Deputy Leader of Reform Party David Bull - Two Working Parents is Not a Great Upbringing

[kikisparks]

https://x.com/SophyRidgeSky/status/1802785457903661425

So much to unpick with this. Firstly, he says it is a travesty for mothers (this is implied) to “spend all your time at work and not enough time with your kids.” But most parents I know are both working and spending lots of time with their kids, it is not an either/ or.

Secondly, why have they extensively polled mothers to get the conclusion they want to spend time with their children (er, yes I imagine most people who have children want to spend time with them), jumped to a conclusion of “a majority of mothers would choose to stay at home more if they could”and not polled fathers to ask them as I’m sure many of them would also love to stay at home more if they could.

Thirdly, if it is a valid goal to reduce the amount of time mothers spend at work and increase their time at home, how is supporting marriage through the tax system the most effective way of doing that? This does nothing for single or unmarried mothers, so are only the children of married mothers entitled to the “support as they grow and develop” that apparently only a SAHM can provide?

Nothing wrong with choosing to be a SAHM of course, but the blame on women, suggesting because they work they are causing the rise in anorexia and bullemia by failing to counter damaging things seen on social media, is frankly disgusting to me.

Why is no party focused on making it easier for 2 parents to work part time? Means children will get support from both parents, for parents in a heterosexual relationship they will witness a male role model in a caring role, both parents have financial independence, pensions, paid annual leave, paid sick leave, and a career to go back to when the children are grown. The time spent in university and building a career (where relevant) is not wasted for either parent. And similar in place for fully lone parents.

Farage is a supporter of Andrew Tate who thinks women should be kept at home without possessions and should be the property of men. I have to say that we should probably assume that by parent they mean mother and that the subtext is ‘women get back to your main role as caregiver and housekeeper so that men can be proper men’. I’m reading between the lines but given Farage’s closeness with many known misogynists (Tate and Trump) I don’t think I’m far off the mark.

You’re absolutely right. The fact they’ve only polled mothers shows that that is who is meant by “parent”. Pretty dystopian stuff. Yet the party seems likely to get a lot of votes.

Sadly I think the dog whistling works on some people and if you only use one or two sources of information and don’t research things yourself, people get sucked in. Hopefully lots learned a lesson with the Brexit campaign and know not to believe the headlines but to dig a bit deeper. I read all the free online newspapers and news sources and if all I read was the DM and believed it all I’d probably vote reform too. Luckily I read different sources and check things out if they seem a bit too good or a bit too outrageous.