Why do people like reform?

[TheGoogleMum]

I haven't been keeping very up to date with politics. I usually vote Labour. I don't really understand the popularity of reform, could anyone explain it to me?
As far as I'm aware Farage doesn't actually do anything when he wins a seat somewhere so I'm not convinced they'll actually do anything? Is it just a protest vote that's gone a bit far?

Have a look at the charts. I think even Blair encouraged millionaires into the UK for obvious reasons.

@skirtingcurtain

The UK state pension age of 65 for men and 60 for women was introduced in 1908 and remained unchanged until 2018. Governments saw the problem coming, but did nothing as they knew it would cost them votes.

Both State pension age and NI payments have been increased, but it’s been too late.

UK has substantial reserves of energy in terms of oil and coal, but we are still buying Russian gas.

According to the charts we are in no 3 position for the amount of millionaires.

Here you go..

We might see care prices increase which will force behaviour change. Ie families will be priced out and need to do more care.

Over to you on tax brackets

Apologies. We are second highest in the exodus of millionaires second only to China (rather than Russia) and a record 9,500 precious high rate tax payers (who pay most for all our services) are off. Unsurprisingly.

Both State pension age and NI payments have been increased, but it’s been too late.

They are now talking about raising it to 71 which I think is shocking tbh. We will just lose more young people to other countries as they are all facing similar issues and will incentivise to attract the young.

Governments saw the problem coming, but did nothing as they knew it would cost them votes.

The public have to be responsible too as they just don't want to hear it, look at the Teresa May dementia tax outcry. And Reform will get plenty of votes because again the public don't want to acknowledge it.

@skirtingcurtain

2nd or 3r, it adds up to the same thing. Wealthy people are leaving the UK and being replaced by those with substantially less, or zero, wealth.

Why are you asking me?

@Jackrussellsaremad I thought you were a Reform voter, apologies if I confused you with another poster.

My GP has just finished all of his training at incredible expense to the NHS and my surgery. They reckon it cost just them £xxxk to train him in terms of suoervision etc. He is now emigrating to Australia. Doesn’t have to pay a penny back. I hope he still has to pay his student loans back from Australia.

Brexit has been responsible for some of the reduction in number of millionaires & tax rises by both the Tories and Labour. I still think we have plenty here and who knows after Trumps antics we may end with a few more!

My GP has just finished all of his training at incredible expense to the NHS and my surgery. They reckon it cost just them £xxxk to train him in terms of suoervision etc. He is now emigrating to Australia.

Why wouldn't you though? He will have better pay and quality of life. Like I said upthread the UK hasn't invested in the young and wages are pretty crap for the
majority after years of stagnation.

No I'm not a Reform voter (yet). But I dislike Labour and I think the Conservatives have grievously failed the country so if I am going to vote (which I will as women have died for us to be allowed to vote) then I would like a decent alternative to the two main parties please.

Do you think Reform is a decent alternative?

I'd like a decent alternative but don't thiink Reform is it or that we will get one.

All very depressing!

We don't know yet, I think. We can't judge. Or I can't anyway. I suppose Labour have proved that you can become a government having done no prep whatsoever.

@Jackrussellsaremad

Labour received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2019, but won double the number of seats due to the first past the post electoral system.

Similar happened to the Liberal Democratic. They too received fewer votes in 2024 compared to 2019, but won 5 times more seats.

So, it’s a truly oddball system in the UK.

I voted reform and they won in Durham where I live. Many seem to think that Reform is a one policy only party. I disagree and maybe people should take the time to read their manifesto of 2024 rather than repeat the old, and failing,

it’a all about racism.

posts

Oh I'm certainly not one of those people who think all Reform voters are racists. I think anyone with any awareness has gone well beyond that now. Immigration is one of the top, if not the top issue for voters and Labour and the Conservatives don't seem to have the political will to solve it.

I just don't know what Reform's policies are on other issues that matter to me and I don't know how well organised they are yet. Ideally we don't need another unprepared divided shitshow coming in as a government. So I will wait and see. I understand that they are in no rush to finalise their policies and manifesto anyway.

That shouldn’t be allowed. They should be made to work in the NHS for a minimum number of years and I mean they should have to sign a clause or the won’t be entitled to graduate.

I’d bet my house most of them paid very little tax. The very wealthy have a multitude of ways of avoiding it. I’d be very interested to know where they’re going too.

@RedWhite

After graduation in 2017, my daughter moved to Germany and has not paid a penny back of her student loans, about £50K.

So, that’s another drain on UK public funds.

What does that look like in practice though?

I did read somewhere that developing countries concentrate their healthcare budgets on work age adults as their issues tend to be more fixable and it keeps the economy running. I can see how it makes sense statistically speaking.

However on an individual, emotive level do we not treat children with life limiting conditions? Are people who require expensive drugs not worth it?

Health spending goes up sharply with age. 2/5 of healthcare budget is spent on over 65s, is there an age or price point where you say no more treatment/ palliative care only.

I’m not against cuts necessarily I would say from personal experience that some old people are probably over treated. My great aunt had her leg amputated in her late 70s. It was life saving treatment and she’d of died within days without it but what it meant was a just under a year of pain, infections, she never really got back to herself before she died.

In hindsight the family really regretted encouraging her to go for surgery and felt that it hadn’t been in her best interests and a quick death would of been better than a long slow one. I’m sure it was hugely expensive for NHS too as she spent months in hospital.

You’re correct. Tax receipts are falling in pp

Exactly. Back in 2008, leading economists were saying it would take around 10 years of basically stagnation to recover from the 2008 crash. Now we're in another decade of stagnation of recovery from Covid.

It's not just millionaires. It's professionals and other better paid workers too. Such as doctors, actuaries, accountants, lawyers, IT consultants, etc.

At my son's work (one of the country's largest insurance firms), nearly all the trainees/graduates are planning to leave the UK once they've qualified. Nearly all the "leaving do's" he goes to are from newly qualified actuaries/accountants moving to Dubai, Australia and Canada.

It's a massive problem that we can't keep young professionals - the ones we desperately need to pay taxes to fund our Welfare State for OAPs etc.