Farage has announced that he'll be making an announcement...

[Westfacing]

... an 'emergency' announcement, no less.

Presumably to announce he's finally plucked up courage to put his money were his big mouth is and stand for Parliament, after bottling it!

This

Farage isn’t going to win; but he is definitely going to embolden a lot of people with more explicitly racist views. The reason for his popularity is that he gives them a sense of license and legitimacy whereas otherwise they keep silent.

Yes he wants a big clash for this election and to overtake the Conservatives in the public mind as the authentic voice of the public. He is already making cheap calls as to who is a patriot or not. This is the first step in division, and it will carry on putting people against each other until any real racial harmony is obliterated. For those who feel comfortable with him, it’s likely because you are white, otherwise you would probably see clearly the next stage where your neighbours discuss immigration and then look shifty if you are not white and say “don’t mean you obviously”. But that is what it will mean, and it’s what it has always meant really.

Hang on, why on earth should we respect Farage? he came out with and defended that poster, a poster based on what the Nazis used.

Do you think thats civilised argument? or more recently, his comments on Muslim men? i'm sure plenty of white young men don't support british values either.

But the main point is that Farage shouldn't even be given any coverage at all, the MSM don't normally have interviews with leaders who have no MPs.

Why is NF given such importance?

Why is NF given such importance?

Very good question.

Time to buy shares in Nesquik

NF speaks for a lot of people who have been silenced, accused of being bigoted and racist.
The more you ridicule a section of society the more you create division.
You may disagree with his views but it is evident there are many who don’t.
I do wonder if some posters actually understand what it’s like to live in deprived communities and experience poverty.

I’d tweak this slightly, he doesn’t want to “overtake the Conservatives”, he wants to “take over the Conservatives”. It’s already highly likely that they will swing to the Right after this election, if Farage is an elected MP and defects to the Tories he will paint himself (with the help of Truss, Braverman, Baker, Rees-Mogg, et al) as their saviour and run for the Leadership.

Spot on.

I remain unconvinced on that. Remember, Nigel Farage owns 53% of the shares in Reform. He is not beholden to anyone with regards to their policy position. His leadership is secure. Pivoting to the Tories would remove that from him

I do wonder if some posters actually understand what it’s like to live in deprived communities and experience poverty.

Well, NF certainly doesn't.

Thankfully I've never experienced poverty, but I do live in what is often described as a 'deprived community', one previously (unsuccessfully) targeted by NF. It baffles me that anyone living here could honestly believe that he has their best interests at heart or will do a single thing to actually, materially improve their lives.

It is Farage who is creating division, not anonymous online posters. He thrives on it. His career wouldn't exist without it, and he will continue to exploit poor, disadvantaged people for his own gain, for as long as he believes he can get away with it. He's an appalling, dangerous man.

Does he?

He has cherry picked 7 parliamentary seats and failed to win any of them...... so who does he speak for? very few based on his electoral success or lack off.

Even at the height of his UKIP success, just 3m voted for him, out of around 45m voters.

Since when has right wing parties ever benefited deprived communities and those in poverty?

Which side of the political debate gave us the NHS, income support, min wage, universal education, open university, maternity rights, max working week, employment rights?

...and which side has often sought to get rid of them.....

Michelle Hussain interviewed him on R4 Today programme this morning and pretty much wiped the floor with him. He said some ludicrous things

I agree with you, but many of those good things came from the traditional Labour Party, not the modern version.

I suspect it's the centrist, middle class modern version of the Labour Party that will 'push' more old Labour towards Reform. But if Labour try and appeal to old Labour they risk repelling the centrist votes they need to win the GE.

I think it's going to be very interesting to watch (rubbing my hands together) 😁

I wasn’t talking about past governments. I’m talking about what is happening now.
As far as literature goes, no party wishes to end NHS or minimum wage.
And those 3 million are still allowed a voice and if that voice is NF then so be it.

One thing is an absolutely certainty, i.e. that Farage himself has no understanding whatsoever of living in deprived communities and experiencing poverty, and he despises those who do. If they are conned into voting for him it will be an absolute tragedy, because they will soon find out that he is prepared to do precisely nothing to help them.

Not one PM candidate really has a clue of real deprivation.
I am not sure why you think it’s just Farage with the full pockets.
Unfortunately Labour is not a working class roots party anymore, Reform are.

As far as literature goes, no party wishes to end NHS or minimum wage.

NF is very keen indeed on hastening the end of the NHS. He wouldn't want to waste all those lovely money-making opportunities for his American friends to step in and start providing privatised care in exchange for 'healthcare vouchers'.

NF is by any measure, right wing.

UK right wing parties have never done anything for the poor, why do you think they would now?

Will Reform get 3m votes?

& there are plenty who would get rid of the NHS, just as they have got rid of NHS dentists, that 7.6m cannot get NHS treatment in a timely manner and that people die alone in a corridor.

The Tories defo want the NHS gone, they just wont admit it.

@TinklySnail in what ways will Reform UK make life better for the poorest and most disadvantaged communities of the UK?

I want rid of the NHS. I'd much prefer a system similar to Germany - i.e. a government run/backed insurance scheme with private health care provision.

The NHS is shit. There's a reason that no other countries have copied it.

It's certainly not the 'envy of the world'.

Once you've lived abroad and seen how efficient healthcare is, it opens your eyes to just how crap things are here.

Ummmm i have, 2 european countries and an African one.

Several european countries have a nhs style health system, tax payer funded, but ultimately no one copies any countries system, they are all different.

Germany's is incredibly admin heavy, as is France.... multiple district health insurance companies, reclaiming this or that.

Look at Healthcare spending per head of population? the UK scores very badly, thats basically why the NHS is poor, we also have incredible demand due to very poor public health levels.

We need to get rid of the huge number of companies within the NHS bleeding money but delivering services that the NHS used to do but with massive duplication of back office functions.

Private healthcare? not sure thats the way forward.

Because there are people who lost their jobs to lower paid migrant workers. Because wages then got lower, more agencies running the show and no stability. If you’re sick one shift you get no work. How does that help someone with no qualifications and a health condition?
On and off the dole is demoralising and yes, lots just gave up.
You expect these people to be just like you but immigration means totally different things to all of us.
As I’ve said before, when you’re living in poverty it is quite hard for people to have any sympathy with people who come from abroad and moan about their digs.

Well i was bought up on the social, a single parent and the constant worry of being evicted.

I do understand why the people you describe would blame the EU but basically the fault lay with shit and unenforced employment laws

However, the vast majority of people i know who voted for Brexit were well off and had no such employment worries.

Anyway, migration has gone from 210k in 2010, to 764k so how has Brexit worked out for the people who voted for the reasons you gave?

I am sure many of them are appalled with how Brexit turned out. They would probably say it didn’t go far enough. Enter Nigel.
Labour and Conservative are playing right into his hands.

Reform aren't. Every one of their leadership is from a privileged, privately educated background. They are wealthy racists who are working very hard at convincing working class people that foreigners are the cause of their problems rather than privileged, wealthy people like them.