What I would like to ask Reform supporters what are the specific Reform policies they support?

[CurlewKate]

Just that really. I am a Labour voter, and I know what Labour policies I support. I think I know what Conservative and Lib Dem policies their supporters like. I don't know about Reform.

I suspect a lot of this. I'm in Scotland, and was dreading a significant increase for the Greens who are the most anti-women party in existence up here.

Politicians have 2 choices - to continue as they are or to wake up to what the electorate are telling them. They've still got a while to turn this around and stop a Reform Govt at Westminster, so let's see what they come up with. No point in complaining and throwing accusations of 'stupid racists', otherwise we will end up with another Brexit.

I read their manifesto at the last general election. I did for all the main parties standing.

I don’t believe you should make decisions without being informed. I was quite surprised to see that I agreed with a few Reform policies and I thought I might have gotten them wrong. But as I continued to read through their policies, I found the majority of them were thoroughly opposed to what I believe. So I remain thoroughly opposed to the vast majority of what they represent - and also how they present it. Their shtick is all about whipping up hate.

I always do my research. I don’t vote out of loyalty or blind bias.

But that’s all irrelevant - the question was: why are Reform voters voting for them? And certainly in my very subjective experience, the only thing they can say is “immigration”. It’s a very rare Reform voter who has read their manifesto or knows their broader policies.

They don’t even know how Farage is planning on “stopping the boats” - they just trust that he will because he said so.

For balance, that’s not a criticism solely confined to Recorm voters, although I do believe - based on experience - that their voters are almost consistently ill-informed.

The problem for me is that although I have a strong preference against the Tories, they can at least run a country with a degree of knowledge and competency. So Ill-informed voters are less of an issue. I wholeheartedly believe that Farage is deeply corrupt and if Reform get in, the country will be in desperate trouble - because they have neither knowledge or experience, plus policies that don’t fiscally stack up. For me, that’s my issue with Reform voters - they’re responding to a dog whistle without having a clue what they’re actually voting for.

Okay I’ve looked.

Where are the health policies and NHS?

I do think if I were in opposition I would go through the Reform manifesto pledges and pick them apart bit by bit.

NHS. Won’t be one. Not resembling anything good.
Pensions. Forget that too.

Seems to me that anti immigration people who “shout the loudest”. On Mumsnet, certainly!

And today wasn't just local government elections...
🙄

In any case, that PP was simply answering the OP, which didn't distinguish between central government, devolved government or local government.

Well, many issues are for Central Government. But locally a Council can be in charge of social care, for adults and children.

Consider that for a moment.

Not just bins, housing and trade initiatives.

A lot of people I’ve spoken to it’s about asylum hotels and because Big Nige is a “top bloke” or something like that.

Immigration concerns I understand, I even understand the appeal of Nige, but when people think he’s “one of them” or a “man of the people” I do stop listening to them. If he’s a man of the people I’m a member of the landed gentry.

Aren’t they going to bring back weekly bin collections and smoking in pubs??

I Heard a few talking about the asylum seekers in their area that are convicted paedophiles and would be put to death in their home country, so not shocked that they would think that Reform was their best option.

Perhaps they are taking their time developing them? We are a few years out from a General Election so I think parties would be very foolish to have a comprehensive manifesto now that might need to be radically changed in a few years time when things inevitably change. I imagine when we get there then Reform will lay out their stall one way or another and people can vote accordingly. I think healthcare and the NHS is a very tricky area and one that deserves more time and consideration. Unlimited demand and very limited funding.

I would do the opposite as it's much too early to do this. Instead I would look at what is resonating with the people and how this can be integrated into opposition parties too in a more palatable and less extreme way. People clearly care about immigration and want big changes. What can the opposition parties do in this space? They need to be more radical and look for real change. They may lose some of their existing voting base but the spoils could be huge if you can seriously challenge Reform on the big issues they are breaking through on.

Dangerous to who ? The ultra wealthy ?

Unlike Reform who are dangerous to women and will make moves to restrict access to abortion if they were in power.
Dangerous to everyone who needs to use the nhs.
Dangerous to anyone non white who they decide is the cause for any kind of wait for anything that a white person wants

I’m willing to vote for the wildcard tbh. The country has gone down the pan. City centres are full of foreign men walking around aimlessly at night making females feel unsafe. It’s certainly how my daughter and her friends felt on the last night out before some twat pipes up and calls me racist. Yawn.

Labour and Tories just haven’t got a grip on it and every other person now has ADHD or claims PIP. Bit of an inevitable outcome to woke culture I think. They’ll get in at the next election. We will just have to see. No point whinging about it.

I live in a LA where they have swept the board. I have a SEN child who according to the White Paper may lose her EHCP on y6 transition as it is. Now council policy is about to be guided by councillors who belong to a party which claims that neurodiversity is over diagnosed and we need to just get on with it. I’m also a school governor and couldn’t disagree more. Trash bin collections and potholes if that’s what it takes but not education and social care.

I would say this is another bad loser anti Brexit/Farage thread. However, in response to the OP question, I would comment as follows:

1. People can vote for whoever they choose. There’s no obligation to explain why.
2. Immigration has been talked about since the late 60s. Enoch Powels famous rivers of blood speech comes to mind.
3. Reform policies I like are;

1. Increase personal allowance to £20K. This will be a big help to those on lower incomes.
2. Move away from net zero, which only seems to increase energy costs, towards small modular nuclear power plants. France ignored the EU wish to have zero nuclear power and have reaped the benefits as their energy costs are not tied to oil and gas prices.
3. Stop wasting money on projects like HS2 and the Edinburgh tram system.
4. Leave the ECHR.
5. Migrants will be needed in the future as population is ageing and birth rate is declining. So, more working migrants will be needed. However, they will need to have secured a job before they are allowed to enter the UK. Switzerland, who have stated they will never become an EU member, has a similar policy.

Interesting video about Reform representatives' comments. Scary views on abortion and family values.

My brother is a passionate supporter of Reform because he says, they will 'stop immigration' and 'cut costs'. He also supports the hunt and believes Reform will reverse the ban.

He has lived on benefits for the last 25 years. Every month a carrier bag of free NHS prescription medicine is delivered to his door. His partner is also 100% dependent on free NHS treatment and medication and lives on benefits. She is in her early sixties and has never worked. The government funds everything for them including paying the interest on their mortgage.

They live in a part of England where less than 5% of the population are immigrants. Neither have ever traveled abroad and they have not left their home town in 15 years. Almost without exception the only immigrants they ever meet will be treating them within the NHS or delivering their parcels/food/takeaways.

Despite the low immigration population their part of town is awash with Reform flags.

I wonder how they think a Reform government would change their life for the better. When I ask him about the NHS and benefit changes under Reform he seems to think that this will apply to other people - not him.

I wouldn’t vote for them but this is a good policy

the frozen allowance is an absolute disgrace

How do they get away with never working

it must annoy you

They’ll blame Labour, sadly.

Scrap the NHS as a public body and sell the assets to the highest bidder, then invite US medical insurance companies to sell us their policies.

1. has been dropped already as they can’t cost it and know it won’t happen
2. they won’t do that. It’ll be tied up for years as we rely on fossil fuels.
3. how is better public transport a waste of money?
4. why?
5. the issue is their racism means that the skilled migrants won’t be any to come anymore

We voted Reform only because Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain isn’t ready yet, but hoping they will be good to go for the general election. Mass deportations and ending 3rd world immigration is the primary driving issue.

Totally agree.