Is the country ready for a Farage government?

I can’t see a problem with lack of respect for world leaders- it certainly hasn’t stopped Trump, Putin and others from governing. No way is Starmer a statesman Freedom awaits - his L plates are still firmly attached.
You are aware of Starmer’s latest ratings?

I just don’t understand how/why some people expected everything to become brilliant just 16 months after Labour won the last election. They have to repair 14 years of Conservative rule. Keir Starmer is the most statesmanlike leader we have had for a very long time, he is respected overseas and building the very important bridges to grow our economy. The current Reform leader is not respected by world leaders. He is seen as the obnoxious, hate stirring man he is. If Reform did win the next election, I dread to think what will happen to our country, the health service, social care etc.

I just feel as if I’m living in some sort of alternative universe.

I’m with Doodledog…Reform scares the living daylights out of me.

Agreed FGT2, it is a lot, it’s almost 10% of the NHS budget, which is projected to increase to £204.9 billion in 2024/25 (I can’t find finalised figures), and rises by an average between 2% and 3% each year just to stand still. It not anywhere near enough to do what they have said they want to do, even if it were achievable.
Look at the cost of implementing their tax policy, and the benefit to different income groups:
www.ippr.org/media-office/analysis-of-reforms-tax-plans

Betony
Most are using politics as a career. No!! Most are using politics as a stepping stone to a more lucrative career.

Well Casdon reading the link you provided, cutting waste alone “The IFS said any savings would likely be below £20bn, external a year.”

That’s just one section of the article! Sums not to be sniffed at!

Jam yesterday and jam tomorrow is most of Farage's offerings. I do hope that his words are being recorded, so that should the appalling day of him being in charge, his own words would come back to bite him. He was ignored by most reasonable people and scurried off to USA, to see how his facist and meglomaniac friend would help him, then came back when even he could see that the lunatic was now in charge of the assylum.

. . . a whole large demographic . . .

My own definition of racism is the same as Suella's definition of racial prejudice - "Racial prejudice refers to a set of discriminatory or derogatory attitudes based on assumptions derived from perceptions about race and/or skin colour." The root of racism is the same as the root of racial prejudice and xenophobia - assuming that anyone of a different race/colour/nationality/religion is certain to be inferior in intellect or morality or be somehow more dangerous than someone of the same race/colour/nationality/religion as the speaker or thinker - just because they have that feature in common.

The existence in the Southern US states of a whole large of enslaved workers with no rights, education or power meant that for many Americans this assumption equated black and brown skin with an underclass of powerless uneducated people who were assumed to be both inferior and dangerous - and led to racism being thought somehow specific to skin colour. It isn't. You can be racist about the Irish, Scots, French, Canadians, Arabs, Jews, and anyone else - including little green men from Mars, should they become a common sight in our cities in large enough numbers.

Suelld...have you been told get out of here because you are white?..I have and it wasn't abroad ,it was in this country!

Just adding my small voice to say how horrified I would be if Farage were to become PM.
But it only needs right-thinking people to do nothing to let in this horrible movement.
Those of us who abhor this idea need to actually DO SOMETHING, putting in time and/or money for your preferred alternative to ensure that the Reform candidate can't win your constituency.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Casdon I think Reform will stop/scale back on Milliband’s Net Zero. That will give the UK some fiscal headroom.

And altering ECHR will stop the boats (Article 8 or similar). All these irregular migrants (over 1,000 Arrived again just at the weekend) needing clothes, feeding, housing, the ministrations of a doctor, dentist, hospital consultant. The costs added up.

Sort the rubber boats = save money (for other things).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyx4v44438o
It doesn’t add up though. If you don’t trust the BBC, try the Financial Times, or the Independent. They all come to that conclusion.

Which is why we need cross party consensus on how to address the poor management of the NHS.

As I said it is long overdue.

I just wish SOMEONE (anyone) would sort it out.

Then we might all be leaving the UK on small boats.

Betony

I respect very few politicians now. Most are using politics as a career, with apparently only their own aspirations important to them. That said, I understand why there's such a swing toward Reform with its angry 'solutions' to our current problems, about which the regular parties seem too feeble to solve. One thing really worries me: Farage detests the EU, and this is probably the main reason he became close to Putin, who also hates it. I fear for poor Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union if Farage is elected and sides with Putin on that one. A real unholy alliance which can do no one any good.

Good points made.
Am afraid we could be entering difficult times ahead with Russia showing no signs of scaling down its aggression and possibly harbouring expansionist desires.
Any chance of us joining with European allies to defend against these desires will not be popular with Farage, and Putin could see the UK as an ally or a soft target if this the case.

I’m really not sure that people do understand what the actual cost of Reform’s proposals will be.

Rationing translators and the other things you mention really are chicken feed, and would be so small a start it wouldn’t even cause a ripple? The cost savings from the procedures already stripped back have been reinvested. The NHS runs with an underlying deficit because of advances in treatment. To make real savings, funding needs to be removed altogether, and to make significant savings, it’s not cheaper procedures like ear syringing or vasectomies we are talking about, it’s major procedures, probably things like joint surgery I would guess as that’s where the big savings are. Another obvious target is high cost drugs, another is nursing care at home. There are options, but they come at great human cost..

I respect very few politicians now. Most are using politics as a career, with apparently only their own aspirations important to them. That said, I understand why there's such a swing toward Reform with its angry 'solutions' to our current problems, about which the regular parties seem too feeble to solve. One thing really worries me: Farage detests the EU, and this is probably the main reason he became close to Putin, who also hates it. I fear for poor Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union if Farage is elected and sides with Putin on that one. A real unholy alliance which can do no one any good.

Casdon I think Reform will stop/scale back on Milliband’s Net Zero. That will give the UK some fiscal headroom.

And altering ECHR will stop the boats (Article 8 or similar). All these irregular migrants (over 1,000 Arrived again just at the weekend) needing clothes, feeding, housing, the ministrations of a doctor, dentist, hospital consultant. The costs added up.

Sort the rubber boats = save money (for other things).

Flippin2

Racism works both ways

Er NO it doesn’t … Reverse Racism is a Myth. While assumptions and stereotypes about white people do exist, this is considered racial prejudice, not racism. Racial prejudice refers to a set of discriminatory or derogatory attitudes based on assumptions derived from perceptions about race and/or skin colour.

Babs03

There are no policies and even if there were there will be no costings.
Is easy to tell some people what they want to hear, I could get a megaphone now and do it, but once in government the wheels will rapidly come off the bus.

Exactly and irruption and abuse is already rife within the party before they start! Apart from Farages finances and Reform MPs getting the boot for abuse, here is another… Reform UK's former leader in Wales has admitted taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while being a Member of the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.
The politician took money from Oleg Voloshyn - a man once described by the US government as a "pawn" of Russian secret services - and made speeches in the parliament, statements to a TV channel and arranged an event with a pro-Russian politician.
Gill will be sentenced in November and his defence barrister said he expected to be jailed.

What do you think about paying health insurance instead? Or more rationed NHS care? Or certain conditions not being treatable unless you have the means to pay for them?

Rationing NHS translators would get my vote. A small start Casdon. I heard today a Taliban member is here bringing 7 members of his family. Fine. I assume checks have been made so that’s okay. But none speak English so there will be costs added on.

Some stripping back of procedures has already happened on the NHS. - ear syringing for example used to be done by the GP now at Specsavers or your local pharmacy.

I agree root & branch Reform needs to be transparent.

What about vasectomies? They are done on the NHS. Fine. But surely ‘reversal’ ought to be privately funded? 🤷‍♀️

Procurement of stationery, office furniture - well EVERYTHING really - needs looking into. The NHS employs 1:10 of the workforce - millions of jobs. There ought not to be swanky offices for the Chief Executives - why is this? Basic functional furniture, fit for purpose.

So many more examples of waste and profligacy (I bet we could ALL cite at least one!) abound. Governments are too timid to sort this behemoth out.

It’s long overdue.

Lesley60

The only reason Farage has such a lead is due to the fact most people believed Starmers promises and voted him in and as soon as he got in the first thing he did was hurt the pensioners, then the disabled and Farmers, and what about the illegal immigrants even more have come since he’s PM he only has his self to blame.
I was one of those who voted for him I would never vote for him again and I certainly wouldn’t vote for Farage/Trump

That’s only part of the story, the votes Reform are picking up are in the main from people who previously voted Tory. They will continue to build a head of steam until signs that the Tories are making a comeback emerge, if they do.

Racism works both ways

The only reason Farage has such a lead is due to the fact most people believed Starmers promises and voted him in and as soon as he got in the first thing he did was hurt the pensioners, then the disabled and Farmers, and what about the illegal immigrants even more have come since he’s PM he only has his self to blame.
I was one of those who voted for him I would never vote for him again and I certainly wouldn’t vote for Farage/Trump