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?

Altering employment rights? That will take time to get through Parliament.
Ditto altering Tax Law.
No way to impose or reduce tariffs as Trump did. We cannot bypass parliament for any major changes.
I think you are scaremongering.

Farage will resign after a month because he'll have to do some actual work instead of grifting, Reform will collapse as none of them have a clue how to run a bath let alone a country and the country will be more chaotic than it is now.

They have got duel eu nationality- so options that others don't hence why they are thinking about it.

Where in the EU?
EU countries are experiencing significant difficulties and a swing to the right. Many have other social and economic problems.

@ScarlettOYara many aren't in quite a bad way as we are as they haven't neglected the youth quite so much. Which countries do you think are?

My dc have got EU passports too so I will be encouraging them to look for opportunity abroad.

I really do hope Reform falls apart before the next election. But if it doesn’t you would hope people would learn from the Brexit lies and fiasco where he / people of his ilk promised we’d have £350 million for the NHS. And yet the NHS is in a worst state than ever…. But it seems voters don’t want reality / the truth they just want sound bites and pipe dreams.

My sister lives in Sweden, things have deteriorated there, significantly, in the past few years. They have started to take action on migration, which has been divisive. Other family live in Austria and are concerned by the cost of living, and alarmed by the growth of the far right. We know of course about the huge problems with the French economy.
All countries have their problems, of course.

It would feel like living under Trump, with the attendant stupidly.

Yes, I think what's happened is that migration has become a huge issue, and it's easy to dismiss people as bigots and racists without looking at root causes. In Sweden, problems escalated, so they have reduced the access to social benefits and have a more stringent policy for asylum. France seems to be overwhelmed by this, and other problems.
There's no simple answer, but perhaps people see their own quality of life deteriorating and are afraid.

@ScarlettOYara

I haven't denied that other countries have issues, are you saying France & Sweden are worse than the UK?

You also need to look at it from the perspective of a skilled worker as these are the most mobile and wanted. Many could easily have a better quality of life in another country on an individual level.

A goverment based on hate and greed is a recipe for disaster. They have no government experience, no idea about diplomacy and are dependent on spotty sixteen year olds and 'self-made-men' with low education levels to run the the country. The markets will crash, inflation will soar, the NHS will collapse (half our nurses and doctors will be deported), the country will bankrupt and Farrago and EnTice will make billions and piss off out the country leaving us all in poverty and ill-health.

But it seems voters don’t want reality / the truth they just want sound bites and pipe dreams.

This, we have a lot of problems not just immigration. But people don't want to hear that.

"worse" is difficult to quantify. I suppose it's very subjective.
Skills are the way to go. I hope your children are successful.

i hope so too & a lot of that potential success is down to my immigrant parents.

I don't think it will happen, but if it did, I anticipate they would 'improve' on the last Tory government's signature blend of cruelty, corruption and sheer incompetence by adding a bit more cruelty to keep their supporters happy. it would be the Johnson/Truss administrations writ large.

We have 4 more years of Labour to get through - and you're asking about something which might not even happen ? - right.

@ScarlettOYara Spain, Germany, Italy - we also qualify for self employed visa in Netherlands even though they don’t technically have nomad visa- we have lived in Denmark before but not as easy now, don’t have nomad visa

It will be absolute chaos. They have no vision to govern.
Possibly followed by absolute anarchy.

Don’t agree about Sweden - we go a lot- our first choice but very long winded to apply on self employment and gave to keep. £40k in an account for whole if process- yes it has some issues as had a lot of immigration stuff - still doesn’t feel like the UK if you can live in Stockholm or Uppsala etc - different vibe, very different general attitude -I love it

Lots of people thought that Labour could not be any worse that the Tories and look what happened..

Why not?

I honestly think the NHS and social care will collapse. They're running on fumes and goodwill as it is. If you add in an increasingly hostile environment for foreign workers and their families, then I think the goodwill and sense of responsibility that persuades many NHS workers to regularly work unpaid overtime will evaporate. It won't just be "the illegal boat people" who will leave the UK, it will be all the migrant workers who feel that the UK is no longer a desirable place to settle and raise their families. Doctors will find it particularly easy to move, as they are in high demand elsewhere and can easily get visas.

I find it worrying that Reform have taken charge of several Councils without understanding how they work and what their financial challenges are. To give one example, they have promised to call auditors into indebted Councils "to find out where they have wasted your money" and built up huge debts. These investigations won't be cheap. It's odd that Reform don't seem to know about the long-term funding crisis in social care, or:

a) that Councils are already externally audited

b) that District and County Councils and Unitary Authorities must publish a Statement of Accounts every year, by law

For the sake of everyone living in a Reform Council area, I really hope they are fast learners and will focus on providing Council services, not in trying score points against other parties.

Privatised NHS, benefits significantly cut & so much harder to qualify for (people with SEN won’t qualify for example) no tribunals for people to challenge government decisions (what they say, goes and that’s the final word) the class divide will widen significantly. The rich will become richer & the working class will be poor & the poor will be in poverty.
Nigel doesn’t like poor people, he has no tolerance for the elderly, infirm & no empathy for the disabled. They’re just a strain on society. He wants ‘MEGA’ ie British born, fit & able hard working citizens in high places.

I already know many families pre-planning to emigrate the country if they get into power.
I’m talking policemen & paramedics/nurses, all leaving the UK (and it’s a common fear/sentiment amongst their colleagues too) the professionals will be gone. Racism will prevail.
I’ve seen POC on social media announcing already they are looking to leave the UK (these people are our very good doctors, surgeons, optometrists and so on)

It will be dire. I’d encourage anybody who has the means, to get out if they can.

Ironically, the very people voting for them are the people reform hate. They will be the first people the government 💩 on when they get into power. But reform have done a very good job blind siding them and pretending they’re on the same side because they share a common interest (hint : it’s everywhere atm, the agenda is attached to all the lampposts) and these people can’t see the bigger picture, only their intolerance and hatred for a certain demographic of society. And there’s sadly no educating them, even providing facts, they dismiss it. I fear politics is too complicated for a lot of them to comprehend (In my personal opinion, from what judgment I’ve made of them using my own experiences and encounters with them)

@Cattenberg

REVEALED: 53 councils missed audit backstop deadline

www.lgcplus.com/finance/revealed-53-councils-missed-audit-backstop-deadline-04-03-2025/