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.

Is it necessarily the Tories, it’s too simplistic

I think Tony Blair has a lot to answer for

He didn’t run public services into the ground. Quite the reverse.

@blossomtoes

I don’t see that there’s been time to get fed up with this government.

Increased taxes affects everyone who is working. Labour manifesto was clear - there wouldn’t be any tax increase. However, Labour have increased taxes in two consecutive budgets.

Ahh right. So he could not just put a bit on his website then. In the name of transparency. Or do a press release.

Why don’t u just ask him it ain’t difficult instead of wasting oxygen ?

For anyone on PAYE taxes haven't gone up (which was actually in their manifesto)

How would you pay for the already agreed public sector pay rises, the Tories NI cuts, PO & Blood scandals?

None of which was ever funded by the Tories as the knew they'd lose the GE.

Growth in the UK has been better over the last 22months than the previous 22months before the GE.

Reform on the other hand are just the right wing of the Tories, with a different name, they were in power for 14 years, plenty of time to show us what they can do... but failed miserably.

Firstly the pledge was no increase in income tax, national insurance or VAT for working people - that pledge hasn’t been broken. Secondly there were no promises about raising any other taxes. I’m one of the vast majority whose taxes haven’t risen.

Erm. He is leader of a political party. The party has a website, and likely a communications person etc. You yourself posted upthread about what is going to be the findings of this 700k quid investigation.

If every individual wanting to know anything has to individually email him, and he has to individually answer, how is that in any way efficient ?

You seemed to know so much about it though. You must be interested where people’s cash has gone too and what they’re getting for their input and even be concerned it’s not enough cash to conduct this enquiry fully.

@RedTagAlan- seems it’s crowdfunded and will pay for legal fees/panels (including such as the very independent Esther McVey’s!) - witness ‘expenses’ (see article I posted earlier) and ops hire, rooms/recording equipment. They said any spare cash after goes to charities. Hopefully someone will do an FOI on that after.

However, apparently the last official enquiry cost 180m so this puts into perspective how Rupert’s one will be run/how much it will cover.

There is no power of course to compel information, nor to act on any ‘findings’ -so pretty pointless to victims, though a nice dog whistle to followers and a fairly smart way of getting their mental ‘investment’ via their physical one.

Officially, there have been several enquiries - the the Tories did not implement any findings from the last main one by the time they left, but Labour started to I believe, and now also there is another official one.

@blossomtoes

Freezing the personal allowance means that income tax is applied to a greater percentage of peoples income. So, although the income tax rates may not have increased, freezing the thresholds drags more people into paying more tax.

Fiscal drag is the term often used.

https://www.diyinvestor.net/money-basics-what-is-fiscal-drag/#:~:text=Fiscal%20drag%20describes%20the%20scenario,falls%20into%20higher%20tax%20bands.

So, every working person is affected.

The freezing of the thresholds was baked in by Tories until 2029, Reeves has extended but this does not affect anyone now.

How would you pay for this to be reversed? more borrowing or rising other taxes?

It’s still not raising tax for working people. 🤷‍♀️ Fiscal drag started under the last government in any case, the personal allowance hasn’t risen since 2021.

I’ve only ever spoken to one on the subject, I’m a Labour voter too. They became very aggressive very quickly and all they could talk about was stop the boats, blame immigrants for their own failings and say that these immigrants rape girls and get £1,000’s in benefits, basically what NF has fed them. Talked about “fighting age men”, hotels etc. I’m in SE Kent so it’s a pretty divisive topic and we’ve ended up with a completely useless reform CC. ☹️

This! Me too.

We raised our family during the Blair years and never encountered any of the issues young families are now. NHS worked, education, everything really. I went back to work in 2009 and by 2012 it was falling apart.

I wouldn’t waste the minutes out of my life.

@Buzyizzy217 @BIossomtoes
Blair has suggested himself that he overspent and did not regulate the financial industry enough. He did not follow the premise of saving for a rainy day. Therefore, when the 2008 financial crisis hit us, we were much more affected than we should have been and some of it could have been avoided with better financial regulation. We are still suffering the consequences now. There are many economics articles explaining this. Brown selling our gold reserves was also a disastrous financial decision.
Since Labour have come to power this time, unemployment has risen and more small and medium sized businesses have declared they are having financial problems due to NI rises.

The only reason we are struggling now is due to the lying, corrupt leave campaign which has left all of us poorer.
imagine if our finances had been under the control of Jeremy seven properties Hunt.
I worked in social care during the financial crisis and we only started to struggle in 2012, up to then it all ran beautifully. It got steadily worse and eventually I baled out. Now self employed and this last tax year I actually had disposable income.
I have no complaints about the NHS or any public service really, grand children in a decent nursery, we’re feeling the benefits all round.

@Alexandra2001
@blossomtoes

Had the personal allowance increased in line with inflation it would be about £15500. Tax on the difference between existing allowance and the inflation adjusted amount is (15500-12570) x 20% = £586

Each year the allowance does not increase, the greater the amount of tax people will pay.

By 2031 it’s estimated that fiscal drag will generate about £55 billion per year in tax revenue.

https://obr.uk/box/fiscal-implications-of-personal-tax-threshold-freezes-and-reductions/

That fiscal drag started under the previous government does not prevent Labour from overturning the policy. Remember that Labour stood on a manifesto of change.

Costs could be saved by:

Move away from net zero. Lots of wind farms near where I live, but energy prices keep rising.

Stop wasting money on projects like Edinburgh tram system. Initial budget for 20 miles of track was about £400 million. Final cost was £1.2 billion for less than 9 miles of track. Similar can be said for HS2. Costs keep rising.

A fortune was spent during COVID due to lockdowns. Sunak burned a fortune on a track and trace app.

National debt was 500billion in 2006 (38% of GDP) Blair also was the last PM to run a budget surplus.

Under the Tories, debt rose to almost £2.7 trillion and debt to GDP around 99%

Brown sold off a tiny amount of UK Gold, approx £2.3 billion.

The Tories cancellation of HS2 cost us £29 billion and the remainder of this folly of a project will cost at least £103 billion.

Nice bit of make believe. Blair will never credit Brown with his superb management of the economy which managed to balance improving public services with prudent financial management. He’s a world class rewriter of history.

Brown led the world in his management of the global crisis in 2008. He was the main influence at the 2009 G20 summit where the world’s leaders followed his lead.

https://archive.ph/WXF5H

https://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2009/pdf/g20_040209.pdf

Unfreezing tax thresholds would cost around £11 billion per year.... reversing this would also increase Gilt yields as markets would see it as yet another unfunded tax cut.

Your tram project savings would account for about 6 weeks of that.

Net Zero also creates jobs

the real money Sunak wasted was on Covid business support loans, mush oof it given to non existent companies, they wrote of this debt, Reeves has managed to re claim around £1billion i believe.

Since Labour have come to power this time, unemployment has risen and more small and medium sized businesses have declared they are having financial problems due to NI rises.

Correct. From 2015 to Q3 of 2024, unemployment had declined. Source ONS.

So, increased NI burden on employers has resulted in fewer people working.

It’s still not taxing working people.

Quote : "Move away from net zero. Lots of wind farms near where I live, but energy prices keep rising."

And can you show that the two are related ? Energy prices might be rising, but are they rising because of those windfarms ?

And of course, move from net zero to what ? Back to coal ? Who pays for the new coal power plants.

Is it not like a tin of beans ? When they go up in price what causes that ? It will be a combination of things. But when energy prices go up, its " the windmills".