[News] Nigel Farage and Reform

[DJ NOBO]

To be fair, we are frequently told (mostly by the press) that we need to “listen to the concerns of Reform voters”, whereas nobody spent the 14 years of the last Government saying the Government needed “listen to the concerns of Labour voters”.

But if Reform voters refuse to tell us what it is that makes them support Reform then how are we supposed to “listen to their concerns”?

I think you misunderstand the phrase listen to the concerns of Reform voters.
It‘s not a case of listening to those concerns because it’s a nice thing to do.
Rather, Rival parties would be fools not to try to understand the appeal of Reform given how fast they are building support.
Reform have clearly struck a chord with the nation in the way that other parties have struggled to do.

 

[A1X]

I think you misunderstand the phrase listen to the concerns of Reform voters.
It‘s not a case of listening to those concerns because it’s a nice thing to do.
Rather, Rival parties would be fools not to try to understand the appeal of Reform given how fast they are building support.
Reform have clearly struck a chord with the nation in the way that other parties have struggled to do.

So why won’t their voters tell us what it is about Reform that draws them to them?

 

[Guinness Boy]

If that’s the case he will be voted out

I bet he wins and increases his majority

Yeah, because Thatcher is best known for her work with the people of Finchley.

Nigel has failed EIGHT times to get elected as an MP. He’s finally found a spiritual home among people who don’t give a f*** so long as their hatred of immigrants is vocalised.

 

[jcdenton08]

So why won’t their voters tell us what it is about Reform that draws them to them?

Not a Reform voter, but it’s because their whole platform is tackling excessive immigration. Something successive governments have failed to do successfully, so they are looking for an alternative.

 

[BadFish]

Too late, this thread and the Labour thread are full of the same posters saying exactly this. In the Labour thread one poster just referred to them as “Retard”.

A lot of us agree with the overall message. Huge net migration to the UK is unsustainable for the size of the nation, the housing crisis and the infrastructure (specifically the NHS).

View attachment 201748

As I said, the net equivalent of the entire population of Dorset or Northumberland emigrating to the UK is unsustainable year-on-year.

People make the easy mistake of rubbishing people’s (in my view correct) concerns when it comes to enormous net migration. It’s very, very easy to tie together “Mass immigration is unsustainable” with “Racist gammon”. And poo-poo people, call them idiots (“ignorant woman”)…

Then *shocked Pikachu face* they go and vote for the outsider party (Reform, AfD (Germany), RN (France), FDL (Italy), and the Nexit movement (Netherlands).

Labour are reacting now because they’ve seen that people are putting their feelings into votes.

Within a liberal echo chamber (one I experienced at drama school), closing your eyes and wishing something just because the echo chamber - full of people with similar values and life experiences - says so doesn’t equate to real world outcomes. Practically everybody there was convinced Corbyn would win the election, because that’s what they wanted. And they couldn’t possibly see why anyone else - impoverished people not at a middle class drama school for instance - would feel differently.

Oh wait, they did feel differently? Well they must ALL be racists, skinheads and morons.

We have been hearing that X number of migrants is unsustainable for years now. Has anyone crunched the numbers and come up with a figure that IS sustainable?

We know the UK relies on immigration for some employment sectors, and that the UK population is aging so finding employees is getting harder. So I am sure we can all agree that some immigration is necessary.

This surely begs the question: why don't those (like Farage) who are calling for a sensible debate on immigration and a cut to immigration rates tell us the number they think is reasonable and publish the study they are using to arrive at it?

Can we also assume that part of the reason the number is currently unsustainable is because of the pressure it puts on housing and services? If so then that number could be raised if said government chose to redirect some of the funds from a top ten economy away from their super rich and towards the people using said services.

I may have missed it but it strikes me that Farage has been banging to drum about immigration for a long time but seems no closer to providing the necessary data for a sensible discussion. See also, the last Tory government, who not only banged the drum and didn't provide the data, they also kept numbers high.

Does anyone know how many immigrants IS sustainable?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Congratulations to the unbiased BBC doing a vox pop on immigration in a place where 80% of the interviewees need help chewing their food.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I think you misunderstand the phrase listen to the concerns of Reform voters.
It‘s not a case of listening to those concerns because it’s a nice thing to do.
Rather, Rival parties would be fools not to try to understand the appeal of Reform given how fast they are building support.
Reform have clearly struck a chord with the nation in the way that other parties have struggled to do.

I wonder how disillusioned the Reform voters are with their choice, from those who have already quit within a week? Councillors who have been suspende, resigned or found not eligible?

 

[DJ NOBO]

So why won’t their voters tell us what it is about Reform that draws them to them?

It’s primarily immigration and the knock on effects of it.
Also, having more money in the pocket.
And a move away from what may be perceived as ideology-based policy like net zero.
But you probably knew all that. It is hardly a secret.
They are not complicated, as political parties go.

 

[Bodian]

Only today have we seen a Reform councillor elected to Durham County Council on 1st May 2025 forced to resign because he failed to disclose that he was employed by the council, so should never have been allowed to stand in the first place.

Astonishing. He'll now have to go back to work with colleagues who all know what he is!

And one of the few things Reform leaning posters on here have mentioned as a policy they like is saving money by cutting out wasteful council spending, and indeed Farage has mentioned it more than once. Yet Reform's own members are needlessly causing Durham Council to spend needlessly on by-elections. And I see there are comments that there may be a few more like this. I guess if they were really committed to cutting waste, they could leave their jobs and remain as councillors instead?

 

[Bodian]

We have been hearing that X number of migrants is unsustainable for years now. Has anyone crunched the numbers and come up with a figure that IS sustainable?

We know the UK relies on immigration for some employment sectors, and that the UK population is aging so finding employees is getting harder. So I am sure we can all agree that some immigration is necessary.

This surely begs the question: why don't those (like Farage) who are calling for a sensible debate on immigration and a cut to immigration rates tell us the number they think is reasonable and publish the study they are using to arrive at it?

Can we also assume that part of the reason the number is currently unsustainable is because of the pressure it puts on housing and services? If so then that number could be raised if said government chose to redirect some of the funds from a top ten economy away from their super rich and towards the people using said services.

I may have missed it but it strikes me that Farage has been banging to drum about immigration for a long time but seems no closer to providing the necessary data for a sensible discussion. See also, the last Tory government, who not only banged the drum and didn't provide the data, they also kept numbers high.

Does anyone know how many immigrants IS sustainable?

He has answered that question......

Nigel Farage Snaps At Journalist After Being Asked To Explain A Key Reform Policy

"You can play whatever silly games you want."

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[jcdenton08]

I wonder how disillusioned the Reform voters are with their choice, from those who have already quit within a week? Councillors who have been suspende, resigned or found not eligible?

I imagine it would feel similar to how the people of Runcorn and Helsby feel, having had their Labour MP put in the clink for beating up a constituent.

 

[DJ NOBO]

I wonder how disillusioned the Reform voters are with their choice, from those who have already quit within a week? Councillors who have been suspende, resigned or found not eligible?

Probably not very much at all.

 

[BadFish]

It’s primarily immigration and the knock on effects of it.
Also, having more money in the pocket.
And a move away from what may be perceived as ideology-based policy like net zero.
But you probably knew all that. It is hardly a secret.
They are not complicated, as political parties go.

The ideology being, we'd like our planet to be habitable?

Well I am in, down with that sort of woke nonsense

 

[jcdenton08]

We have been hearing that X number of migrants is unsustainable for years now. Has anyone crunched the numbers and come up with a figure that IS sustainable?

We know the UK relies on immigration for some employment sectors, and that the UK population is aging so finding employees is getting harder. So I am sure we can all agree that some immigration is necessary.

This surely begs the question: why don't those (like Farage) who are calling for a sensible debate on immigration and a cut to immigration rates tell us the number they think is reasonable and publish the study they are using to arrive at it?

Can we also assume that part of the reason the number is currently unsustainable is because of the pressure it puts on housing and services? If so then that number could be raised if said government chose to redirect some of the funds from a top ten economy away from their super rich and towards the people using said services.

I may have missed it but it strikes me that Farage has been banging to drum about immigration for a long time but seems no closer to providing the necessary data for a sensible discussion. See also, the last Tory government, who not only banged the drum and didn't provide the data, they also kept numbers high.

Does anyone know how many immigrants IS sustainable?

I don’t think he has any answers about that. I think their supporters are of the opinion that less is better to stem the tide, and go from there. I don’t disagree with them on that. As to how they actually do it, it would start with an exit from the ECHR, which I can’t support without a robust examination of the impact on other articles covered by that court which would be affected.

 

[AlbionBro]

I wonder how disillusioned the Reform voters are with their choice, from those who have already quit within a week? Councillors who have been suspende, resigned or found not eligible?

I think you are sounding a bit like Keir.
Labour screwed up badly putting in Keir, he clearly has less morals than the Tories. Does anyone in the UK still trust this man? He has to go for labour to get back in again, why he hasn't stepped a side yet?

 

[BadFish]

He has answered that question......

Nigel Farage Snaps At Journalist After Being Asked To Explain A Key Reform Policy

"You can play whatever silly games you want."

uk.news.yahoo.com

Absolute charlatan.

 

[Guinness Boy]

The ideology being, we'd like our planet to be habitable?

Well I am in, down with that sort of woke nonsense

No thanks.

I’m quite happy if my kids live on a literal flood or binfire if it means I can keep relying on that nice Mr Putin to provide all my energy. Lovely man, Vladimir.

 

[BadFish]

I don’t think he has any answers about that. I think their supporters are of the opinion that less is better to stem the tide, and go from there. I don’t disagree with them on that. As to how they actually do it, it would start with an exit from the ECHR, which I can’t support without a robust examination of the impact on other articles covered by that court which would be affected.

Why do you need to leave the ECHR to lower immigration?

So rather than scientific and forensic analysis of the necessary numbers they are going to stick to hyperbole like 'stem the tide'? And you agree with that?

This is where I get lost because this isn't the 'sensible discussion' people are asking for.

 

[clapham_gull]

Congratulations to the unbiased BBC doing a vox pop on immigration in a place where 80% of the interviewees need help chewing their food.

I did watch that thinking you'll be grateful for the immigration in a few years.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Astonishing. He'll now have to go back to work with colleagues who all know what he is!

And one of the few things Reform leaning posters on here have mentioned as a policy they like is saving money by cutting out wasteful council spending, and indeed Farage has mentioned it more than once. Yet Reform's own members are needlessly causing Durham Council to spend needlessly on by-elections. And I see there are comments that there may be a few more like this. I guess if they were really committed to cutting waste, they could leave their jobs and remain as councillors instead?

It’s costing £10K for each by-election. That’s £120K so far.