Can we stop calling reform the government in waiting now?

[nostalgiaslie]

Another devastating defeat for reform and common sense has prevailed. Surely it’s time we stop?!

I never have

I've called them many other things tho...

It has been a safe Labour seat, Reform were never in the running. The risk was that the Greens would take it but thankfully not.

Unfortunately I think Reform will still hold the balance of power unless KB can get her skates on and reclaim a lot of the centre right.

Holborn and St Pancras? They never had a prayer, there. Though I still agree with you - they get far too much airtime considering how few MP's they have.

Me too.

Actually newcastle under Lyme, where they overwhelmingly rejected their reform council.

Anywhere they get into power they’re rejected. Anywhere they try, they fail. The majority of their MPs were elected on conservative mandates, they have nothing.

What devastating defeat happened. ZP probably had one at by election but was there another one

I take it you were referring to the Holborn & St Pancras by-election. Reform were never going to be contenders in that constituency.

That said, I agree, they’re not the Government-in-waiting… their popularity has ebbed in recent months.

I’m not sure one councillor counts as a devastating defeat.

But I share your general view of Reform, and do think this particular council seat is funny. The reform councillor was elected in May, tried to resign in August but sent her resignation letter to the wrong council, then said she’d changed her mind and didn’t want to resign, then resigned a few days later to the correct council.

Again, no. The Newcastle under Lyme council byelection happened yesterday and they lost the seat they were defending as incumbent. 7 of the last 8 seats they’ve defended as incumbent have been lost. 24 of 27 seats lost since September 1! They are completely flailing.

I think it does when you look at it in the bigger picture.

Come on OP… You post this immediately after a high profile parliamentary by-election and you expect people automatically to know you’re talking about Newcastle-under-Lyme Council ward by-election? Even the BBC political correspondent wouldn’t know what you were on about!

I agree with @EppingIsFun they have far, far to much airtime, think about it how often do we see the Lib dem's and their MP's on TV compared to Nigels gang yet they have more MPs in parliament I hope that they start getting less media time.
At the moment it is disproportionate compared to the other political parties.

Devastating defeat for the Tories too. Reform and Tories together only got a third of Labour votes.

I think their bubble has well and truly burst

On a turnout of 23%, where we're talking about a few hundred votes, in an election that has no impact on national politics.

It's not exactly a poltical breakthrough, is it OP?

I never have called them a government in waiting. They’ve only done that.

Does democracy only count when you want it to?

I think they would!

Seems so. Thank god.

I agree, and they got that airtime when they didn't have any MPs or only one. The media love Nigel Farage, it is always a good story and clicks, but it is terrible for democracy to favour the leader of one minority party so disproportionately.

No the vast majority would assume that you were referring to the Holborn/ St Pancras.

To claim otherwise is disingenuous and destroys your credibility in the rest of this thread.

You probably needed to put in the title where you meant

Yawn.

Thread added to the hidden pile….

No, but in a country of 38 millon voters, 500 in Newcastle under Lyme needs to be regarded proportionately.

I agree. I do think their conference was a turning point for a lot of people. It was not the conference of a serious party of government, it was the rally for a (admittedly well-funded and slick) protest party. I am not a Conservative voter, but I thought the way Kemi Bandenoch skewered them in her conference speech was very impressive. I do think it’s time for the media to stop giving them such non stop air time.