The Earl of Chesterfield, on 02 May 2025 - 12:34 PM, said:
Thanks for the reasoned reply.
And thanks also for acknowledging my point; Reform are essentially a one policy party - arguably still a one man one too - using legitimate immigration concerns as a vehicle to pursue an even more sinister agenda.
Free-for-all free marketry.
I don't think you should under-estimate them, either. We're seeing the end of the Conservative Party before our very eyes. A descent into oblivion initiated, with delicious irony, by Boris Johnson.
Or at least the corruption and chaos which became normalised during his ridiculously brief tenure.
Most of their financial backers fund Reform. Many of their members have also migrated (pun) to Reform. Whilst it's obvious millions of their voters cross the Reform box first.
Who can now claim with credibility to be the official opposition.
Nor can we deny they're attracting huge numbers of Labour voters. Many motivated, as you quite accurately recognise, by immigration. A decision for which, like you, I don't blame them.
However as someone like myself and millions of others who doesn't agree with Reform - in fact genuinely despises the charlatan leading them, his Trumpian agenda and the characters he has a history of attracting - the question is how to oppose them.
First, mainstream politicians have to be better. Much better. In short do what they said on the electoral tin. Then most of all abide by three 'Fight Club' style rules.
Rule one - don't dump on those who voted for you.
Rule two - don't dump on those who voted for you.
Rule three - DON'T EFFIN' DUMP ON THOSE WHO VOTED FOR YOU!
Rules which this current government - my party's government - have clearly forgotten.
Second, do what I've attempted to do on here; expose Reform's absence of bread and butter policies. Or even worse, ones which will render the UK public they claim to hold dear infinitely worse off.
Private health insurance.
Billions of public spending cuts allied to billions of tax cuts which will make the Kwar-crash look like a minor fiscal hiccup.
Defaulting on interest payments to the BoE which will create untold mistrust on the markets.
Ripping up countless regulations protecting workers, consumers and the environment.
Zero net migration which will deprive public services and business of millions of essential employees.
If at that point you still want to blame Labour or Tories or anyone else for where you find yourself, then fair enough. I might even agree to a certain extent. But please Mark, at least be balanced in who you call out and when...
I agree with quite a bit of what you say, Chris.
I am somewhat courteous of what Reform have to offer both in terms of their over all policies and, in fact, their number of new inexperienced elected members. We have witnessed how weakly the newly elected Labour politicians have performed and not one has shown up as having any real promise of challenging for a place in the cabinet.
However, we must remember Labour’s slogan of “Smash the Gangs” which they have got nowhere near doing and the Conservative’s “Rwanda Scheme” which failed to get off the ground for various reasons. Reform have capitalised on that which suggests immigration, whether legal, illegal or irregular, is of major importance to the electorate. Being in power Labour are in a position to win this argument with 4 years to go. But, will they ???
Then, we must also remember those things not included in their campaign such as the removal of Winter Fuel Allowance which they couldn’t wait to announce even before their first Budget. That and the attack on Benefits at a time when they have contributed to a reduction in Job Vacancies all on the basis of filling a £22 billion black hole which they have been unable to prove ever existed yet continue to spout it.
So, if Parties do not honour pre-election promises, and there are a number more made at the recent General Election, this has probably left the electorate in the state of mind that it is probably best to mainly keep these simple and know what they are voting for. Again, all playing into the hands of Reform and daft as it may seem “the unknown”.
This post has been edited by dtp: Yesterday, 05:44 PM
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