Robert Kenyon, Reform's candidate for Makerfield. Would you let him in your house?

I don't expect anyone to change their mind. If they do, however, I wouldn't castigate them or see them as hypocritical.

I also don't consider a few people agreeing as a 'pile on'. It's just a few people agreeing, and I don't think anyone has got personal or aggressive.

I don't think it's possible to get through a public life without saying the wrong thing - whether it's because you've been misinterpreted or because you've just said the wrong thing. People are human. We all sometimes express ourselves badly, get caught off guard or are frustrated and make comments we wouldn't make otherwise. To me, that's ok, and the test is whether we continue to make similar comments that suggest, collectively, that we mean what we've said. If someone makes numerous unacceptable remarks, it's fair to assume that they are sympathetic to the sentiments behind them.

I don't use Twitter/X, but have made countless posts on discussion boards over the years. I hate to think of people rooting through them to find something I shouldn't have said, or that can be taken out of context - particularly in order to dismiss or minimise comments made by others. Was it Hamlet who said 'Use every man after his desert and who would 'scape whipping?'

Well, if we’re talking about tweets then I think a lot of people would escape a whipping tbh and a further lot would deserve it😁

I have general concerns about any rooting through social media to be honest. There is something also about those we choose to cast aside and those we don't. You see it often with famous people - so for example why is Gregg Wallace cancelled and Boy George wasn't. Those decisions always interest me.

No aggression from me Galaxy either.

Oreo

Well, if we’re talking about tweets then I think a lot of people would escape a whipping tbh and a further lot would deserve it😁

Well indeed, but if you are in one of the most current high profile situations its par for the course, and also we do actually need to know.

westendgirl

I heard Danny Kruger excusing these foul comments on Today this a.m.Shame he couldn't come out and say outright that
Robert Kenyon had been removed from the contest.
Is this going to make any difference. ?

Farage is just the polite version of racists who now think they have permission to say the most awful, vile things, the sooner the lot of them are gone the better.

I'm hoping Farage will loose his seat via the £5m scandal, he doesn't seem to think rules should apply to him. It'll be interesting to see what the other reform members do then.

Nigel Farage has a stake GB news I've read.

Does he? Explains a lot.

Galaxy

No I don't think they have to believe the same, I don't think I have ever said that, it isn't me who is wanting people to repeat particular phrases to prove something.
I find for example the whole manosphere thing really weird ( no one knew what it meant five minutes ago and now we are all supposed to be deeply fearful), a similar movement happened around adolescence and that faded relatively quickly. I suppose I think people are looking for simple solutions to a problem that has existed well forever really.

I find for example the whole manosphere thing really weird ( no one knew what it meant five minutes ago and now we are all supposed to be deeply fearful)...

The so-called manosphere is the culmination of the MGTOW movement which emerged from an online men's rights forum since early 2000s.

Harassment and violence against women / girls remain pervasively high. ONS data and other studies show an alarming increase in reported offences, and the severity of women's experiences.

National data shows recorded crimes increased by 37% between 2018 and 2023 - the police and transport police have seen an increase in reports of sexual offences on the public transport network.

No-one knew what it meant five minutes ago? I was shaken up years ago by a friend telling me about an attack on one of her daughters as she walked over a bridge which escalated because the daughter politely declined a man's advances. It's quite a different experience to read about it than it is to listen to the first-hand experience.

You can scoff at this, it's your right - but some of us will continue to call-out high-profile individuals who publicly encourage misogyny - despite your scorn!

Cossy

I think ANYONE, and everyone working in any capacity should have their social media investigated before they are appointed, put forward or elected.

It doesn’t matter which political party, it doesn’t matter whether it was before or after or during a political career.

They are there to serve the public. They should strive to be as whiter than white as they can possibly be.

Each vile and awful tweet, Facebook or Instagram post should be scrutinised and publicised and the person responsible given the opportunity to “make their explanations”

This has gone on for far too long and gone too far.

I remember reading and posting a meme some time ago suggesting those of us that grew up before social media should be grateful that things we did and said in our youth were mostly unrecorded and therefore long forgotten.
So true!
Some people have failed to get jobs they have applied for as a prospective employer has vieweed their social media posts.
We all need to think when we type and be ready to delete before posting. Once it is out there it is out there forever.
I'm glad that deleting a social media account will not erase the memories of those who have read Kenyon's comments and know what his real views are. Unfortunately many people fail to look into candidates' credentials and simply vote for the party - or more particularly against the party they disapprove of most!

He's said some outrageous things about Carol Vorderman, absolutely vile.
Of course they are trying to spin it like all men say these things.
Yet, here we have people attempting to defend him.

I would not have any Reform candidate in my home but would speak to them politely on my doorstep !

I am not scoffing about male violence believe me I fully understand male violence and have been involved in campaigning against it for years and years. I am expressing concern about people who suddenel

Sorry premature posting. I am expressing concerns about the bandwagon of manosphere or adolescence etc. Violence against women has indeed been a problem for ever to be honest, driven in my view by porn, and actually generally because men are generally able to use physical force to overpower women. I don't particularly feel frightened because of a general term which has mostly been manufactured, that isnt in any way to say I am not concerned about male violence.

For example I would bet any money that at some point in the future Unison or one of the unions will announce some very earnest training on the manosphere. The same unions/organisations who ignored women being abused and harassed by trans ideology, and in fact frequently joined in in the denigrating of those women. I will view that training ( and I will report back as soon as it appears on the horizon) with the utter cynicism it deserves, because yes it will be a bandwagon and nothing at all to do with an interest in violence against women.
I didn't for example actually think Starmer was going to reduce violence against women and girls by 50% or whatever target he set, that doesn't mean I don't care about reducing violence, it is just I didn't believe him. They are different things.

The apologies these people make, are only made once they have been found out so they are not worth the paper they are not written on.

All of us can make mistakes and say something that we immediately regret,but in that case we apologise immediately and personally to the person they insulted.

Nigel Farage, innumerable Reform candidates, Zack Polanski, no apologies until they are caught out, so worthless apologies that are unbelievable.

M0nica

The apologies these people make, are only made once they have been found out so they are not worth the paper they are not written on.

All of us can make mistakes and say something that we immediately regret,but in that case we apologise immediately and personally to the person they insulted.

Nigel Farage, innumerable Reform candidates, Zack Polanski, no apologies until they are caught out, so worthless apologies that are unbelievable.

Reform, Farage and Kenyon haven't apologised for the comment about the Carol Vorderman post nor the one about the female rugby players' t*ts - even though Kenyon has been caught out.

Concern about the manosphere isn't some "bandwagon", Galaxy, and involves a lot more than male violence. It isn't just traditional sexism. It involves conscious anti-feminism and is linked to so-called antiwoke extreme right-wing ideology.

"Specific measures to tackle VAWG include:Raneem's Law: Piloting the integration of domestic abuse specialists directly into emergency 999 control rooms to ensure the most urgent and accurate response to distress calls.Preventative Education: A £20 million package focused on schools to upskill teachers, tackle misogynistic attitudes early, and promote healthy relationships and consent.Tackling Online Abuse: Deploying a £2 million specialist covert squad to track down and catch severe online abusers, alongside new legislation to ban sexually explicit deepfakes and spiking.New Legal Powers: Rolling out Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) to protect victims from abusers at the earliest possible stage.Enhanced Support Funding: Allocating £160 million to local authorities for 2025/2026 to drastically expand the provision of safe accommodation for survivors and their children.You can read the complete national framework in the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy published by the Home Office. To track specific actions being delivered, review the accompanying VAWG Action Plan.9 sitesGovernment's landmark VAWG strategy published18 Dec 2025 — Government's landmark VAWG strategy published. ... The government has today (18th December 2025) published its long-awaited violen...End Violence Against WomenTackling violence against women and girls7 Jan 2025 — Policy announcements. In September 2024, the Home Office announced plans for a range of measures aimed at tackling domestic abuse,The House of Commons LibraryViolence against women and girls in 202527 May 2025 — The government has committed to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade. Some have questioned the effectiv...The House of Commons LibraryShow all AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more "

Well the above lists what the present government has implemented to try to reduce violence against women and girls. We will have to wait to see how effective they are but I'd be interested to hear what others would want done that they think might be more effective.

Galaxy

Sorry premature posting. I am expressing concerns about the bandwagon of manosphere or adolescence etc. Violence against women has indeed been a problem for ever to be honest, driven in my view by porn, and actually generally because men are generally able to use physical force to overpower women. I don't particularly feel frightened because of a general term which has mostly been manufactured, that isnt in any way to say I am not concerned about male violence.

Sorry premature posting.

Yeah - it's really frustrating when that happens!

Look, I didn't think you were scoffing at the fact of male violence - rather at me (and maybe others) for having concerns about the manosphere which - you appear to think - is a passing bandwagon which I've just conveniently jumped on. And nothing could be further from the truth. I've been concerned about this since I bought my first copy of Spare Rib back in the early 70s; and my ex told me about a very interesting woman he'd been listening to on Question-Time or some programme like that - Germaine Greer.
I won't bore you with my own experiences - but like many other women, I've had my share of them and it makes me angry. And it makes me angry that in 2026 despite all the victories, the dynamic hasn't changed as it should have done by now.
Perhaps it's the word manosphere that you don't like, I don't know - for me it's just an easy reference which everyone understands.
And yes, I am terrified, because these men are becoming bolder, and when high-profile individuals degrade and denigrate women publicly, I believe it gives the miserable bunch of misogynists more impetus.

JoCork

I kind of agree, to an extent, but there is a big huge difference to speaking or saying something to someone in a private place ie someone’s home, and putting something, however small, in print.

I was terrified for the last decade Dickens when the raving misogynists seemed to control every organisation, I would say I feel slightly easier now.
To answer some of your questions foxie, no i don't think those measures will halve violence against women and girls, even if I agree with many of them. Mainly because if you look at the figures in terms of murder of women by intimate partners, for example, it has been a devasting issue for a long time. I am immensely sceptical about controlling social media, that is Starmers reflex action to everything and it doesn't address the complexity of the problem. As for education in terms of boys and misogyny that worries me greatly, I think that whole subject has been handled very badly for a long time. In my view some of the male figures who have done the most to try to instill responsibility, decency into boys have been on social media and have been shock horror on the right.

Reform do not want to win this seat. They want to see Andy Burnham get in to cause chaos in the labour party. I would campaign for this &^*% just to keep him out and a stable government doing what it needs to

I think that would be a very big gamble on Reform’s part FranP, so I find it hard to believe that’s the case. Burnham is out polling Farage, and has a more authentic ‘man of the people’ persona. I think Kenyon is just a pawn, whose past record they hadn’t researched, and that they know Burnham will win, so are turning their attention instead to rubbishing Restore and blaming them for the polling results. It’s quite funny really, that they are cheeky enough to think that no other right wing party should be allowed to challenge them, given their challenges to the Tories.

And it can start young. I was an Early Years teacher, and have lost count of the number of times that discussions around unacceptable behaviours were met with a parent smiling indulgently whilst saying " Boys will be boys..'.
One father told me that his son " Doesn't like women"