The reform party has agreed to continue the triple lock

We could be heading towards bankruptcy because Mrs Truss isn’t at the helm fwiw

Oreo

In any case, Reform cannot win by themselves but would have to be in a coalition with Conservatives.

Hopefully 🤞

Casdon

Who on earth is this ‘loony left’ successor to replace Starmer you are referring to David49, I’m racking my brains here?

Could it be the silly Ed Milliband 🤔

Remember the SDP with the charismatic David Owen?
Not the same type of politic's but Reform reminds me of this lot, probably go the same way?

My guess for loony leftie is Angela Raynor!

Visgir1

Remember the SDP with the charismatic David Owen?
Not the same type of politic's but Reform reminds me of this lot, probably go the same way?

Yes that was the two Davids, David Owen, David Steel and the inimitable Shirley Williams.
I had a crush on David Owen.
I don’t think any of them were as awful as Farage but I get what you mean about political spin offs having a short shelf life.
Here’s hoping 🤞

Anyone any clearer about the benefits that a Reform government would bring?

We need to get rid of The Blob first. It doesn’t matter what party is in power.

I would like to see level-headed politicians like Starmer and Sunak (as you said CLG) being able to work in a world where they aren’t have to respond continually to threats by Putin, Netanyahu, Trump and Farage, men intent on the acquisition wealth through division and destruction.

Here, we fall for it every time with almost all N&P threads, descending into personal attacks rather than discussing the issues.

To bring the thread back to the original topic. No, of course, we shouldn’t be voting next month influenced by a pension promise as it has nothing to with local government.

A government of any stripe is going to have to make some difficult decisions about the future of the State Pension as a whole and not just the triple lock.

Anyone who reads the annual NIF report and the Quinquennial Review knows that the fund is projected to be exhausted by 2044 and will need topping up by Treasury from 2040, or sooner if inflation is high. It is only in funds now due to the equalisation of the State Pension age, the acceleration of that and the general increase in SP age.

FWIW, I’m sure that Reform will win seats next month and feel sorry for anyone living in an area who will then be affected by the same kind of chaos we have seen in the councils they took control of last year. Already, 70 councillors have resigned, been suspended or, in once case, jailed.

We see an increasingly brittle and tetchy Farage who doesn’t like coming under scrutiny at all, especially from female journalists. It’s been a bad few weeks for the party. He’s being heckled wherever he goes.

Now, the new Hungarian PM Péter Magyar has described Orban’s funding of propaganda bodies as criminal and has vowed to investigate. That funding includes prominent figures in Reform including Matthew Goodwin and James Orr and the network around them.

Anyone who want to reads further:

www.thenerve.news/p/viktor-orban-peter-magyar-hungary-mcc-matt-goodwin-rightwing-funding-roger-scruton-foundation

bylinetimes.com/2026/04/14/exposed-how-viktor-orban-bankrolled-the-network-around-reform-uk/

One more thing. On a concurrent thread, people are discussing the Southport enquiry and the Fulford report.

Much is said in that about the Online Safety Act and how it will now prevent young people from accessing the harmful material which influenced the behaviour of AR. Reform have said they will repeal the Online Safety Act.

So, Reform will remove ticket concessions for poor families, they continue to oppose breakfast clubs for primary children and will repeal legislation that seeks to prevent harm to children by children as well as adults.

They really don't like children, do they, and yet women are being told they should have more of them.

And we need more posts like that graphite

Perhaps the implication of voting Reform will then eventually sink in.

Clearly this forum is not representative of the country as a whole because there seems to be a lot of people voting for Reform. Not on here, though. A shame in a way because I would love to hear exactly why they would vote the way they intend. Is it a protest vote against an incompetent government or is it because they truly believe that Reform will do that i.e. Reform the country? Or is it because they are truly very right wing in all their views ? Or, again , is it because they are afraid of the rudeness and condemnation they may find here ?

I think one of the reasons is that the perception of Reform voting Gransnetters is that the political forums are far more left wing than they actually are when you analyse what people are saying, and that they confuse strong views which are different to their own with left wing views. Most of us on political threads have slightly left or right of centre views in reality, in line with the rest of the voting public.

Thanks Graphite, some facts much needed.

Just because a majority here don’t support Reform, that doesn’t make a pile on, or prevent people with pro Reform attitudes from posting.

Pot holes, local authority services stretched - don’t forget fourteen years of resources being shrunk by central government

I would not vote Reform if they offered me a magic money tree

MT62

Casdon

Who on earth is this ‘loony left’ successor to replace Starmer you are referring to David49, I’m racking my brains here?

Could it be the silly Ed Milliband 🤔

Spot on Rayner and Milliband plus plenty of other less prominent Labour MPs, very few moderates raising their heads above the parapet.

You do make me laugh, they are both soft left, and you must know they would not be favoured candidates of the left of the Labour Party.

nanna8

Clearly this forum is not representative of the country as a whole because there seems to be a lot of people voting for Reform. Not on here, though. A shame in a way because I would love to hear exactly why they would vote the way they intend. Is it a protest vote against an incompetent government or is it because they truly believe that Reform will do that i.e. Reform the country? Or is it because they are truly very right wing in all their views ? Or, again , is it because they are afraid of the rudeness and condemnation they may find here ?

Highly unlikely that anybody will say why they like Reform.

Their whole thing is about what they don't want. They don't want uncontrolled migration ( nobody does), they don't want councils to waste money ( nobody does)

What do they want and how will they get there?

Rudeness is swiftly dispatched by the mods so I don't see a problem in putting forward views.

Perhaps I'm missing something.

Casdon

You do make me laugh, they are both soft left, and you must know they would not be favoured candidates of the left of the Labour Party.

I don't think the Labour Party has any 'left' remaining. Starmer evicted a great many and those who remained have left of their own accord and gravitates towards the Green Party. However, I think Angela or Ed would both stand a good chance in a leadership election.

When you look at the remaining party leaders none of them are really suitable PM material, all equally 'loony' in their own ways...

Casdon

You do make me laugh, they are both soft left, and you must know they would not be favoured candidates of the left of the Labour Party.

I wouldn’t describe Raynor as “soft” I think she’s probably the closest to hard left in parliament atm, that’s why she was a good deputy to our pretty centre left PM.

The left of the party don’t support her though Cossy, she definitely isn’t their preference these days, she has moved towards the centre too far for their liking - she could not be described as ‘loony left’.

🌟 thank you Graphite 🌟

Sarnia

Whitewavemark2

If anyone does support them - and lots of people must do - I’m really keen to know why they support reform, and also how do they manage to reconcile their vote with Reforms corruption, incompetence and mediocrity, and support of Trump, Putin, Orban and other far right politicians throughout Europe.

Those who support Reform are the knuckle draggers who really believe that Farage will stop the boats the moment he crosses the threshold at No 10.

They might well try to spin this but in fact the numbers spiked after Brexit - it was a Brexit wave. Before that we pretty much followed the curve of France; we are now back to that level.

Perhaps this would help get perspective. www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Nl2Oe9mxw
"Nigel Farage has revealed his latest campaign of racism with fake images, fake facts but real consequences. He claims to want to stop the Boris Wave. But, it never existed and what did exist is long over. Yet, there seems little doubt that Farage will benefit from his lies - but will the public?"

MaizieD

Casdon

You do make me laugh, they are both soft left, and you must know they would not be favoured candidates of the left of the Labour Party.

I don't think the Labour Party has any 'left' remaining. Starmer evicted a great many and those who remained have left of their own accord and gravitates towards the Green Party. However, I think Angela or Ed would both stand a good chance in a leadership election.

When you look at the remaining party leaders none of them are really suitable PM material, all equally 'loony' in their own ways...

Oh, not Ed please .....

The Labour left, like the Conservative right, alienates many voters. My constituency has a good Labour .m.p. The CLP is dominated by more left leaning activists. I feel like an unwelcome interloper.
We are imo, generally a centrist country. My main frustration with Starmer is his inability to ensure he has majority support within the party. WFA and two child benefit, pip etc case in point

Thank you, Graphite.

This was on the March 28th London.

Whatever view we have most agree that Starmer is a useless PM I havnt seen a post that thinks he is good for a very long time. Would he or she like to declare their allegiance now. LOL

I declared my allegiance to Keir Starmer on a thread just yesterday, actually David.

I accept you might not have seen that post so, hear I am, declaring my allegiance to him again. I am very happy to have a calm, level-headed PM who is not part of the public school, old boys network.

You’re welcome