Why do so many people support Reform, and Tommy Robinson

Farage knows that Reform cannot stop small boat arrivals. He claimed his party would stop them withing two weeks of taking power. The he rowed back (he is very good at that) saying it would be two weeks after passing legislation. Even if Reform had a large Commons majority he would come up against the House of Lords.

If Farage wanted to withdraw the UK from the ECHR, Parliament would need to approve a new Act of Parliament to repeal or replace the Human Rights Act 1998, which currently incorporates ECHR rights into UK law. The House of Lords would be involved in this legislative process, as with any other bill, requiring approval from both Houses of Parliament to pass the necessary legislation.

At conference, Rees Mogg said Reform would need to pack the Lords with 500 Reform peers. Here would they find them? Among their millionaire and billionaire tax exile donors?

Nominees for peerage are subject to external vetting by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Even if approved, the King would have a constitutionally right to block.

Here’s the current chair and members of the Commission.

lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/the-commission-2

Baroness (Ruth) Deech is chair. Many of her family were murdered by the Nazis. I doubt she would have any truck whatsover with Farage. We all know his history.

On that Commission, Farage would also come up against Wayne Reynolds. He is the founder and managing director of Birchwood Knight, an executive search company specialising in corporate affairs leadership roles. He helps a wide range of organisations across the public and private sectors to run fair and thorough recruitment processes which promote diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI. Something Reform doesn’t like at all.

Farage may think he’s on an end run into Number 10 before 2029. Doing the job will be a lot harder. I think he’ll run away.

Our three Labour mps live in their constituencies, work hard and demonstrate commitment to traditional Labour beliefs

I’m not suggesting Starmer hasn’t let people down, he has. He needs to be more visible and effective at home, rather than only on the international stage. we want to see his stated beliefs in action. We need him to organise an effective comms team the current team is failing big time

He was roundly criticised for stating the obvious truth, thst things would get worse before improving, 14 years of dedicated wrecking of public services was never going to be fixed quickly

valdavi

But the thing is, Maggie Thatcher's government, for instance, very few (no?) ethnic minorities, very few women, lots of public-school educated rich men who themselves would have admitted they didn't feel they had much in common with the hoi-polloi. Econpomic problems rife. 3 day week and electric.And <70% turnout.
So why are this government less connected? Because that's what the general public is beiung told from all sides??Because on any objective measure, they're more connected.

A disproportionate number of MPs are Oxbridge graduates.

A staggering number of prime ministers have been Oxford graduates including all three women prime ministers, Labour PMs Harold Wilson and Tony Blair. Keir Starmer studied at Oxford as a post graduate.

There have also been several PMs who were Cambridge graduates.

fancythat

^Also they won’t be able to sort out illegal immigration either.^

Why not?
Though I dont know peoperly what they have said the plans are.

You don’t know because they don’t really have a plan, in interview last week Farage admitted to have very little political knowledge.
Unless the UK has safe routes for asylum seekers into the UK it cannot beat the gangs, and we need to have closer ties with Europe so that asylum seekers can apply to the UK from European designated countries. Then we need to get rid of the Home Office and have a streamlined service that fast tracks genuine asylum seekers into work, because we need the work force.
As far as I know Farage is not suggesting any of this.

If reform succeed it will not be because of the media ( who has increasingly less influence) it will be because everyone has spent the last few years describing ordinary people as far right.
Some of us have been trying to warn about this for some time.
People have been voting for the last ten years on the immigration issue, they voted Brexit ( yes I know that's complex in terms of immigration) they voted Johnson, etc etc. No one listened, in fact worse than that they called them stupid, and bigots. So no I don't think reform will be able to solve the problem but I completely understand why people would think it is the only way to turn.

What else would you like them to do.

So much for it being revolutionary or anti establishment.

So they are in fact, ordinary? Middle of the road?

None of the new Labour MP’s in my area are ‘disconnected’. They’ve all had pretty normal careers, are always out and about in the community and I can chat to my MP at any time ( or at least I could till I got locked out of Facebook).

Also they won’t be able to sort out illegal immigration either.

Why not?
Though I dont know peoperly what they have said the plans are.

Galaxy

What do you mean. Everyone is empowered with the vote they hold, so a reform government won't happen because of empowerment it will happen because enough people voted for it.

But if something completely dominates the media empowering one political group and its followers then of course we will end up with a far right government. I can see it happening.
And the establishment likes far right politics, it means the ruling elite are secure because nobody on the far right is opposed to those at the top shafting the poor.
So much for it being revolutionary or anti establishment.
Also they won’t be able to sort out illegal immigration either.

I don't know where you were during Mrs. Thatcher's government but there were many ethnic groups in London and the Midlands where I lived and worked with them. There were public school men but also many grammar school boys, as Michael Howard once told the supercilious Tony Blair in the House, and plenty of women; Mrs. Thatcher, a grocer's daughter was a grammar school girl and Oxford educated. One of the worst things Labour did was attack the grammar schools; they were the way to help those who aspired but came from poor backgrounds.
The three day week was Edward Heath, and due to the strikes, which ruined the car industry and the mines; the unions thought they would bring the country to a standstill instead of which they, not the government , destroyed their industries.And they are attempting the same thing now.
The main trouble at present that I see is laziness which has developed since covid; work from home, work life balance, part time work and early retirement. Plus. school refusal. Then the burgeoning welfare state, meant to be a safety net, not a cushion; now a mattress.
At present the country is being governed by a metro-bubble, who are certainly disconnected, and a pretty poor job they are doing, after all their unrealistic raising of expectations. I don't think we will descend into anarchy, but this government needs to take stock, and soon.

What do you mean. Everyone is empowered with the vote they hold, so a reform government won't happen because of empowerment it will happen because enough people voted for it.

I think all the electorate should be listened to, there are a lot of us out there feeling disconnected and disenfranchised, those who follow TR and Farage don’t speak for all of us but their narrative has dominated the political scene since before Brexit, during, and afterwards. For a group who feel they are silenced I believe the opposite is true, they are actually shouting loudest. But we constantly are told that this group of voters should hold the country hostage.
No thank you.
Many of us also want to be heard, on other burning issues that are not related to small boats, issues like the NHS, homelessness, child poverty, the cost of living crisis, unemployment, and the need to ensure the ruling elite pay their bills rather than evading the need to do this - look up the trickle up of money from all of us to the rich rather than the trickle down we were promised.
This obsession with one group of voters over all others is leading us all to think they must be appeased and placated at all costs.
Why?
Because we fear a far right form of governance? Well empowering them at the price of ignoring every other voter will most certainly lead to this rather than stopping it.

But the thing is, Maggie Thatcher's government, for instance, very few (no?) ethnic minorities, very few women, lots of public-school educated rich men who themselves would have admitted they didn't feel they had much in common with the hoi-polloi. Econpomic problems rife. 3 day week and electric.And <70% turnout.
So why are this government less connected? Because that's what the general public is beiung told from all sides??Because on any objective measure, they're more connected.

Excellent post MOnica, especially your warning.

x.com/PaulEmbery/status/1967569867365634079?t=WhNfSR74eZkO9qs4742ncA&s=19

Pot holes - I always thought that was a 3rd world problem too.

Not having growth - I caught the end of a programme, probably GB News.
The man being interviewed was in his 20s. He said that the society rule had been broken. That of, everything is expected to get better. He said those of his generation are being told things will get worse.
I think he thought that was unfair.
Anne Diamond, the interviewer I think, said her sons were saying the same thing to her.
She told her sons to accept.
But you could see where that generation is coming from.
We have always been told as we grew up, "things will improve".

Yes there is a lot of disillusionment and discontent, backed up by the evidence of failing public services and signs of general decline
Pot holes in our roads. I remember seeing them in third world counties but u didn’t see them in UK until recently.
A big factor must be a not having growth, so having to reduce funding across the board and people are seeing it and feeling it.

Brexit did reduce our GDP, we became poorer but in exchange for sovereignty and control of borders. Maybe the country did not get what it voted for. It was a massive deal, Brexit and the majority of the country thought things would improve as a result. Who do you blame? Not immigration and migrants, this is a distraction.

There will be a real irony if the man who pushed Brexit so hard and now blames migration, were to become our PM. Disillusionment will increase as we are not addressing the main causes of our problems.

Monica, so well put. Although I would rather poke pins in my eyes than associate myself with the likes of Farage and Robinson. Unfortunately they are the only ones who are able to rally the masses at the moment...

I think that is a good post Monica.

In the Berlin programme I mentioned above, it seemed to be the young who were the most disenfranchised as you put it.

Going by even on GN as well[I was surprised recently how many GN posters said they would vote Reform], I think the disenfranchisement in the Uk now, is across all age groups. Though I have to say, I know the least about how middle aged people feel about Reform and Tommy Robinson.

The reason so many people are supporting Tommy Robinson and Reform, are the same, no matter on what thread this issue arises.

People like Robinson and Farage gain followers only when there is a level of disatisfaction among the governed masses (and that includes us) for them to be alienated from the political system and political establishment and to be looking esewhere for others to represent them. That is when the likes of Robinson and Farage with their simplistic solutions to difficult problems appeal to people who feel disenfranchised and feel that the only way they can make their concerns heard is by coming out on the streets.

This alienation can be seen in election turnouts. Between 1945 and 1992 election turnout was between 70-80%. Since then, although it has risen and fallen it has never got above 70% and 2024 fell to a post war low of 60%. We are in a situation now where nearly half of the those enttled to vote can see no point in it, they feel disenfranchised and unheard and the only way they think they can be heard is by rioting in thestreets.

They are faced by a political class who have few points of contact or shared interest with ordinary people, who actually, in many cases hold ordinary people in contempt and ignore what they would consider their biassed and bigoted opinions.

This is the situation that sits at the base of all revolutions from the French Revolution, to that that destroyed the Soviet Union .
Be warned and beware.

This is how every revolution starts. With the disenfranchised rioting.

It’s got worse in the last year is why.

And, because the Labour Government can't turn it around in one year, the majority now has 'major concerns'.

The media have to take some responsibility for the rhetoric. What didn't help either was the cover up regarding grooming gangs etc.
Nothing in this earth will persuade me to support Yaxley- Lennon or any of his followers. Sadly, the government has done an extremely poor job of 'reading the room'.

Because they haven't properly read his entry in Wikipedia?

who could have got a lot achieved
One thing they did achieve was crippling the country.