Local Elections | Thu 7 May 26

[kippaxwarrior]

Think we can safely say the 2 party system in the UK is officially dead

 

[WRicko]

Social media is driving a huge amount of this division.

Did anyone else see videos on line from weirdly named comedians taking the xxxx out of greens / Labour or woke ? Wasn’t clear if it was just influencers having fun or something put out probably by Farage. I think they where obviously satirical and not real issues and even if they where not on serious enough topics to make you vote for or against anyone did not tell you to vote for anyone. However it does worry me that a party could be putting out stuff that we don’t know about and a few stupid people will believe it to be true.

 

[argyle]

Big bad Nige is a coming.

Puppet for far right billionaires who want to get rid of the NHS, sick, maternity and holiday pay, etc.

He uses people's hatred of Muslims to get in.

It's simple but his voters can only see the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim stuff.

 

[Ban-jani]

They vote Reform for the exact reasons that everyone knows.

Because the country is rapidly changing before their eyes to alarming levels and they are grabbing on to what they see as the only option to stop it and reverse it.

It’s the same reason some people on the left have gone towards Green. Labour haven’t ushered in the utopian progressivism they expected so have lurched further afield to someone that is telling them they’ll do it.

I understand it from a psychological level and it’s mostly down to the Tories being horrendous, whilst increasing immigration to unprecedented levels rather than doing what they said they would, ie reducing it, and Labour arguably making things even slightly worse economy wise, from the point they got in to now.

Regarding Stockport, it’s where I am and the LibDems have always been huge here, every street has LibDem signs and you don’t see much else. Not entirely surprised as the LibDems throw everything at the area and do a good job locally. It’s why we’re the best borough in greater Manchester :-)

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

The warnings about Trump were there but his voters ignored them.
This is now happening with Farage and it is not a surprise when swathes of the nation feel badly done to. He taps in to that, just as Trump did, and all warnings are ignored when someone taps into the solutions that your innate character yearns for, or has been taught to yearn for.
It should never come to this, but history shows that this is no surprise.

Next - people are criticised for their vote. They respond with cry more slurs.
Then - Farage defends them, tells them that they're not listened to, and others don't get it.
After that - supporters are emboldened and take their votes to the GE.

Sad days, but expected days.
My only hope is that local councils show that his party are not ready to govern.

What happens when Farage gets in and starts rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants and it doesn’t have any effect on living standards in this country? The figure what it costs to manage the processing illegals within the country is £14 billion. Farage wants to put together an ICE type force to police it which will result in that figure going up and up and taking funding away from other public services.

I get that people are frustrated and want change, last time the public were duped by lies and that things were going to get better it was the total disaster of brexit peddled by Farage and Johnson the two biggest pair of political grifters this country has ever seen.

We aren’t talking about the real issues facing this country at the moment. The economy is absolutely flatlining and creaking backwards, the jobs market is shrinking and we are hitting unemployment rates higher than when covid was happening. There’s young people who can’t get a start in a career because of this who are doomed to a life of economic inactivity because politically the focus is elsewhere on the subject of people on boats.

There’s businesses that want to trade with Europe but have red tape chucked in the way because of Farage’s one attempt at policy change in this country that has been a disaster. Why do people not realise what they are voting for? Perhaps as a country we need 5 years of Farage in Downing Street to realise what he is.

 

[oldius]

They're not bothered about a party solving what ails them ....... they believe that immigrants who arrive on small boats are the problem ( 0.001% of the UK population) and that the solution is to deport hundreds of 1000s and to turn the navy and armed forces onto the 'invaders' . Only then will Wayne and Darren from Tameside who have one GCSE each will then have a chance to achieve their full potential

These results are as expected from people who hold a pen with a fist.

Though I may agree with you, this view helps Reform because they are the party that 'looks out for' the fist pen-holders. He is tapping into those people who are disenfranchised. He will build on it because he will tell Wayne and Darren what they want to hear.
The only party that defeats this will have turned round the economic conditions that have disenfranchised so many: we are decades away and only Reform's abject failure in government will change this course.

 

[argyle]

Because the country is rapidly changing before their eyes to alarming levels and they are grabbing on to what they see as the only option to stop it and reverse it.

It’s the same reason some people on the left have gone towards Green. Labour haven’t ushered in the utopian progressivism they expected so have lurched further afield to someone that is telling them they’ll do it.

I understand it from a psychological level and it’s mostly down to the Tories being horrendous and Labour arguably making things even slightly worse from the point they got in to now.

Regarding Stockport, it’s where I am and the LibDems have always been huge here, every street has LibDem signs and you don’t see much else. Not entirely surprised as the LibDems through everything at the area and do a good job locally. It’s why we’re the best borough in greater Manchester :-)

Nah, they just don't like Muslims and fall for bullshit anti-immigrant stuff they see on Facebook.

The Greens are the same, the amount of bullshit I see accusing Starmer of being hand in hand with Israel etc.

Social media has a lot to do with it.

That and high taxes.

Repeated at the national level and Labour and Lib Dems will hopefully join together. Which isn't that unusual across the rest of Europe.

 

[Ban-jani]

What happens when Farage gets in and starts rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants and it doesn’t have any effect on living standards in this country? The figure what it costs to manage the processing illegals within the country is £14 billion. Farage wants to put together an ICE type force to police it which will result in that figure going up and up and taking funding away from other public services.

I get that people are frustrated and want change, last time the public were duped by lies and that things were going to get better it was the total disaster of brexit peddled by Farage and Johnson the two biggest pair of political grifters this country has ever seen.

We aren’t talking about the real issues facing this country at the moment. The economy is absolutely flatlining and creaking backwards, the jobs market is shrinking and we are hitting unemployment rates higher than when covid was happening. There’s young people who can’t get a start in a career because of this who are doomed to a life of economic inactivity because politically the focus is elsewhere on the subject of people on boats.

There’s businesses that want to trade with Europe but have red tape chucked in the way because of Farage’s one attempt at policy change in this country that has been a disaster. Why do people not realise what they are voting for? Perhaps as a country we need 5 years of Farage in Downing Street to realise what he is.

It costs 4-5 billion per year to house them now, so if he does that, in theory, if it also puts off future illegal immigration, it’s an investment that will save over the course of a Parliament.

They’ll fuck it up and it won’t work, but you’re ignoring the costs of using hotels right now, that could be spent on public services, it was over £10 million a day at its peak over the last 2 years.

 

[kippaxwarrior]

Reports coming out of Wales is that Labour is about to be decimated there with Plaid Cymru and Reform making significant gains

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

Did anyone else see videos on line from weirdly named comedians taking the xxxx out of greens / Labour or woke ? Wasn’t clear if it was just influencers having fun or something put out probably by Farage. I think they where obviously satirical and not real issues and even if they where not on serious enough topics to make you vote for or against anyone did not tell you to vote for anyone. However it does worry me that a party could be putting out stuff that we don’t know about and a few stupid people will believe it to be true.

Unfortunately it will be more than a few.

 

[bert38]

What happens when Farage gets in and starts rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants and it doesn’t have any effect on living standards in this country? The figure what it costs to manage the processing illegals within the country is £14 billion. Farage wants to put together an ICE type force to police it which will result in that figure going up and up and taking funding away from other public services.

I get that people are frustrated and want change, last time the public were duped by lies and that things were going to get better it was the total disaster of brexit peddled by Farage and Johnson the two biggest pair of political grifters this country has ever seen.

We aren’t talking about the real issues facing this country at the moment. The economy is absolutely flatlining and creaking backwards, the jobs market is shrinking and we are hitting unemployment rates higher than when covid was happening. There’s young people who can’t get a start in a career because of this who are doomed to a life of economic inactivity because politically the focus is elsewhere on the subject of people on boats.

There’s businesses that want to trade with Europe but have red tape chucked in the way because of Farage’s one attempt at policy change in this country that has been a disaster. Why do people not realise what they are voting for? Perhaps as a country we need 5 years of Farage in Downing Street to realise what he is.

The problem is you use a well reasoned argument against Farage and the far right.
The reality is there's a good 30% of this country that are thick, nasty racists who simply don't care how bad things are for them as long as they can hate.
The real danger is who they are told to vote for after Farage has failed....because he will.

 

[oldius]

It costs 4-5 billion per year to house them now, so if he does that, in theory, if it also puts off future illegal immigration, it’s an investment that will save over the course of a Parliament.

They’ll fuck it up and it won’t work, but you’re ignoring the costs of using hotels right now, that could be spent on public services, it was over £10 million a day at its peak over the last 2 years.

And you will note that there is absolutely no mention ANYWHERE of the significant drop in small-boat crossings. Manipulation by ommission is where it is at: find me a headline in the Daily Mail about Farage's £5m gift if you can. Imagine if it was Angela Rayner!

 

[waspish]

Think we can safely say the 2 party system in the UK is officially dead

We won’t really know that till the General election! If then it looking like what’s happening now then yeah agree! But a week in politics is a long time 3 years is a lifetime!

 

[Chris in London]

Big bad Nige is a coming.

So are you by the sound of it

 

[Ban-jani]

Nah, they just don't like Muslims and fall for bullshit anti-immigrant stuff they see on Facebook.

The Greens are the same, the amount of bullshit I see accusing Starmer of being hand in hand with Israel etc.

Social media has a lot to do with it.

That and high taxes.

Repeated at the national level and Labour and Lib Dems will hopefully join together. Which isn't that unusual across the rest of Europe.

You’re oversimplifying the entire thing and failing to understand the concerns of those you disagree with.

 

[hilts]

Fuck sake Tameside.
I can only assume from all this that the general public are just fucking thick.

It must be all the young uns that are only just eligible to vote then, or have they turned thick overnight and weren't thick when they voted the same way as you?

I think it's fair to say this isn't the usual where a govt gets a kicking from the main opposition or the lib dems do okay.

 

[PepsFleece]

No need to cry about it, mate.

People who vote differently to you, aren't your enemy.

 

[Ban-jani]

And you will note that there is absolutely no mention ANYWHERE of the significant drop in small-boat crossings. Manipulation by ommission is where it is at: find me a headline in the Daily Mail about Farage's £5m gift if you can. Imagine if it was Angela Rayner!

I don’t disagree with any of your post. Farage should be facing criminal charges for that donation, it’s well over the figure that normally warrants a crime in politics.

Mahmood is generally doing a very good job. But it isn’t clearly being reported, it’s also odd that Labour aren’t bragging about it but I think that’s because part of their party and support being whacky.

 

[oldius]

I don’t disagree with any of your post. Farage should be facing criminal charges for that donation, it’s well over the figure that normally warrants a crime in politics.

Mahmood is generally doing a very good job. But it isn’t clearly being reported, it’s also odd that Labour aren’t bragging about it but I think that’s because part of their party and support being whacky.

I think we agree on most things in this thread.

There is definitely a need for Labour to be more public about their successes but it simply isn't in Keir's character. Farage is the opposite, and our press loves that, and the fact that he will continue the status quo of protecting donors and billionaires.

We need to stop condemning Reform voters and begin understanding what the conditions are that are leading them to their vote, and what Farage does to engage them. THEN, we work out how it can be countered. It is my view that people who feel that they are thriving are less interested in hate or protest voting. More hate (to Reform voters) simply digs deeper trenches.

To be clear, I personally cannot abide what Reform stand for - I absolutely loathe them - but it doesn't matter: he is offering something that his voters believe others are not.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Think we can safely say the 2 party system in the UK is officially dead

the conservatives have been wiped out in most places, which has been needed.

Seems like reform are the main challenger to Labour and other parties making up the vote