And so it begins, Reform’s Britain

FriedGreenTomatoes2

kittylester

I think it is dangerous to think Reform is a flash in the pan. I hope this result makes the main parties sort themselves out.

It’ll do both Tories & Labour good to reflect this weekend on what anger is being projected at the ballot box.

Really. Why? Conservatives already know they are in a desperate state and need to sort themselves out. Whether they can or not depends on them, not Reform. If they stop trying to be a watered-down version of Reform, find true Conservative policies that appeal the middle ground, where elections are won or lost, they will survive.

For those who think we live in an on-screen world where change happens the instant they vote in a government Labour are probably at their least popular. Because we have so many of the credulous on social media it appears that not being able to do things instantly is a vote loser. It is - temporarily. With so much of the government's major and really popular legislation not yet passed into law but going through Parliament now, views will change. We will also be completing agreements with the EU and trade agreements elsewhere. People are already beginning to talk about changes and improvements to the NHS and that too will grow.

Patience - which has never existed at the extremes - is still a virtue.

JaneJudge

why doesn't road tax pay for roads and potholes?

Because there has been no such thing as 'road tax' since the 1930s.

Upkeep of roads has always been the responsibility of the local authorities, either the local regional council or the County council, depending on the status of the road (there were 'parish roads' or 'county roads'). It's really unclear why the early 20th C government took it on themselves to allocate a national tax to road maintenance when LAs already had these obligations. But apparently the tax was never fully spent on roads and only existed for a short while.

Let's take a look at Hull's first Reform Mayor. (Special interest as that was my childhood town.) Luke Campbell.

He has no political experience whatsoever.

Known as a "good guy" because he is a former boxer and Olympic gold medallist. No management experience either.

The 37 year old will serve a four-year term and will make decisions on housing, public transport, infrastructure, economic development, business, skills and regeneration".

But its complicated by the fact that all the MP's are Labour and that both Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council will retain their independence and continue their work as normal.

If you look at a lost of his aims and objectives its interesting because although he goes on about value for money, all his suggestions are about spending more money: here they are

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v9kegekeko

The Labour MP's have pledged to "work with" but I dont see many ideologically driven pledges - wouldnt surprise me, as its a new role, he'll be a sort of presentable figurehead but not a driver of policy as he knows nothing of the "how to's.

Obviously, only the Tories can sort the Tories out but I hope this result galvanises them to do so.

As a natural Tory centrist, I was really excited by the SDP but, since it was subsumed, by the Liberals I am homeless.

Oreo

I’m not dismayed by any cutting of ‘diversity’ or ‘net zero’ jobs from Councils when there are pot holes to be mended and rubbish to be collected and gulleys to be cleared and all the many practical and useful jobs to be done.Councils have wasted money in lots of places on arty farty stuff.Look at the mess Birmingham are in.
It remains to be seen if Remain Councillors will be any better but at long as they try that’s something.

That's basically my own take on this.

I see this as, to a large extent, our way of saying "It's OUR country/OUR way of life and just stop with all the 'multicultural' stuff for goodness sake. Also stop these darn illegals coming across our Channel in boats".

It feels like so many haven't been listening to us on this - and we've seen our chance to say "Hoy mate....just stop with all this and remember this is Britain...this is our country....this is our way of life and we are fed-up to the back teeth at the way we might get in trouble just for exercising our British right to freedom of speech".

I know I personally "got in trouble" for exercising our right to freedom of speech all the way back in the 1980s a couple of times over - eg an employer of mine complaining about me writing a letter to a paper expressing my own personal views - and not mentioning my job - but he still "told me off" about what I was doing in my own time as my own person!!!!!!!!! So we've never had our "freedom of speech" imo - but things are a sight worse these days and yep many of us have been "clocked one" by someone or other for just expressing our personal opinion and we have to be aware there are people like it and who will "have a go" at us in any context they can find and we don't have to look any further than this forum to know they exist and there are one or two we can absolutely rely on to "have a go at us" any chance she sees.

It is about time we "woke up" and fought back...and that is precisely why so many of us used these elections to do precisely that.

Ferry23 said, "The most astonishing thing to me is that a large swathe of the electorate haven't a clue what they were voting for."

The most astonishing thing to me is that a large swathe of the electorate don't vote. Only a third of those able to vote this week could be bothered to do so.

My area has just elected a gold medal Olympic boxer as Reform mayor. I doubt he has a GCSE to his name, as he will have devoted himself to boxing from an early age. I doubt he was involved or even interested in politics until he got groomed into Reform. We live in an area where the wealthy and the poor live cheeky by jowl and the poor are seduced by tales of immigrants taking our jobs, houses & hospital beds. They are easy meat to unscrupulous politicians like Farage, who was rejected 7 times by different constituencies before he finally found a seat to take him. The voters in the areas of popularity for Reform are seduced by the offer of closing our borders, but fail to ask how this will be done when we have a coastline impossible to secure. My concern for our new mayor, who was an excellent boxer, is what is his acumen for the job? Has he even had an administrative post before? He won as he's a local man with a gold medal and an anti migrant platform. How will he carry out his job effectively & efficiently for his constituency? Many Reform candidates are totally unprepared for their role. They get elected on the back of a groundswell of angst, possibly misguided information & grooming. In the months to come we will find out the truth about many of the Reform councillors and mayors as they struggle to carry out their work appropriately, meanwhile Farage will continue to cosy up to Trump while ignoring his constituency.

Grandmotherto8 thank you for adding more detail, he is the Hull and Humberside Mayor that I posted about just 4 posts above. Yes, definitely an example of youngish male attracted by Reform rhetoric with nil suitability for the job and inability to do it - look at the-people who have got there the long hard way like Andy Burnham to see what it really involves!

Consultants, woke management, green supervisors, interpreters & those who have worked from home for five years—-easy cost savings. Do you realise some councils employ 26 interpreters?

When in Spain as a resident, one has to pay & bring one’s own interpreter, as my sister does for hospital visits in Estapona and Marbella.

Churchview

Ferry23 said, "The most astonishing thing to me is that a large swathe of the electorate haven't a clue what they were voting for."

The most astonishing thing to me is that a large swathe of the electorate don't vote. Only a third of those able to vote this week could be bothered to do so.

Arrogance again.
Last GE voting down below 2019 levels, and lowest since 2001.
Seats won by Labour lower turnout than for Cons.
(HANSARD).
Wonder if those Labour supporters knew what they were voting for. Guess not as Labour lied by omission. Glad I didn't vote for stopping WFA, except for MPs. PIP removal from most vulnerable. Could go on, but can't be bothered. Labour and Conservatives have caused this. No one else.

Ora pro nobis...

Himself has just said “Good result. The total destruction of both the lying Labour party and the betraying Con party , is what this country needs.”

Grandmotherto8

My area has just elected a gold medal Olympic boxer as Reform mayor. I doubt he has a GCSE to his name, as he will have devoted himself to boxing from an early age. I doubt he was involved or even interested in politics until he got groomed into Reform. We live in an area where the wealthy and the poor live cheeky by jowl and the poor are seduced by tales of immigrants taking our jobs, houses & hospital beds. They are easy meat to unscrupulous politicians like Farage, who was rejected 7 times by different constituencies before he finally found a seat to take him. The voters in the areas of popularity for Reform are seduced by the offer of closing our borders, but fail to ask how this will be done when we have a coastline impossible to secure. My concern for our new mayor, who was an excellent boxer, is what is his acumen for the job? Has he even had an administrative post before? He won as he's a local man with a gold medal and an anti migrant platform. How will he carry out his job effectively & efficiently for his constituency? Many Reform candidates are totally unprepared for their role. They get elected on the back of a groundswell of angst, possibly misguided information & grooming. In the months to come we will find out the truth about many of the Reform councillors and mayors as they struggle to carry out their work appropriately, meanwhile Farage will continue to cosy up to Trump while ignoring his constituency.

He may be unprepared and under-qualified but remember Seb Coe went from athletics to politics as an MP and then to Olympic chair. Just saying.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Consultants, woke management, green supervisors, interpreters & those who have worked from home for five years—-easy cost savings. Do you realise some councils employ 26 interpreters?

When in Spain as a resident, one has to pay & bring one’s own interpreter, as my sister does for hospital visits in Estapona and Marbella.

That is rather a series of generalisations - it really doesn't help understand what you are objecting to, unless you give some examples - of where those things are unwarranted costs. Perhaps from your own council?

For example, consultants can be cheaper than employing someone permanently:

Why is it wrong to have interpreters per se?

Which interpreters do you agree or disagree with (for example our council now has Sign Language interpreters)

Commitment to green policies does need particular qualifications, its not their existence but what they do is surely more at issue

- or do you question the need to have safe air in affected parts of cities - or are you a climate change deny person?

Most working from home council employees are working under a hybrid system, ie half at home, half at the office, not the heavily criticised 100% distant working.

What problems do you have with the hybrid system?

Grantanow

Ora pro nobis...

salvat nos a WUMs

There is obviously a lot of ignorance on the role of a mayor on this thread.
They do not have the final say on financial decisions.
That is the job of the councillors.

Not sure praying will help…

I think it's fantastic that Reform have done so well - roll on the general election.

Common sense and putting our country first for a change.

As for the jobs being moved back to an office - great - businesses paying rent etc again and the work shy back in the office working again.

The comments about the ex boxer sound very similar to some of the rhetoric about Angela Rayner.

Wyllow3

Grandmotherto8 thank you for adding more detail, he is the Hull and Humberside Mayor that I posted about just 4 posts above. Yes, definitely an example of youngish male attracted by Reform rhetoric with nil suitability for the job and inability to do it - look at the-people who have got there the long hard way like Andy Burnham to see what it really involves!

The Institute of Government have this:

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/metro-mayors-devolution

which shows mayors past and present, their years as a councillor and or MP. Some come to the job with experience of neither but with academic qualifications, other political experience or experience in business.

There are several articles online about David Skaith’s first years as mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

There doesn’t ever appear to have been anyone as unqualified as Luke Campbell to do the job. I fear he's going to struggle very badly, utterly out of his depth. For someone used to competitive sport that will be a hard pill to swallow. Set up by Farage as cannon fodder.

Re home working: The NatWest Bank, a private business, has reduced overheads by no longer paying rent on huge numbers of offices.
Home workers have saved the company money.

Why is there this assumption that home workers are "work shy" ?
If they were not meeting their targets they would be called back to the office.

Seb Coe had a decent degree.

DD1 works for a council and, after Covid, was told her job was hybrid and the days in the office they had to 'hot desk'. That stopped as it was inefficient - the council have sold the office building now.

petra

There is obviously a lot of ignorance on the role of a mayor on this thread.
They do not have the final say on financial decisions.
That is the job of the councillors.

The job of a regional mayor as opposed to a local town mayor job is to know and understand the politics, the social and industrial conditions, the organisations both public and voluntary and businesses that contribute to public well being and functioning over their whole area (Hull and Humberside win this case).

They have to represent the area in trying to get government grants and funding for whole ranges of projects to benefit that region and understand how and when it's best to ask for what.

Thats why the successful well known mayors like Andy Burnham and Oliver Coppard (speaking as a northerner) have had substantial experience either as local councillors or MP's before taking on the role. Experience is not "maybe useful" it's essential to do this job well and for the benefits of the region.

He may be a lovely guy but hasn't got the job specs to do this!

MaizieD

JaneJudge

why doesn't road tax pay for roads and potholes?

Because there has been no such thing as 'road tax' since the 1930s.

Upkeep of roads has always been the responsibility of the local authorities, either the local regional council or the County council, depending on the status of the road (there were 'parish roads' or 'county roads'). It's really unclear why the early 20th C government took it on themselves to allocate a national tax to road maintenance when LAs already had these obligations. But apparently the tax was never fully spent on roads and only existed for a short while.

They are. However, major A roads and motorways and major road building schemes are the responsibility of national Government, ie National Highways in England, Agencies on behalf of the Senedd in Wales, Transport Scotland in Scotland.