Election Year or Fear!

[SithHappens]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2pyy6ngz0o

So hes been suspended. I guess thats good but how did him, and all the others, pass the vetting?

[Trickytreesreds]

Dear oh dear, it still hasn’t sunk in yet with you left wing planks has it?

UKIP, Brexit, Reform parties wouldn’t exist without the actions and blatant abuse of the electorate by the Tories and Labour.
The moans and groans about EU immigration were bad enough, so Brexit came about
That was kacked on for years , until a certain Johnson promised to uphold it.
Then he opened the country up to the third world and the electorate responded .
Now we have a spineless , lying , jellyfish and narcissist not only doing the above but sidling up to the EU.
The electorate responded. Swale can scream thick all he wants, RA can scream racist all he wants, folks aren’t listening to this left wing bull**** put downs anymore. That includes the lefties in blue.

Enough is enough. This muppet won’t resign though, he’s too much of a self serving narcissist for that. Those that want to depose him are useless as well.

Folks want change.
They are even willing to vote for dangerous Greens, an Islamic communist party of bile.

Ps RA. you call the right racist, yet here is your example of left racism in cognito. Jew hatred and the root of Semitic attacks. They don’t seem to rattle you so much though. Strange that.


Ps. Good season for you , it must have been much more enjoyable.

[MadAmster]

People do want change, TTR, agreed. The Reform councils aren't doing well, thus far. Is that the reason their % share of the vote was actually down on the previous local elections.

Farage keeps saying things folk want to hear. Later, when questiuoned about things he's said, he claims he's never said them, despite there being video of him saying it. I'm not going to sidle up to him as long as he votes against Bills designed to improve safety for women and children. As long as he keeps voting against Bills to help worker's rights. As long as he supports Trump. As long as he is a fan of Putin. Next election, after a whole Parliamentary cyclus of him steering clear of his Constituency, he's not going to get back in.

Who would I vote for at the next election? The answer is I won't vote. As I've written before, as I no longer pay UK tax and don't live there, I don't think I should. From 1999 to 2022, as I'd been away for over 15 years, I wasn't allowed to vote. The Tories gave me that back. I won't use it though. Why? As well as my thoughts that I shouldn't have a vote anyway, if I did change my mind, there isn't a party that looks remotely like home. Tories never have and never will have my vote. The Labour party I used to be a card acrrying member of no longer exists. I find it impossible to take the LibDems seriously. Reform are too far to the right for me and are, IMO, simply a party that will be as pro the rich and big business as Trump's republicans are in the USA. DJT is pushing for more, more, more for the rich and less, less less for the majority. Farage will go the same way if he ever gets into power. Not something I can support. Greens are the "Reform" of the left and go too far, way too far. There isn't a party that mirrors my wishes. That is why I won't be exercising my reinstated right to vote.

[Trickytreesreds]

People do want change, TTR, agreed. The Reform councils aren't doing well, thus far. Is that the reason their % share of the vote was actually down on the previous local elections.

Farage keeps saying things folk want to hear. Later, when questiuoned about things he's said, he claims he's never said them, despite there being video of him saying it. I'm not going to sidle up to him as long as he votes against Bills designed to improve safety for women and children. As long as he keeps voting against Bills to help worker's rights. As long as he supports Trump. As long as he is a fan of Putin. Next election, after a whole Parliamentary cyclus of him steering clear of his Constituency, he's not going to get back in.

Who would I vote for at the next election? The answer is I won't vote. As I've written before, as I no longer pay UK tax and don't live there, I don't think I should. From 1999 to 2022, as I'd been away for over 15 years, I wasn't allowed to vote. The Tories gave me that back. I won't use it though. Why? As well as my thoughts that I shouldn't have a vote anyway, if I did change my mind, there isn't a party that looks remotely like home. Tories never have and never will have my vote. The Labour party I used to be a card acrrying member of no longer exists. I find it impossible to take the LibDems seriously. Reform are too far to the right for me and are, IMO, simply a party that will be as pro the rich and big business as Trump's republicans are in the USA. DJT is pushing for more, more, more for the rich and less, less less for the majority. Farage will go the same way if he ever gets into power. Not something I can support. Greens are the "Reform" of the left and go too far, way too far. There isn't a party that mirrors my wishes. That is why I won't be exercising my reinstated right to vote.

With respects Maddy, you’ve made your position on that clear before and I respect it.

My point I was getting across, folks can moan, scream, complain about Farage or Reform all they like. It is their respective governments and parties which have created them.

They don’t listen, learn, or want to change, so the electorate responded 3 times now. It still goes on, with Starmer deciding he’s the unilateral decision maker on the UK relations with the EU.


Two party politics is over. Swale scoffed when I said this 2 years ago. Well here we are.


Just to make the point, the 2026 pols including IPSOS, says 70% of the country complain immgration is too high and unsustainable. Yet the politicians ignore it.
If you complain, you’re a racist and bigot.
Something that’s been echoed in this forum just reading what I have today in here.

[MadAmster]

Are there too many? Depends on your stance, really. Do people want doctors, nurses, engineers, scientists etc? Yes, of course they do.

Do they want epople who won't learn the language, won't engage in day to day life as in socialising, working etc. No they don't.

With regards to those who are, genuinely, fleeing war zones or countries where their religion or seksual leanings would see them persecuted at best and killed at worst in their homeland, I say yes, come on in. Enjoy the freedom you don't have back home BUT, you will learn the language, you will work and pay your way. You will not come here to live off the taxpayer. Exceptions to this would be those who CAN'T work through physical or mental limitations.

In both cases, I'm with them. In the most recent Dutch elections I voted for a party that had, amongst other things, stronger immigration Laws in their manifesto.

[swaledale]

Are there too many? Depends on your stance, really. Do people want doctors, nurses, engineers, scientists etc? Yes, of course they do.

Do they want epople who won't learn the language, won't engage in day to day life as in socialising, working etc. No they don't.

With regards to those who are, genuinely, fleeing war zones or countries where their religion or seksual leanings would see them persecuted at best and killed at worst in their homeland, I say yes, come on in. Enjoy the freedom you don't have back home BUT, you will learn the language, you will work and pay your way. You will not come here to live off the taxpayer. Exceptions to this would be those who CAN'T work through physical or mental limitations.

In both cases, I'm with them. In the most recent Dutch elections I voted for a party that had, amongst other things, stronger immigration Laws in their manifesto.

As usual TTR seems to swallow the BS put out by Right Wing and indeed other commentators on social media and the media, rather than actually consider what the reality is.

Given that Reforms share of the vote is 26% and not all of those will be racists moaning about immigration, many of whom ironically are from areas which have hardly been affected by immigration (like Clacton for instance).

Its clear Reform have prospered by a combination of Labours vote going to more left leaning parties and the continued squeeze on the Conservative vote, which is hardly a story of voters being fed up with lack of controls on immigration is it? It actually points to voters who aren't that fixated on immigration being fed up with labours drift to the right.

Then TTR's assertion that no government has got a handle on it, isn't true ironically of the this Labour government who have reduced legal immigration by more than half since being elected and deported over 60,000 immigrants with no legal right to remain, 50% more than the Tories managed.

Yes the "small boats" issue remains, but compared to legal migration at circa 240,000 is small and the UK still accepts far fewer asylum seekers than other countries in Europe. The small boats could be substantially reduced by having better legal system for claiming asylum, rather than the few options currently available.

There is widepsread BS being spread about what asylum seekers get in support and no real understanding what stopping immigration completely would do to the economy of the UK or indeed what economic damage Brexit has done to the UK.

I absolutely agree with you that any country needs to control immigration and handle asylum claims in a fair and transparent manner. There absolutely needs to be better enforcement of those working illegally, which is actually happening. But the notion that there are substantial number sof immigrants in the UK on benefits or toher hand outs is simply not true.

Immigration is a "dead cat", thrown out by reform to distract from the fact that the party is funded by billionaires who live overseas and pay hardly any UK taxes and that the people are being shafted by a system that protects the interests of these billionaires and they certainly aren't intrested in the lives of the dumb sods whoa re voting for them.

[swaledale]

People do want change, TTR, agreed. The Reform councils aren't doing well, thus far. Is that the reason their % share of the vote was actually down on the previous local elections.

Farage keeps saying things folk want to hear. Later, when questiuoned about things he's said, he claims he's never said them, despite there being video of him saying it. I'm not going to sidle up to him as long as he votes against Bills designed to improve safety for women and children. As long as he keeps voting against Bills to help worker's rights. As long as he supports Trump. As long as he is a fan of Putin. Next election, after a whole Parliamentary cyclus of him steering clear of his Constituency, he's not going to get back in.

Who would I vote for at the next election? The answer is I won't vote. As I've written before, as I no longer pay UK tax and don't live there, I don't think I should. From 1999 to 2022, as I'd been away for over 15 years, I wasn't allowed to vote. The Tories gave me that back. I won't use it though. Why? As well as my thoughts that I shouldn't have a vote anyway, if I did change my mind, there isn't a party that looks remotely like home. Tories never have and never will have my vote. The Labour party I used to be a card acrrying member of no longer exists. I find it impossible to take the LibDems seriously. Reform are too far to the right for me and are, IMO, simply a party that will be as pro the rich and big business as Trump's republicans are in the USA. DJT is pushing for more, more, more for the rich and less, less less for the majority. Farage will go the same way if he ever gets into power. Not something I can support. Greens are the "Reform" of the left and go too far, way too far. There isn't a party that mirrors my wishes. That is why I won't be exercising my reinstated right to vote.

Which is fair enough from your point of view. But as ever voting is generally choosing the least worse option, or at least an option which most fits your views, given that all politics is a compromise. For those in the UK not voting or voting without thought as to the effect it will ahve could well result in a far right government that will address none of the issues it claims it will. That IMO will be disastrous for the country. If you don't want that, then at the next GE tactical voting is required to keep Reform out. For me that will be green, Labour or Lib Dem. But I can see it involve voting Tory if thats the best option.

[swaledale]

Ok I'm not bothering arguing. Clearly it was a great set of results for labour and the loss of councillors and control of councils on the red wall is all illusory.

Where did I say that? I haven't. You seem unable to understand what I'm saying or indeed what the real picture is. That its a combination of the split in the Labour vote and the migration of the Tory vote (in some areas) to Reform that has enabled Reform to win seats.

Your conclusion that over half of Labour voters switched to Reform isn't true, simples!

Its no less an issue for Labour, because they are losing their core centre left or left voters but those voters clearly aren't voting for reform, which demonstrates that Labours shift towards Refom "light" policies is not the right move.

Your not bothering to argue, because clearly your original conclusion based on seats won was wrong. Which is fine its an easy mistake to make, though I had credited you with being able to understand the point I was making, seems I've either overestimated you or you are reluctant to admit your error.

[MadAmster]

... or he's simply "poking the bear".

[ramAnag]

Tricky, you can’t return calling people ‘left wing planks’, then mention respect and expect people to take you seriously.

I don’t think anyone on here doesn’t believe that immigration isn’t an issue that needs addressing, some of us are just a little more thoughtful and compassionate about the problem than others.

Neither is it RUK’s obsession with immigration that makes them racist…it is the willingness - desire even - to adopt an anti Muslim stance at every opportunity, to blame everything on immigrants, to adopt the tone that the newly elected RUK Sunderland councillor did towards Nigerians etc. that makes Reform UK racist.

Personally I’m not particularly ‘left wing’. A little left of centre maybe but only a little. I just can’t get wound up about the (approximately) 1.5% of the population who are here illegally. Of much more concern to me is the amount of wealth owned by a similar percentage of the upper echelons of our society. That, to me, is much more damaging to society as a whole.