To think the main Mumsnet demographic are out of touch politically

[Veiledveritas]

Reform.are smashing the polls yet any Reform voter is despised and ridiculed on here.

So if this is true how do people know what their motivations actually are? People always seem pretty certain on here.

Yes you're right. It's just so disheartening.

I get that perspective, and to an extent I agree. I think I’m just framing it differently. If you choose not to vote you’re making a statement. It’s not immediately obvious what that is - could be, I hate politics, I don’t care about politics, I’m busy that day, I don’t like any of the parties. The outcome is the same for me in these testing times though, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain if a party that causes havoc gets in. It happened near me recently that a Reform councillor went to prison, forcing a by election. Greens won, because a lot of previously lazy locals decided they suddenly cared.

Firstly, am not a Reform voter.

But no, I think you are wrong. I think people who do vote Reform feel multi cultural Britain has been a failure.

I live in a small, very affluent market town. It evolved to have a bit of a trendy alternative vibe over the years following Covid, and has been particularly popular with people from London, who have moved here to start their families (I don’t blame them for doing so). You can tell from the conversations on our local Facebook page that the town is left leaning. A lot of these families send their kids to my daughter’s school. They drive round in big Chelsea trucks; live in huge houses and live stress free lives, often funded by their partners highly paid London based jobs. Of course they vote Labour. The massive tax rises don’t affect them and they get to feel all nice about themselves by voting for the ‘nice’ party. They don’t live in areas that are affected by high levels of immigration either so that won’t be of a concern to them.

What was there before?

Exactly this!

Based on prejudice so far as I can see.

A printing factory

And there were no traffic problems?

The former 'Brexit Party' are primed to take the next general election....it seems like Reform voters have forgotten where their party began....

And it’s exactly comments like this that are pushing people to vote Reform.
What Would be the positive thing to do?

Nope! It has a small carpark and was never an issue.

If people are driven to vote Reform by posts on Mumsnet, then they are a bit silly.

Surely they feel multi cultural Britain has not benefited them personally enough?

Multicultural Britain is the result of Empire which benefitted the uK. Then after WW II we pro actively encouraged migration from India, Pakistan, Caribbean to fill labour shortages. The UK-born children and grandchildren led to multi cultural Britain. But many other wealthier countries have become multi cultural due to airplanes, globalisation and labour markets and we have relied on those factors too.

The issue surely is with not distributing the benefits more fairly rather than an issue with multi cultural globalisation itself?

Not on mumsnet, in general, the insistence from some people that the lived experiences of others aren’t true.

Indeed. Especially given how we know how social media can be manipulated by activists. And when I say activists, I mean anything from bot farms to regular super keen fans.

In all my years of voting, I always voted for the policy, or the person. I never felt "driven" to vote for a terrible party by what some random person said.

Im central, and this country IS fucking broken and bankrupt. Is the NHS performing in your view? Roads in a good condition are they? Policing has no problems whatsoever? House prices are all ok, yes? Energy suppliers are very fair with their prices? We have big problems, just like most countries, you can roll your eyes as much as you like at those who can be honest about this, but it wont help anything.

A functioning one where people worked, or derelict?

Its not just MN it comes from most social media as well as from journalists and politicians - remember Gordon Brown's "bigoted woman" comment. IMO it smacks of lacking a decent argument and resorting to insults.

Reform are ahead in the polls and seem to be doing well in the election results so far. So EITHER the strategy of calling their potential voters thick and racist isn't working OR it's a great strategy but hasnt been employed widely enough and needs to be ramped up. My money is on option A, but I expect many here will go for B.7

Oh no lorries or vans, no workers? Funny factory

I don't support Reform AT ALL but I agree with this. The left are going to lose everything to the worst factions of the right because they're so arrogant and won't actually sped a second listen to what the people supporting Reform want or are unhappy about. They just mock and scorn and call them racist and stupid. Well fine, mock away but the results today are just the start of how people are feeling.

I think there's a difference between seeing what mismanagement of mass immigration has done to the country and voting for a far right party. I think in general mumsnetterrs might be unaware of the former due to being more likely to live in affluent areas that aren't as affected by immigration, but they're more aware on average of the dangers of the latter, particularly because part of Reform's policies are to strip women of their basic rights.

Very much this.

I’ll get the popcorn ready 🍿😂

I don’t see how this makes sense in a polity where both mainstream parties have lurched to the right to try to grab the popularity of Reform. Labour policy on ILR is a recent example, and the decision to put a Muslim woman in charge of that policy mirrors the optics of Reform using Zia Yusuf. They and the Tories before them kowtowed to populism, so I just don’t recognise the idea that ‘the left don’t listen’. Unless you don’t consider Labour left (many don’t).