If there were a general election tomorrow, it seems more people would vote for Reform UK than the Labor party.
Just think about: the governing party has fallen to second position among voter preference within only four months of forming a government. That’s incredible.
Why has the government’s honeymoon been so short? Partly lying about their intended tax rises during the campaign, and partly gas-lighting and feigning hysteria about the state of the economy to justify their taxes. Then, there’s being over generous to public sector workers whilst simultaneously depriving pensioners off their winter fuel allowance. General incompetence & dishonesty. As for the conservatives, they messed up almost every policy area over the past 14 years.
Reform UK is, to some extent, a protest vote expressing general resentment by people left behind.
They’ve been able to tap into disaffection about both major parties and resentment among older voters. People are fed up with the mass and/or excessive immigration. Speaking for myself, I think we’re a little reluctant to admit that the UK needs immigration for the National Health Service, among others. So, something like 50% of nurses in the UK come from overseas. People are also fed-up with the culture of intolerance and discrimination in both the public and private sector (i.e. “DEI” in HR-think). For me, I’m sick of the “wokery” in trashing all-and-every aspect of British heritage and culture.
Traditional Labour voters are supposed to be patriotic English men and women who believe in local communities - as opposed to big corporations. The Labour party has, in recent times, drifted so far that’s unclear what they stand for other than just a name for their core vote.
Ultimately, Reform UK has a low ceiling.
The Farage-Trump nexus is off-putting for many off the middle-of-the-road people. There’s also a difference between opinion polls and actual elections. Finally, Reform UK have unworkable policies. For people coming over by boats, there’s no way France is going to accept them back. Why should they? They’re also a little too anti-environmental. Like the Green Party, I think they offer simplistic solutions to highly complex problems.
Reform UK's rise as a protest vote highlights the growing frustration among voters who feel left behind by the major parties. The immigration debate, particularly regarding the NHS, is a complex and sensitive issue. It's true that a significant portion of the healthcare workforce comes from overseas, and acknowledging this reality is crucial for informed discussions.
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DeleteHappy New Year Liam, may it be a good one. All the best.
ReplyDeleteNot often are the people happy with the Party they voted in once that party gets going.
Happy new year to you too 😊
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how things stand by the time of the next election. Labour has made a mess of things. Fourteen years to plan and they didn't!
ReplyDeleteThese days, it seems all people want to do is hate anyone different from themselves or at least their rose-coloured glasses view of themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy friend's nephew who was a young Tory MP and lost his seat in July is probably joining Reform as he wants to get back into Parliament as soon as possible and he feels he has more chance with Reform than with the Tory Party. I think Reform are more of a significant opposition at the moment than the Tory Party.
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