How did you vote and why today

V3ra

MT62

It’s funny how reform has done so well, seeing that no one apart from me, knows of anyone who’s voted for reform.

I don't know anyone that voted for Reform but they won all seven wards in our town that were up for election, and by huge majorities.
(Our own ward was excluded this time).

We also had (still have?) a hotel used for housing immigrants.
The first we were aware of this was when people from outside the area arrived en masse one evening and attacked it, trying to set fire to it.
Thankfully the police controlled the situation.

Anyone I know is dumbstruck that our town has taken this voting decision 😳

Reform was trounced in my ward!! Yippee! We're obviously just not a Reform area, so maybe it's not surprising I don't know any Reform voters. We also have a hotel used by asylum seekers and just over 500 Ukrainians lodged with families or in private rentals. An attempt was made last Summer to have a demo outside the asylum hotel, but locals got to hear about it and more or less set up camp outside to defend it. A few "patriots" turned up, but they were a sorry little bunch and didn't stay very long.

LizzieDrip

I’ve spent some time thinking about why Reform appeals to people.

I’ve considered that perhaps people believe their lies; are being manipulated; don’t really know what Reform stands for etc.

However, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s none of the above.

People know exactly what Reform represents and are choosing them because those views align with their own.

That’s why facts, stats and truth don’t matter; people don’t ‘hear’ it because they want what Reform is offering.

People actually like the racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, scapegoating of the vulnerable, climate change denial and corruption.

I see things much more clearly now.

Someone in my village is a Reform voter and is quite open about why he votes for them. And, even though we try to avoid discussing politics him he’s the one that raises the subject. And yes, he does go on about immigrants. Not sure about his views on climate change but I did mention something about the environment once and he was quite sceptical. People at work used to go on about immigrants, too, as did the older people at the gym when I still used to go ( I started going in the evening which was more multicultural and the people were younger and conversations were much nicer and I didn’t have to stop myself from contradicting people).

I am not ashamed to say I voted leave its just a pity we have had such wet parties not to take advantage of what was won.
Europe is in a mess. Trouble if it inconvenienced frequent travellers or owners of holiday homes or thise tgst needed a lue in but there are worse things to happen.

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

A lot of people I know voted Reform. Not me though. They have taken over our council after many years of Labour control. It's a shame, as although I'm not really a Labour voter, they have been pretty good here over the years.

My vote went to whoever was doing a good job in my area. I didn't take into account country wide problems. That's for a General Election in my opinion.

MawsRosie

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

It is because it's a reaction to the Labour Government, a very strong reaction this time.

Local elections often reflect a dissatisfaction with central government, which is a pity, when they should be about the local candidates and local issues.

MawsRosie

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

They were indeed local council elections and about the things you mention, but when the party leaders talk about anything but the issues you mention, that’s what people think about.
Unless of course you’re affected by the problems with potholes, schools, libraries etc, which does help to focus your mind.

Mollygo

MawsRosie

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

They were indeed local council elections and about the things you mention, but when the party leaders talk about anything but the issues you mention, that’s what people think about.
Unless of course you’re affected by the problems with potholes, schools, libraries etc, which does help to focus your mind.

Or I live in Scotland or Wales

I did not vote yesterday since the local election in our area will be held next year.

I was reading online about the type of people who vote Reform.

1) Economic insecure.
They feel they must compete with immigrants for scarce resources. A third of Reform voters belong to this group.

2) The very young including new graduates.
I feel sorry for them, they must feel their future has ended before it even starts. I blame Rachel Reeves and her tax policies for this, and I believe her days are numbered.

3) Former Tories.
Older and more affluent. Very conservative and anti immigration which includes a few of Granetters?

At first, I was worried if Reform gets into power, they will stop someone like me on ILR from getting state pension. I went to their website, and it stated categorically that will not be the case. Saved by the bell.

I often visit Facebook where people from my neck of the woods ie my country of origin congregate.

There is this poor lady. She just moved to Newcastle. She is getting all upset because she went to a hairdresser and the hairdresser simply refused to serve her because she is a foreigner!

Allsorts

I am not ashamed to say I voted leave its just a pity we have had such wet parties not to take advantage of what was won.
Europe is in a mess. Trouble if it inconvenienced frequent travellers or owners of holiday homes or thise tgst needed a lue in but there are worse things to happen.

Oh Allsorts it impacted far far more than just holidays and I know you know this!

It’s costs us £££m since we left and I genuinely cannot see myself what we gained from leaving? I’ve not seen one genuine positive?

It didn’t “stop the boats”, in fact it literally “started the boats, it hasn’t helped trade inwards or outwards, it hasn’t helped relationships with other trading countries, we paid a lot in, but we got a whole lot more our, including dozens of different types of grants from training to farming.

It’s great you voted leave and you’re happy with this.

My biggest disappointment with Brexit is that it somehow appeared to give some people the justification for their loathe of foreigners.

Right now, we certainly could do with the formal support of the EU, with the likes of Trump/Netanyahu/Putin/ running amok.

But you have your opinions and never the twain shall meet

Allsorts, Out of curiosity, what else do you think should have been done to enforce Brexit? I've read before about accusations that the government didn't go far enough, but I genuinely don't understand what that means.

Allira

Mollygo

MawsRosie

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

They were indeed local council elections and about the things you mention, but when the party leaders talk about anything but the issues you mention, that’s what people think about.
Unless of course you’re affected by the problems with potholes, schools, libraries etc, which does help to focus your mind.

Or I live in Scotland or Wales

OK! Fair enough, but I'm not even sure how much control the devolved governments have over immigration. I don't follow news about gender issues, although I understand the SNP has ruffled a few feathers.

Allira

MawsRosie

Call me thick (if you must) but these were local council elections were they not?
What does my local council have to do with Gaza or the Palestine Liberation Front?
Potholes, yes
Schools, yes
Keeping libraries open, yes
Recycling and bin collections, yes.
I could go on but won’t.

It is because it's a reaction to the Labour Government, a very strong reaction this time.

Local elections often reflect a dissatisfaction with central government, which is a pity, when they should be about the local candidates and local issues.

So if we unpick this dissatisfaction, what is it all about? I admit I'm disappointed in the government, but that's because they haven't been radical enough and they keep trying to copy Reform. I suspect some people feel the opposite and want the government to be more Reform-like. The problem is that is precisely what Labour has done (prompted by Morgan McSweeney etc) and it's lost some of its core voters to the Greens. In my very humble opinion, they should have stuck with more socialist principles and been better at explaining what they were doing and why. Lots of people wouldn't have liked it but tough luck, it would be a miracle of everybody agreed.

Looking at the results, this is as much about the collapse of the Conservatives as well as Labour. If people thought that the Conservatives offered an alternative to Labour, they'd vote for them rather than try a completely untested Reform just because they're something "new".

twaddle

fancythat

twaddle

The reason people voted for Brexit will remain an enigma.

To you and the 6 year people.

Of whom there are quite a lot.

"The reason people voted for Brexit will remain an enigma"
Are you really that obtuse?

I did vote remain, but not in a fully committed way, I could see the argument from the other side. There are a multitude of reasons why people voted for Brexit, it depends on how particular demographics were affected, I think it's fair to say how anyone voted was pretty much down to personal circumstances and the effects of mass migration. Individuals who have had to deal with some of the more negative aspects, particularly in communities who felt overwhelmed might not have the same opinion as a member of the metropolitan elite who enjoyed the benefits.

For example, manual workers some felt they'd been undercut and priced out, yes competition is healthy up to a point given we live in a global world, but eventually it's down to how the individual fares. In retrospect there is an opinion that many communities have been shafted by globalization, which can very much favour industry over the worker. Oh yes, unsurprisingly the Confederation of British Industry was very much in favour of Remain, given there was a stagnation of wages by over supply. Some communities felt disgruntled as to how great swathes of the accession countries, disproportionately arrived in Britain and changed the nature of their community. Labour allowed that to happen some time before our western European counterparts did and unsurprisingly we got far more than the predicted initial wave of, 13,000, but that's politicians for you cynically inaccurate to the last with absolutely no foresight as to how that would impact on individual communities who bore the brunt of it. Remember how Gillian Duffy was vilified as a bigot by Gordon Brown, for saying she felt that her area had changed out of recognition, so was it really a surprise when Boston, Lincs who had an unprecedented number of Eastern Europeans settle in that town to find a community who voted overwhelmingly for Brexit when they found they couldn't get their children into schools or get a GP appointment.

Some of the comments on this thread are incredibly censorious about people's intelligence or lack of it, particularly chastising our Australian poster for having the temerity to comment about politics in the country where she was raised. Most of us comment about American politics, understandably right now with a meglomaniac for a president. Having been married to someone from overseas, having people in the family from overseas, it's pretty common to straddle two cultures and retain that enduring interest in the country where you spent your formative years and that would encompass an opinion on the government of the day.

Galaxy

I don't vote reform but being lectured on homophobia and misogyny by people who voted for parties that placed women in prisons with males and parties that embraced the deep homophobia of medicalising children who will grow up to be gay is breathtaking. That's without talking about those waving the flag of a country that kills gay people for who they are.

I agree Galaxy.
I suspect that most of the people who voted Reform are also very, very concerned that we have now passed the 200,000 illegal immigrant total who have arrived on our shores since Starmer came to power.

It is beyond madness that they are still arriving and costing us a fortune!

Posters on here call others racist but it’s not racist to want to control our borders and, as I have said countless times on here, people who have settled here legally from all over the world agree.

My friend from Tanzania votes Reform because she came here legally and had to jump through every hoop they put in front of her so she feels it is very unfair for them to just wash up here and get handouts.

Primrose53 👍

fancythat

My reasons
1. They are not Labour and coservative! Literally.
Had more than enough of them, partly because they dont listen much.
See someone's list above about all sorts of things , including illegal immigration.
2. for me, one of main reasons, illegal immigration
Not to be at all confused with legal immigration[some people who dont listen still manage themselves to muddle the two up.
3. illegal immigration - Reform seem to care[to be honest even I have already said some of these points on this thread, but it doesnt seem to sink in wiht all].
Labour and to a certain extent conservative, seem not to care.
Someone upthread said "well what can reform do"? I dont know. Not my job to know. But apparently things are written on their manifesto.
4.local elections - people, well voters, seem to have got past the point of knowing or caring what Reform will do. But they know Labour and conservatives wont really do anything in reality.
5. forgot the exact question!
yes some people are xeno, racist ect from the list. But a whoel lot are not. In my opinion.

But illegality is not on.

6. Farage
To my personal mind, he is both a plus[can lead a party very successfully], is personable[that matters a lot to some people, increasoningly I think from what I can gather in rl, seems to care[not sure that can be said of many leaders.
The minus is, I rather see Reform as a one man party. If Farage gets fed up, where does that leave the Party.

I could prob come up with more reaons for people voting Reform, but that is enough for now.

Agree with all that Fancythat.
I have always voted Tory, apart last two occasions.
Just have to see if reform are up to the job, hopefully they will be.
We live in hope.

I am far more concerned about Zac Polenski edging closer to Downing Street than I am about Nigel Farage.

Mind you he would have to be elected as an MP first…

Primrose53 200,000 since 2018, not since Starmer came to power in 2024. Source BBC news and various other news agencies.

GrannyGravy13

I am far more concerned about Zac Polenski edging closer to Downing Street than I am about Nigel Farage.

Mind you he would have to be elected as an MP first…

Never in a million years

Some of the comments on this thread are incredibly censorious about people's intelligence or lack of it, particularly chastising our Australian poster for having the temerity to comment about politics in the country where she was raised. Most of us comment about American politics, understandably right now with a meglomaniac for a president. Having been married to someone from overseas, having people in the family from overseas, it's pretty common to straddle two cultures and retain that enduring interest in the country where you spent your formative years and that would encompass an opinion on the government of the day.

Well said, Terribull

As well as many Australians having strong links to the UK, they are, of course, part of the Commonwealth with the same Head of State.
Of course many will be interested in what is happening here and feel concern too.

Anyone should be allowed a voice just as we can comment on affairs of other countries.

72,000 have arrived since Labour came into power and 60,000 have been deported or returned by other means. Obviously the 60K includes people who had arrived prior to Labour being in government.

Cossy… councils who are having boundary changes would have happily postponed their elections

It is far more than boundary changes. Counties including Essex are to be reorganised into unitary authorities. Essex will change from 15 separate councils to five unitary authorities to replace the current two tier system where some services are delivered by a town or city council and others by the county council. It’s a massive reorganisation which would have been far better overseen by experienced councillors.

Instead, Farage forced local elections which has seen many very experienced councillors lose their seats and 52 new Reform councillors elected. The only “Reform” councillor reelected was elected as a Tory but thrown out of the party after sending unsolicited dick picks to other councillor. He joined Reform refusing to submit to a by-election.

The work to reorganise is set to begin this summer just a few weeks away. In May 2027, elections will be held for councillors to the new unitary authority. These council members will initially form a ‘shadow authority’, responsible for preparing the new council ahead of its launch in April 2028. They will then continue to serve as councillors for the new unitary authority for a further three years. A Mayor will be elected in May 2028.

Farage says he is opposed to the reorganisation although it’s unknown whether he made those views known during the consultation period which ran from 19 November 2025 to Sunday 11 January 2026.

Who knows what will happen now and what a council of 78 comprising a majority of inexperienced councillors will make of it.

Several of those newly elected are of extremely dubious character e.g. the vile racist Stuart Prior who celebrated the rape of two Sikh and Punjabi women.

hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/02/reform-uk-essex-white-supremacist/

www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/05/mps-demand-reform-suspend-candidate-over-claims-he-celebrated-of-sikh-women

Again, where was the vetting?