What will life be like under Reform?

[Easipeelerie]

I have accepted the likelihood of the next government being Reform. I don’t think the government after that will necessarily be Reform. But in the 4 Reform years, what do people think life will be like for the different groups in our country? Will we see very immediate changes?

Being aware of my tone, what I meant here is:

Surely even Left wing people - who are supportive of increasing welfare - can see that this isn't sustainable

But I also don't forget that Labour declared war on me, with populist rabble rousing against me and my family. I feel about them much as many Left wing people feel about Thatcher.

Gosh, that's quite a victim-mentality you've got going on there

Not really. I'm far from alone, and it's widely spoken about.

You presumably don't see it because you're in the Left's 'favourites' demographic, who they aren't vindictive against. You may even agree with them that we're freeloaders (despite financing most state spending) and should be punished.

Pity that the very people they're set up as 'the enemy' are the ones the UK needs to have a future. Bit short-sighted of them.

The bottom line might not go up but it won’t go down. No employer is going to cut pay.

Any you think Reform wil be your friend?

As a Conservative voter you are likely to be in their 'favourites' demographic

@strawberrybubblegum
I agree that we cannot just keep increasing welfare.
People need to feel the incentive to work. This is a massive problem in the 16-24 age group. 15% unemployment is way too high and we are setting up even greater reliance on welfare in the future, which is unsustainable.
@Pointythings I think you believe that increasing welfare is for the greater good. I also am impressed by the Nordic model but I am not sure it would work in the UK. You assume that people in the UK have the same levels of social and collective responsibility as people in Scandinavian countries but this is not true.

You assume that people in the UK have the same levels of social and collective responsibility as people in Scandinavian countries but this is not true.

It used to be before Thatcher’s children grew up.

Most don't know (although I've known it happen, when the alternative was more redundancies).

But the net pay number on the emoyees pay slip will be the same after that first year.

With a few simplifications:

The employer makes £income extra money from that employee working for them, so they can't have their total cost of employing them exceed that £income.

With say 4% inflation (assuming it's even - which is a simplification) they'll recieve £1.04income extra with the employee working for them

So they can now increase the salary offered by 4% as well to £1.04salary, in order to maintain the emoyees purchasing power (and because all other employers will, so they need to in order to keep the staff)

If a 2% NI rise is levied on the employee, then the employe gets £1.02salary net

If the 2% NI rise is instead levied on the employer, then instead of giving the 4% rise, they give only 2% rise (because their cost has gone up 2% - as have all the other companies they compete with for staff). The employee doesn't have the NI levied, but their gross is still only £1.02 salary.

After a single year, the net amount in their payslip is exactly the same either way.

Yes, and it's quite a victim mentality a whole host of people have.

You've made a lot assumptions about me and my politics which seems to say more about you to be honest.

I'd rather the Conservatives got in.

They actually try to think about what will work for the country. Like I said, the Conservatives aren't vindictive - like the Left are - only pragmatic.

But you would take Reform over Labour?

Given that you're mocking me and saying that I have a victim mentality, I think I can assume and say whatever I like about you actually.

You see @pointythings - this is the kind of shit that's thrown at anyone who doesn't follow the Left wing narrative - and so is deemed out-group by the vindictive 'righteous ones' - which is why I've completely given up on politeness.

We will probably be ok, white MC business owners with Private medical Insurance BUT for a lot of people it will be utterly shit.
Not only are Reform incapable of running a local council let alone a country but I fear it will embolden racists further.
We will probably leave (have EU passports) but we are in a position to, most people are not
As for "left wing rhetoric" I have never voted Labour in my life

I wasnt mocking you, I merely think its wildly disingenuous for anyone to claim they've been made the public enemy by the sitting government with comparisons of Thatcher's government.

Is your driveway picketed?

(OK slight mocking now)

I am certainly not one of the few who you believe are favoured by Labour, but I'm experienced enough not to see spite in every policy which doesn't favour me.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/29/third-of-reform-uk-council-leaders-express-vaccine-sceptic-views

It's all very MAGA

You see - this is the kind of shit that's thrown at anyone who doesn't follow the Left wing narrative - and so is deemed out-group by the vindictive 'righteous ones' - which is why I've completely given up on politeness.

But you are not being victimised. You may not like or agree with the policies Labour are implementing, they may make life harder for you in some ways but that is the nature of political decisions. I have yet to see any of the policies so far enacted by Labour (who I didnt vote for, fwiw) leaving anyone on the breadline. Nor have I seen any rhetoric from them demonising the middle classes.

What I am seeing is a lot of emotional & exagrrated language being thrown around by people who dislike the government.

NHS sold off to USA within months and collapse of infrastructure we depend on but farage and co will get very very rich and blame inflation on dark skins. Remember the Brexit bus? Lies swallowed by voters that has more or less led to the mess we are in. I’ve built up my pension and property so I’ll be fine. Many of you are fucked to be frank

I don't think the Conservatives are just pragmatic. What the Cameron government did to disabled people (after millionaire Cameron claimed what he could for his son) was vindictive. The 'strivers and skivers' rhetoric was vindictive. Brexit was plain stupid. You are seeing the Conservative party through loyalty tinted glasses here. Under Johnson they were the party of grift, and not for the first time.

I wouldn't give my X against to Reform even strategically. Maybe if the seat was a close call between Reform / the Greens. The Greens are the biggest disaster of all. Luckily that's not the situation here.

Like I said, I want the Conservatives in next.

If it's a hung parliament, with Reform having the largest share but not an outright majority, I'd prefer the Conservatives to make a Confidence and Supply deal, enabling a minority Reform government. That would be better than the other alternatives (including a Left wing coalition including the Greens). I'm against a Reform/Conservative coalition.

I really don't want Reform to have an outright majority. Would it be worse than a (hopefully impossible) second Labour-majority term or a Labour/Green coalition? Close call.

We do have different 'loyalty lenses'.

What did Cameron's government do to the disabled that was vindictive? Did he make changes which were only to harm, and not to reduce welfare spending? (genuinely asking)

I didn't like Johnson as a PM. I agree that he went over the line into gift.

I'm still thoroughly glad that Corbyn never got in. Johnson was the lesser of two evils in that election.

I really like Badenoch though. I think she'll be good when she becomes PM.

@Blossomtoes
As we don't live an ideal society and people do not take social and collective responsiblity we need to design a tax and welfare system that encourages responsibility and not dependency.

@TopPocketFind
I agree that vaccine scepticism in Reform is worrying. I also worry about racism in the Reform party. However, I am also worried by labour's anti-semitism.

@strawberrybubblegum I agree that the conservatives are pragmatic with no malice. I think conservative's problem is that they need to communicate their pragmatic realistic position more clearly to the public-the idea that they don't want welfare dependency, that they want economic growth and fiscal discipline. They should also increase the time frame for net zero target as it unrealistic.

@MousseMousse I worry about whether there are individuals in the reform party that are racist but I also worry about the left-wing agenda. The reason Reform are getting the populist vote is not just their opinion on controlling immigration but people's annoyance with the left-wing agenda-e.g. erosion of single-sex spaces, transgender ideology in primary school, anti-british/anti-white/anti-male rhetoric, multi-culturalism rather than integration, lack of free speech at university.

The trail hunting stuff is pure malice.

Where are you seeing anti British, anti white, anti male rhetoric?

What would a Reform government look like?

Ineffective

They have no experience and would get bogged down quickly.