetoric which can’t deliver what it promised. Doesn’t mean they can’t do the things they say will deliver it but won’t. Like for eg leaving the ECHR…

When there are politicians who want to bring in a doctrine that you don't believe in and that you think could lead to a worse state of affairs for this country and the people in it you don't shrug your shoulders. Look at what happened when the third reich came to power.

The entire schtick of these millionaire oligarch parties who represent the interests of billionaires at the expense of the working class, who they fool into voting for them, is to erode our rights and decouple the UK from stabilising alliances and institutions which apply those relevant checks and balances that protect us from extremist elements in parliament.

As Reform/Restore seem quite keen (hell-bent?) on removing or removing us from most of these checks and balances, that is scant comfort and I shall continue to regard them with unease and mistrust.

I don't fear a sudden influx of extreme laws, no. What I fear is any power lying in the hands of people who hold these views, as while they couldn't achieve their more wilder ambitions, there's a great deal of damage they could do in that direction.
I fear the measures they would take to erode the welfare state and free health care. I fear they would legitimise attitudes I consider racist and misogynist. I fear the people who would be given office would be highly inexperienced and incompetent. My local Reform candidate can hardly string a sentence together, he got lucky because there weren't enough of them to go round and they scraped him from the barrel bottom.
I understand the limitations of government but its still a pretty influential body and the only influence I'd be comfortable with these people having is none at all.

Im imagining our own version of ICE. Pretty unedifying. I’m not “terrified “, however. I think they won’t get the votes to win, unless the Russian bots and others help with foul play.

You think nothing happening in the US pertains to us? Honestly? The tariff? The special relationship? Come on, please open your eyes.

Those ‘terrified’ of Reform are engaging in amateur dramatics, which is frankly a bit childish and embarrassing. I suspect they go through life doing all they can to attract attention to themselves. Some serious growing up is required by these people.

You're implying they are harmless.
Reform in power will have significant negative consequences. I feel ashamed that they are getting any traction in this country. They represent the very worst of this country.

Sure Cameron was a twat but the point is that ultimately it was parliament that took us out of the EU. It is parliament which determines who forms the government and the constitutional and legal importance of parliament is why Boris Johnson’s actions in suspending it caused such a scandal and was deemed to have been unlawful.

I don't think you understand how Parliament works and underestimating how dangerous a government who refuses to abide by parliamentary conventions will be.
People who think like you will be responsible are sleep walking into disaster

I'll be responsible?