The constant publicity around Reform and Nigel Farage?

IOMGran

M0nica

Allira

John Moore?

that is the one!

He won a seat as an MP and went almost immediately into the cabinet. He later was made Minister for Health, with theintention of reforming and privatising the NHS. But he never worked well within the government system. He left politics and back into the city to return to what he was good at, which was banking.

The BBC had all it's top management filled with Tory place men and women and they pander to the big right wing donors. Currently Reform looks a better bet for many of these rich people as Reform are even more corrupt than the old Torys. It's that simple. Don't confuse me with someone who likes the BBC much at the moment.

I think M0nica was answering me.

Not sure what it had to do with the BBC, perhaps I missed something 🤔

M0nica

Allira

John Moore?

that is the one!

He won a seat as an MP and went almost immediately into the cabinet. He later was made Minister for Health, with theintention of reforming and privatising the NHS. But he never worked well within the government system. He left politics and back into the city to return to what he was good at, which was banking.

The BBC had all it's top management filled with Tory place men and women and they pander to the big right wing donors. Currently Reform looks a better bet for many of these rich people as Reform are even more corrupt than the old Torys. It's that simple. Don't confuse me with someone who likes the BBC much at the moment.

Then there was David Young, Lord Young, a business man appointed Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The more one dealt with him, the more one realised that it is much easier to deal with a minister who actually has some constituents breathing down his/her neck.

NannyJan53

I have wondered this for a long time. Why a party with so few MP's is receiving so much attention?

Because the party has so many people willing to vote for it and thaat it has come from nothing to come close to winning seats in many constituencies and has led to the Conservatives loosing so many seats by splitting the vote.

The party is a real threat to the status quo and in the next election could win enough seats to become part of a coalition governing the country. i doubt it could win an election.

It is a backward looking party looking back to a country that never really existed and thinking that you can somehow turn the clock back to a time past. the majority of its members are linked only in their dislike of the existing parties and too many of its councillors are people in the party for what they can get out of it.

However, in power, locally it is proving to be unable to fulfill any of its promises and in many cases will need to raise council tax.

Allira

John Moore?

that is the one!

He won a seat as an MP and went almost immediately into the cabinet. He later was made Minister for Health, with theintention of reforming and privatising the NHS. But he never worked well within the government system. He left politics and back into the city to return to what he was good at, which was banking.

IOMGran

NannyJan53

I have wondered this for a long time. Why a party with so few MP's is receiving so much attention?

Because the people with all the money want to promote him as they will get more money if he gets into power as he will deregulate everything. Always follow the money.

But when even the renowned BBC call Reform a major party?🤔

NannyJan53

I have wondered this for a long time. Why a party with so few MP's is receiving so much attention?

Because the people with all the money want to promote him as they will get more money if he gets into power as he will deregulate everything. Always follow the money.

John Moore?

Maremia

Did you ever remember that name MOnica?
I remember a John Stonehouse, who pretended that he had drowned.

John Stonehouse was Postmaster General, a Labour Minister in Harold Wilson's Government.
Supposedly drowned off the coast of Australia.

Now, who's the other John 🤔

I thought I heard a BBC reporter say the other day, when interviewing Berset about the ECHR, that we have two major parties in the UK that want us to walk away from the Treaty, Tories and Reform.
Don't quote me though!

Since when has Reform been a major party?
Does five MPs of which two should stand for re-election constitute a major party?

PaynesGrey's list of Lords does not include any who are Reform members.

Did you ever remember that name MOnica?
I remember a John Stonehouse, who pretended that he had drowned.

More detail, which ironically I don't have, sorry, have emerged about the fraud prosecution in Belgium, involving Reform connections.

Cumbrianmale56

I think we're probably at peak Reform now. Something will come out about Farage, he'll fall out with someone and then form another party, like he usually does. However, the current government is so useless and unpopular that people are turning to parties like Reform. Also the Tories seem to be a dead duck at the moment.

How many parties has he represented or been a member of so far?

I think we're probably at peak Reform now. Something will come out about Farage, he'll fall out with someone and then form another party, like he usually does. However, the current government is so useless and unpopular that people are turning to parties like Reform. Also the Tories seem to be a dead duck at the moment.

Reform may have started off with sincere intentions but is now a temple to mysoginy led by High Priest Faragè who worships at the altar of HRH Trump.

God save us.

Consultation to closing council homes and day care centres:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/05/lancashires-reform-run-council-plans-to-close-care-homes-to-save-4m-a-year

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77zk2mxm86o#:~:text='No%20decisions%20made',of%20any%20of%20these%20services.%22

Pendle Council leader and Liberal Democrat county councillor David Whipp argued the whole consultation had been mishandled.

"It has very loaded questions," he said.

"You're asked 'Do you support people living in their own homes? Do you support independent living?' Well of course we do - it's motherhood and apple pie."

He added: "The problem is people come to a point in life where that is not suitable, not appropriate, and there needs to be places where people can go."

Reform councillor for adult social care Graham Dalton runs, with his wife, a small private care business 1st for Care (GB) Ltd which according to the CQC provides the regulated activities of personal care and treatment for disease, disorder or injury to people in their own homes.

(Note: he does not run a care home.)

So while he has knowledge of the sector surely that’s a conflict of interest when talking about shutting council homes saying that older people in Lancashire should be cared for in their own homes.

Also, something that had slipped under my radar. In July, Reform lowered the vetting standard for candidates inviting anyone who had failed vetting before to reapply.

bylinetimes.com/2025/07/07/reform-uk-tells-prospective-candidates-who-failed-vetting-to-reapply-under-new-common-sense-rules/

Not only that but the impartiality in the council is being questioned.
The Guardian :
Questions are also being asked about a potential conflict of interest involving Reform’s cabinet member for social care in Lancashire, who owns a private care company with his wife.

Cutting Care Homes??????
We are safe with Reform?????

I seem to remember Mrs Thatcher thinking it would be a good idea to recruit experts into government, although I think they were found safe seats or elevated to the House of Lords.

It was not a success. Being an economics or busines export, did not mean that these people were good Parliamentary performers, nor that ideas people had when just successful businessmen and pontificating on economic matters meant they were any good as ministers either.

I am sorry I cannot remember the name of the man I am thinking of. John Someone?

There is a long report in the Guardian today that Reform in Lancashire plan to close Council care homes and move elderly residents into the private sector. Obviously a cost saving plan worthy of DOGE.

eazybee

^So you want a party which say it will bring in unelected people to form a Cabinet and try to stuff the Lords with similar ^

You mean like Lord Hermer and Peter Mandelson, to name but two?

Mandelson served as British Ambassador to the United States, nothing to do with cabinet. He was appointed Lord in 2008.

Three of the political appointments you may be thinking of, as there was media coverage at the time, are:

James Timpson, Lord Timpson - Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation NOT a cabinet position.

Richard Hermer KC Lord Hermer - Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland NOT full a cabinet position but may attend attend Cabinet meetings, particularly when legal matters are being discussed. The practice of the Attorney General being a full cabinet member ended in 1928 to prevent political interference in the course of justice.

Sir Patrick Valance Lord Vallance Abbotsbury (formerly the government's chief scientific adviser), - Minister for Science in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology NOT a cabinet position.

To be clear, these people were bought in for their particular expertise but are not members of the cabinet or in Hermer's case not a full member. By contrast, Farage has explicitly stated that a future Reform government would appoint individuals from outside Parliament to cabinet positions.

My stuffing the Lords comment was a reference to Reform conference where they were talking about appointing 500 Reform peers specifically to neutralise the Lords to ensure their legislation would face no opposition.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Reform UK conference in September 2025, David Starkey outlined a plan for a future Reform government to appoint 500 new peers to the House of Lords. He argued this would be necessary to overcome opposition in the unelected chamber and implement the party's legislative programme, which he believes involves repealing much of the legislation passed since 1997.

The current process for appointing peers typically involves the Prime Minister of the day making recommendations to the King, vetted and approved by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). The appointment of such a large number of peers in one go would be an extraordinary and controversial constitutional move designed deliberately to fundamentally alter the composition of the House.^

The current composition of the Lords is:

Conservative Party: 286
Labour Party: 210
Crossbench: 177
Liberal Democrats: 75
Non-affiliated: 39
Bishops: 24
Democratic Unionist Party: 6
Ulster Unionist Party: 3
Green Party: 2
Plaid Cymru: 2
Independent: 1

If by some fluke, Reform is elected then it’s highly unlikely that Farage would want to take a drop in salary to become PM. Led by Donkeys has suggested that current earnings are in excess of £1 million pounds a year.

Yes i do believe in democracy and if reform get sufficient votes they will become the party of government . Just as Trump received sufficient votes in two American elections.

I should’ve gone to Specsavers because I can’t find all these threads. Except this one.

It's a way of diverting attention away from this dreadful government. Bad publicity is the tool of those who are trying to weaken the support for Reform. This country is in a mess and the public will have to accept that difficult choices have to be made.