Reform. 140,748 members and counting. The Tories are well and truly in trouble!

That comment definitely makes me seek out GB news. If people feel that strongly about it , it must be doing something,right or wrong.I think it is on YouTube , watched it a couple of times a while back. Always good to check out what people get their knickers in a knot about. I would love to be childish at my age, great nanna of 6.

It's just a lot of populist rot HousePlantQueen. I should try and ignore it. No one would waste time bringing in laws simply for the likes of GBeebies - their infantile drivel isn't worth it. They should generally be treated as they behave - like small children. Children in a paddy are best checked for safety and then ignored. (Yes. That's me using my right to freedom of expression)

👏👏👏 I second that PoliticsNerd!

Nerd rather than need

I cant imagine why people dont vote in the way you want them to politics need, it's a complete mystery.

I’d rather be a populist than an unpopulist. Just saying. Not my problem,anyway. I quite like our Labor leader here but I can’t stand yours. He needs a boot up the proverbial.

Brexit was in the main a ghost option to release closet racists

They are certainly out and proud now alright.

HousePlantQueen

It is posts like those by nanna8, which "suggest" that Starmer plans to shut down GB news, and that he, personally,locks up people for hate speech which annoy me intensely.

It's just a lot of populist rot HousePlantQueen. I should try and ignore it. No one would waste time bringing in laws simply for the likes of GBeebies - their infantile drivel isn't worth it. They should generally be treated as they behave - like small children. Children in a paddy are best checked for safety and then ignored. (Yes. That's me using my right to freedom of expression).

However, if any person or company breaks the laws that limit our rights to freedom of expression they should be prosecuted. The UK right to freedom of expression is already subject to a range of restrictions in law, including the: Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003, which criminalises “indecent or grossly offensive” messages and threats.

Adding the Online Safety Act 2023 has already placed statutory responsibilities on regulated services to prevent the publication of certain false information. We need clarity of who or what is regulated and to see more prosecutions under it - not more laws.

Ohhowwelaughed

petra

Ohhowwelaughrd
Wake up call.
There isn’t a place in this world that isn’t being affected by climate change, and, the poor will suffer because of it as the price of food will soar 😡

That may be true, I was not denying it but do you honestly think us having net zero by shipping goods from China to manufacture is going to make any difference?

You can have all angry faces you want.

It makes us feel good leading the rush to net zero but CO2 levels are increasing because we are still consuming more.
Until we start consuming less it’s all for nothing, if we included the emissions on all our imports we would probably be higher than US.

Brexit was in the main a ghost option to release closet racists. A relative of ours was a presiding officer wearing a hijab during the so called Brexit referendum she was thoroughly verbally abused. Our borders, our country was the slogan.
A false pretence. Yes the 1983 Labour manifesto wanted Britain to leave the EU. Many on the left thought that the EU was undemocratic and afraid of the "enforced political union" - a reasonable thought in that Britain had been largely stable compared to other European countries. The last 100 years were terrible for France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The treatment of minorities was and still is atrocious in the EU, mosques and halaal food is very limited along with the racist restriction on the scarf. Although the people are great the European establishment is very racist. (And more so cf to the usa).
Despite all that and on balance Britain should move quickly to rejoin the EU. You only need to look at stuff coming in from Dublin to Belfast and vice versa. Only an idiotic jobsworth would restrict the trucks (like Dover) as neither side wants checks. Win Win. www.politico.eu/article/ireland-trade-booming-in-post-brexit-economy-dublin-belfast-uk/?form=MG0AV3

spabbygirl

Who do you think pays some of your feed in tarrif you get?

That's right lots of poor people who couldn't get a loan to pay for solar panels ( price on electric standing charge and tarrif )

petra

Ohhowwelaughrd
Wake up call.
There isn’t a place in this world that isn’t being affected by climate change, and, the poor will suffer because of it as the price of food will soar 😡

That may be true, I was not denying it but do you honestly think us having net zero by shipping goods from China to manufacture is going to make any difference?

You can have all angry faces you want.

Wyllow3

Galaxy

I think that will be quite popular to be honest. It's not that ordinary people are climate change deniers but rather that they need to be able to drive/get to work, etc. Climate change is a luxury way down on their priorities. My local city (red wall area so prime reform target) is a case in point, I have just read their consultation on their vision for transport in the city. Lots of opportunities to express a view on environmental proposals, not at all addressing the elephant in the room that moving around the city has become almost impossible. To ordinary people climate change policies seem to impact them and have little impact on those with resources and wealth. I think it is a perfectly understandable source of resentment.

I understand that, but the issues are far wider, like being pro-fracking/drill baby drill as per USA, and on the other hand finding ways ahead with cleaner energy in the long term.

Just today in the Times front page:

" Millions of homeowners could be offered grants and cheap loans as incentives for solar panel installation, according to The Times"

we had solar panels just in the nick of time from the last Labour gov't before Gordon Brown who handed over to Cameron. we bought the solar panels on a loan & were guaranteed quarterly cash back in the form of a feedback tariff by selling our excess electricity back to the grid.
It has paid for itself over and over.
That strikes me as the difference between Labour & Tory, Labour will help ordinary people, Tory helps big business. Cameron stopped that scheme & gave money to big businesses who gave it to shareholders.

I don't think we've seen the benefit of this gov't yet, they have to get to grips with the debt so will be unpopular at first. But I am impressed that they have stopped the Tories plan to close footpaths & they've paid drs properly, health authorities were going to agencies for staff which added on their cut making an agency dr cost £5k per day. Stopping that has instantly made the NHS more cost effective.

Anyone who votes Reform is just taking a pot shot, I can't see how you can tell what they will do if in gov't. Farage has said he wants a move to an insurance style French health care system and we all know how insurance companies try to avoid paying out.

Farage says in France those who can pay for healthcare do and those who can't are subsidised. But they don't say at what point the fee would come in, when someone earns £10k a year? £20K? £50k? And does this include all health care or just the bits the insurance company deems necessary?

To vote for someone who is not clear on those facts seems to me foolhardy, especially to someone who assured us Brexit would leave us better off, which it so patently hasn't

That is what really scares me about Starmer, I really don’t think he subscribes to freedom of speech or any of the other freedoms everyone takes for granted

nanna8 what on earth makes you think this?

Starmer needs to do something popular for once and it would all be over. He could start by actually listening to his critics rather than feeding them.

The wretched duo of KB and NF (scary set of initials) like a pair boxing divas feigning a pre-scrap weigh-in is hilarious.
Not a KB fan but she might be right. She is basically teasing NF to call her something "like an angry (something).........woman"....she can then make accusations of being insulted.
There is no definition in the charter or constitution of the RP that gives meaning to being a member. An incorporated member has certain rights. Just because I give Tesco 20 quid, doesn't mean anything. The meaningless membership of a political company does give rise to support by Trump. Trump likes the idea of a business enterprise the very opposite of a charitable institution. I also think the way Reform control GB news is akin to the control of Media by Goebbels. There is a reason why Ofcom has fined GBN. I fear what Reform and its propaganda tool will do to a peaceful democracy, the Farij riots scared me, just wondering whether they will stoke more riots.

Membership of the Libdems rose sharply in the years prior to the Brexit vote and fell just as sharply afterwards. The Party relies heavily on its individual members for finance as it has few large donors. The Labour party has always been influenced more greatly by the trade unions rather than its individual members, thus causing many Labour supporters to feel that membership is a waste of time. The Tories are (apparently) reluctant to share data about membership but are influenced greatly by the donors of large sums of money, so again not really seeing individual members as a necessity.

Thus, the number of members of political parties does not necessarily represent their support from individuals.

As with most organisations (political or otherwise) the majority of members are not actively involved in the influencing of policy, or in fundraising, or in becoming councillors or members of parliament.

Thus, membership does not necessarily indicate the level of personal support for political parties.

Ohhowwelaughrd
Wake up call.
There isn’t a place in this world that isn’t being affected by climate change, and, the poor will suffer because of it as the price of food will soar 😡

FriedGreenTomatoes2

^but what I don't understand is the appeal to those who are just-about-managing, or are only bulwarked by a small savings account^

That’s us then Dickens. We love GBNews. Personally I think its appeal for us lies in the wide ranging topics, strap lines like SKY running breaking news items, hourly news bulletins read by a newsreader just more in depth analysis (and yes, polite debate) about topical issues. Sometimes news that might be uncomfortable for the BBC (and others) to report upon as they don’t give certain topics air time!

But, FGToms - I wasn't referring to the GBNews audience!

My comment was in response to David49 on the likelihood of what might happen if Reform won an election. Musing on how the less well-off might be affected by their economic policies.

I haven't watched GBNews anyway, so wouldn't comment on it, nor on those who watch it!

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I bet some are thinking ‘yep, like a hole in the head…’ 🤣
Actually are we even allowed to say that nowadays?
Oh well I just did.

One reason I feel Reform will grab votes is because of the roll back of net zero policies.

Having spoken to various people in our club over Christmas about Reform they have more support than I thought. One guy said to me if you do not believe in net zero who shall he vote for?

I am surprised as many people support net zero since it is effectively a tax that harms poor people the most and does anyone believe it will make any difference to the world?

I bet some are thinking ‘yep, like a hole in the head…’ 🤣
Actually are we even allowed to say that nowadays?
Oh well I just did.

What would we do without your posts, FriedGreenTomatoes2?

Gransnet could be quite boring. 😁 We need you.

Reform UK membership now standing at 152,412!

but what I don't understand is the appeal to those who are just-about-managing, or are only bulwarked by a small savings account

That’s us then Dickens. We love GBNews. Personally I think its appeal for us lies in the wide ranging topics, strap lines like SKY running breaking news items, hourly news bulletins read by a newsreader just more in depth analysis (and yes, polite debate) about topical issues. Sometimes news that might be uncomfortable for the BBC (and others) to report upon as they don’t give certain topics air time!

If you look at the front page of the GB news site from time to time, they label items, and it seems to me some "politics" items are "news" (and vice-versa!). Lots of grey areas.

The GB news presenters are only there for opinion and discussion, so are not news presenters.

If a news story breaks they have to hand over to a news reader and not break the news themselves.