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?

Neo Liberalism is dead long live neo Liberalism!

Apparently? Not our concern. Either keep them out, or send them back. That's the solution. Their poverty is not our problem. Our country is not their salvation. Time to look, genuinely, after our own population first.

All our local spotted on FB are fizzing with ‘now the boats will stop’. They don’t seem to realise it was council elections not a general election. Personally I think it will be interesting as they will now be exposed as being as inept to anything but droning ‘stop the boats’. Unfortunately, like Brexit, we all have to suffer for their choices.

How much can we change this?

Fix the problems that is

These aren't solutions, they're meaningless sound bites.

Nope.

Covid did not help but public services were fucked before covid hit. It's one of the reasons the NHS creaked so much under the pressure. It was already in dire straits and couldn't cope with the usual annual 'winter pressures', staff and anyone with a brain and eyes had been shouting about it for years. This is because of consistent underfunding of health and social care from the conservative government and the closures of services (A&E's, walk-in services), plus an ageing population and increase in technological advancement (more cost), as well as loss of staff from Brexit.

You know, there are a few people like this by us, but in smaller numbers. I mean, I don’t know where they’re from exactly, but similar profile anyway.

At Halloween we got some sweets in for trick or treaters, and when we held the bowl out, they took the whole lot in one go. Horrible.

There is a street about 10-15 mins walk away where there are a lot of people seemingly from the same culture. There is a grass area covered in rubbish and litter. I had to laugh but was also really repelled when a boy outside the big supermarket had a guy near bonfire night, and when I asked him a question about his guy immediately switched into doing a hand to mouth gesture and very hammy sad face. It was obviously very practiced, his young friend also had a guy and just smiled, and I felt sad for him that he’d learnt that this was an ok thing to do. I hope I don’t sound harsh but it was really grotesque and exaggerated to the point of being almost comedic. He was quite aggressive!

Luckily there’s only a handful. If I had to live amongst lots of people like this I would be very unhappy indeed. I’m really sorry you have to deal with this. If this is what people are experiencing in large numbers I’m not surprised they are desperate to make it stop.

Shitting and pissing in public is nauseating and just so fucking disrespectful. As is the sunflower thing. Have to admit, the one thing that grinds my gears where we are is spitting on the street. It’s awful!

It all went to shit long before covid. Try again.

We don't have to solve the problems of the world. Arriving ' asylum seekers' should be housed in conditions basic enough to deter them. Conditions which I, as a serving member of the Armed Forces, was expected to accept. Tents and barbed wire. Not hotels. If this was implemented, we would see a steep decline in the number of illegal immigrants. Which are costing us billions a year. Which would be better spent on social care, or education. This country is not the answer for economic migrants the whole world over. We cannot afford it, and the public will not stand for it much longer. If the government does not grasp the nettle soon, Farage will be prime minister in the next 5 years. I am a lifelong Labour voter. And think that, immigration aside, the government is doing a reasonable job. However, on social media, which I think now determines ( or at least heavily influences) how many people vote, I have never seen such hatred for a serving Prime Minister as that expressed for Kier Starmer. Not even at the dregs of the 14 years of Tory rule. You can debate the reasons for that. The fact remains, he seems almost universally despised. Farage, being untested in real world conditions, is a dangerous option. But many people feel that, for them, things couldn't get much worse.

Asylum seekers aren’t illegal immigrants unless their asylum claim has been denied @ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm. And, as a military wife, daughter and stepmother, I’m pretty sure the only time we house the armed forces in tents behind barbed wire is in combat zones.

@ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm

You're a Labour voter who wants asylum seekers in tents behind barbed wire? I know people in the armed forces and they don't sleep in tents, they're housed unless on deployment.

My point was if you want people to stop coming here because they're looking for a better life, then it makes sense to make their life better at home.

Social media is a cess pit that doesn't reflect reality, it's full of disinformation.

Yeah why is Starmer so despised? I see people comparing him unfavourably to Putin. I vaguely assume he’s not in favour with the tabloid / right wing press, and/or there are lots of those social media pieces to camera circulating on facebook, youtube, etc. And a lot of people outsource their opinions to the media they consume.

I can’t see what he’s done in less than a year that has caused him to be so violently hated. Particularly by comparison with the popularity of someone like BJ, despite the genuinely awful things he did and oversaw.

It is also because KS comes across like he was a bit of a spoff at school? It genuinely seems like huge numbers of people pick politicians based on whether they seem like a lad or could have been a class joker in year 6.

I believe a new Reform mayor is talking about DOGE type cuts. I wonder how the locals will feel when she cuts departments and there are fewer services and thousands lose their jobs.

On the upside @Maitri108 the elected Mayor in Greater Lincolnshire doesn't seem to have yet worked out that running Council's is not with her (really very limited) remit.

On the downside Lincolnshire County Council after Thursday's election now has a majority of Reform councillors. Though oddly none elected in Stamford, and interestingly, though perhaps not totally unexpectedly, far fewer in the wards in the south western part of the Council area.

So her DOGE idea could be back on the cards. I am very confident that the absolute first thing that the new Reform leadership at Lincolnshire County Council will do is review and no doubt reduce Councillor allowances. To set a good example. At this point MN's lack of a sarcasm emoji is vexing me somewhat.

In reality I think Lincolnshire will more likely see the 48 Sure Start centres that it still has disappear as Reform's starter for ten.

Doubtless there are differing views on Sure Start. But here is one from the IfS. https://ifs.org.uk/publications/short-and-medium-term-impacts-sure-start-educational-outcomes

Meanwhile Kent County Council's new Reform majority will no doubt have put an end to all small boat crossings within the next few weeks. 🤔Or maybe not.

I know there is the winter fuel allowance thing but it is still there for people who do need it.

And the benefits and pip changes – no one seemed to give a shit when the tories did it? In fact they embraced demonisation of the poor and disabled?

@boys3 I'm expecting great things. Tice and Farage may be lame ducks but I'm sure this batch of councillors will improve things dramatically. I know the Mayor doesn't understand her remit but her supporters are lapping it up.

Yes, I imagine Reform will have the Kent locals taking turns to patrol the beaches. Don't panic!

Apparently Lincolnshire’s new mayor has vowed to get rid of all the county council’s diversity and equality officers - the one small flaw is that, because it was Tory until yesterday, it doesn’t employ any.

Job done.

and if all 317 were similarly sized and all delivered the same services you might have a more of a point @MrsSkylerWhite Its also 10 not 8 that it won outright.

But they are not. 164 are small district councils delivering lower tier services only. Now if Reform had won outright control of a few of those all a bit on an irrelevance.

Unfortunately it has won outright control in 9 County Council areas delivering top tier services to very significant populations (the majority of whom did not vote of course, and for those eligible and did vote again not a majority supported Reform ). All of them depend to varying extent though on Council services.

Kent County Council - 1.6 milliion people

Lancashire County Council - 1.3 million people

Staffordshire County Council - 0.9 million people

Nottinghamshire County - 0.8 million people

Lincolnshire County Council - 0.8 million people

Derbyshire County Council - 0.8 million people

Durham County Council (unitary) 0.5 million people

West Northamptonshire Unitary Council 0.4 million people

North Northamptonshire Unitary Council 0.35 million people

Doncaster (unitary) 0.3 million people

So it has guaranteed control of Councils covering almost 8 million people

and then we have the likes of

Worcestershire - population 0.6 million where it is 2 short of a majority, but with Cons as the next biggest party we can probably take a reasonable guess on what might happen.

Ahh so is it poverty they are fleeing or war? The former is an economic migrant not an asylum seeker, therefore they wouldn’t qualify.

People are fleeing their countries for many different reasons for example, climate change, persecution and poverty.

We all know a percentage of those coming from France are economic migrants. That isn't a secret.

Not a secret and not our problem!

Well it is our problem as we're paying to process them and deport them.

It is very expensive but I think that lends itself to the lower the overall numbers argument rather than the opposite.

My point was if you want people to stop coming here because they're looking for a better life, then it makes sense to make their life better at home

No, it’s not up the British tax payer to make economic migrants home county better, it’s up to their own government.

The best deterrent would be that if you cross in a boat you’ll never get to stay here end of.

@Maitri108we’re struggling to make life better here with the taxes we have. How do you propose we fix many other countries at the same time?