Scared about a poll I read where Reform wins outright in First Past the Post????

[fixingmylife]

I guess we are years away from a General Election, but I am scared about the rise in populism and the seemingly popular Reform. I think it would be unthinkable to have Farage as our Prime Minister. I don't want a small state, private NHS, racist far right populist, Trumpist in charge of the country.

I know MN is generally fairly anti Reform, Brexit etc, but where are all these Reform voters. I don't know anyone personally who has admitted they would vote for them? Is it the all the disenfranchised young men?

I think this would be a tough sell. Even with massive polls in favour pre last GE Starmer was worried enough about the red wall voter to rule out the SM and CU.

In a poll I read recently 81% of the population think immigration is too high. So Mn views on it are VERY out of the ordinary

They’d soon change their minds if the economy improved.

@fixingmylife You have to remember that Brexit was voted for by the majority who bothered to vote. People can wring their hands as much as they like about only % voted at all in any election or referendum but unless you go down the road of Australia who fine people for not voting that’s what you have. Starmer won with less actual votes than Corbyn got in the 2017 election. They just targeted seats well and Reform also split the Conservative vote. Labour won because Conservative voters were so angry with their party and punished them not because Labour are amazing. Labour will only win the next election if they are beyond amazing and I can’t see that happening.

In my constituency that swings red and blue as a matter of course if Reform hadn’t stood then the Conservatives would very likely have won easily.

Mn isn’t really in line with that. Labour are throwing out some immigration type headlines but it may not do it. It does put focus on the issue though.

And there we have it @fixingmylife instead of acknowledging the concerns of many people that I have written. She puts a sarcastic laughing emoji under each of my replies. You can kind of see how people are fed up can't you ? That's the "oh so educated" response.....

It was a poll, not a crystal ball. The outcomes of polls can be very easy influenced.

All you can do is use your vote wisely. It's utterly pointless being 'scared' by things that are unlikely and completely out of your control, either way. Find another hobby and reading material if this one causes you much distress.

Because they changed their name from the Brexit Party to try to disassociate themselves from that disaster and now it looks like they're planning another one.

I agree what you say about protectionism but as for what Farage thinks of his supporters I'll take with a pinch of salt because I can barely remember a time when a detractor wasn't saying 'you'd be stupid to vote for x because they look down on you'.

Also, to be an effective leader you don't necessarily have to be a nice person.

I agree there’s no point in the pp asking if it’s all laughing emojis in return.

wasnt it the YouGov poll that showed this?

im worried too. Labour need to start getting their achievements out. They need to start calling out the bullshit.
i know this goes against the grown ups being in charge they are trying to present

I totally agree with you SquashedMallow. It’s pointless trying to have a conversation sometimes, it is just a one-way street with some people.

Under FPTP they could ( and will) get a majority with 20% of the votes.
That's why we need to switch to PR now.
@CillaBlackSmith

If the polls were showing a big lead for Labour, would you still be wanting PR?

Yes indeed... And everything you raise 'racist' is extrapolated. It's why reform are in front. But there's none so blind as those that choose not to see I suppose..

Are people really saying ‘a plurality of voters in the country want this party. We can’t let people have what they vote for, we must change the system to block them and keep our people in power’??

I'm not a reform voter by any means but Jesus can you not see the problem with this? You’ll incite riots with more of this

I presume you've done research about Reform and read their policies. Which ones in particular are you scared of?

This one

The Economist has estimated that Reform's pledges would amount to an increase of £200 billion in annual public expenditure, while its promised “savings” — which include dropping some interest payments on Bank of England reserves— would pull back about £100 billion: “The gap between the two would amount to a colossal fiscal shock, blowing up the deficit.”

How about the one where they want to eliminate income tax for those earning under £20k, which would lose the country £50billion in tax revenue.

That presumably would require an awful lot of cuts to public spending.

A good point but it won’t happen. Mn posts won’t do it.

What achievements would that be?

Could you kindly remind us of five?

Farage's plans for the NHS are worrying. He says he doesn't want it funded via general taxation, but is being very coy about what he would do instead.

I think Mumsnet is very right wing now, flooded with extreme right wing opinions compared to 15/20 years ago when it was very much more of a liberal space! I don't know anybody in real life that is going to vote for Reform.

You don’t know anyone who votes for Reform because they won’t admit to it for fear of being called a racist. You will know people. They just won’t tell you.

A thread on MN will incite riots?

Anyway, wouldn't PR deliver more seats to Regirm* rather than fewer? They won more votes than Lib Dems in the GE, but gained far fewer seats. PR would have delivered a better result.

It is worrying that some posters almost seem to be encouraging the notion of riots/unrest on here and other threads. I would be careful. MN deleted a whole series of threads for doing that during the pandemic.

*Typo, but seems apt. Nonsensical name for a nonsensical party.

Yes, I expect so.
By bring illegal immigration down to zero, and not using hotels that costs millions to house people that come here illegally should go someway to help with this.