[News] Nigel Farage and Reform

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Well, it’s clear to me that Farage is working for the same people who have bankrolled the Conservative Party’s rightward lurch. Farage is in the same gang as Truss/Braverman/Badenoch et al.

As to whether he has a plan or not, possibly not, but somebody (probably at a higher pay grade) has the idea that by keeping the Reform Party going, it holds the Conservatives to a further right position than they might otherwise take, so it’s having a significant effect on our national politics.

Part of me welcomes it, as it splits the right/far-right vote, but I can foresee a sudden decision at the 11th hour to withdraw all candidates (if those bankrolling Reform get what they want from the Conservatives) leading to a late and sudden surge in support for the Conservatives.

In this election I don’t think it’s enough, but in future elections it may be.

If his masterplan is to drag the tories to the right, and is colluding with right wing tories to do so, he might try being a little less rude to tories in general. If I were a middle wing tory I'd be livid with Farage.

My take on him is he wants to monetize his brand. That's all.

 

[chickens]

If his masterplan is to drag the tories to the right, and is colluding with right wing tories to do so, he might try being a little less rude to tories in general. If I were a middle wing tory I'd be livid with Farage.

My take on him is he wants to monetize his brand. That's all.

I agree that to all intents and purposes he’s just another right-wing rent-a-gob, it’s more those handling him that give me cause for concern, with their strange urge to drag us back into the Industrial Revolution.

 

[pocketseagull]

A good bogeyman - and especially the outrage and fury about him - is always good comedy value, no?

If you think stoking up prejudice and racism is good comedy value then maybe?

 

[Eric the meek]

Bloody foreigners

Coming over here, building aquaducts, tempting our women with their tasty pesto sauce*. Why couldn't they just paint themselves blue like we did? It never did us any harm did it?

*Edit: Oh sorry, that was the Romans.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Love to know how his latest offering on zero net migration works

take the 18 year olds who don’t do national service and make them work in care homes or hospitals

 

[GT49er]

If you think stoking up prejudice and racism is good comedy value then maybe?

No, the comedy is people getting hot under the collar, and not realising their part in the comedy.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Far too precious.

The Mail and Telegraph are Tory papers. They have their base and they give them what they want. The Times carries a wide range of opinion pieces and certainly includes plenty of criticism of the Tories though yes, they’re essentially a conservative paper. The Sun is a populist rag that I’ve not seen for 20 years or so but they will hitch their wagon to whatever’s passing as long as it has big boobs. I remember when they were pro-Labour back in Blair's day.

It’s easy to throw your moany question back at you. How often do you see 'right leaning' or pro-Tory pieces in the Guardian, Daily Mirror, Independent, inews, on Channel 4, etc? And I wouldn’t expect to either. These are left-leaning media.

I despise them all — the Telegraphs and Guardians of this world. I don’t know why what I want is so hard to achieve, or so undesirable — a newspaper that carries pieces from all sides of the political and social spectrum, and articles that look at all sides of an argument and invites the reader to reach their own conclusions. I want information, not propaganda.

My favourite political commentator is Stephen Bush, ex-New Statesman political editor, now working at the Financial Times. Although a man of the left at heart he’s a brilliant and balanced political analyst, just as happy dissecting Sir Keir as he is rubbishing Rishi. The FT is an excellent paper IMO but I can’t afford to subscribe. I treat myself to the FT when going on a long train journey and always feel I’ve learnt something. Occasionally I buy a copy of both the New Statesman AND the Spectator. It’s fascinating to read about the same thing from different perspectives. Brilliant writing too, in the main.

But there’s a mass of pro-Labour, 'liberal', left-wing media out there. Include social media too, where most people actually get their news these days. (How about NSC - do you find there’s an even split of opinion here?) But there’s no point in picking up a copy of the Daily Mail and complaining that it’s full of anti-Labour stuff. It’s a Tory paper FFS. It’s like complaining about dogs barking. It’s what they do. Get a cat instead and be happy.

Interesting post.

I just caught the end of Nicky Campbell's phone in on Farage. Clearly no middle ground.

We had 'Farage has an agenda; he wants to become tory leader; the fact the UK is diverse is what makes it great' versus

'He's a breath of Fresh air; we don't want Wet Rag Starmer, or Short Trouser Sunak; when I walk around and see people with different cultures it seems just wrong'.

There was no discussion about Farrage's policies. I presume that's because he doesn't have any, other than to use the navy to drive boats back into French waters, while extolling the virtues of an imaginary Way of Life that white people enjoyed in the 1950s, where every child was rosy cheeked, and every mum a housewife.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

No, the comedy is people getting hot under the collar, and not realising their part in the comedy.

Racism isn't funny. Laughing at people who get angry about racism isn't funny.

 

[Zeberdi]

When you are the off spring of an immigrant then fararge and irony isn’t as much fun as it should be …

Perhaps you should look at the post I was responding to? I was making a dig at a poster that was making frankly some rather offensive comments - irony is better than calling someone a “fcuking racist” but I can do that too if you like

(Lighten up - I’m the offspring of immigrants too and didn’t need a long lecture about the benefits of immigration)

 

[rogersix]

Even someone like you can see he's consistent if anything.
The likes of Starmer & Co forever changing on nukes, immigration, taxation hardly sets a solid precedent.

They're all the same though

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Perhaps you should look at the post I was responding to? I was making a dig at a poster that was making frankly some rather offensive comments - irony is better than calling someone a “fcuking racist” but I can do that too if you like

(Lighten up - I’m the offspring of immigrants too and didn’t need a long lecture about the benefits of immigration)

obviously was having a not so funny five minutes.

The problem with irony is that your average ‘f***ing racist’ wouldn’t get it.

shit! does that mean i’m a racist

 

[Is it PotG?]

They're all the same though

100% this. In the same vein as say Potter or Burno, self-promotion and cash talks.

 

[rogersix]

Even someone like you can see he's consistent if anything.
The likes of Starmer & Co forever changing on nukes, immigration, taxation hardly sets a solid precedent.

Consistent like saying he's not running on Thursday and then a volte face by Monday, is that the sort of consistency you mean?

 

[dsr-burnley]

Why is it more or less universally accepted that the Conservative party is so very right wing? They believe in high taxes, high benefits, running down the armed forces, they believe that the NHS is untouchable and increase its budget more and more (regardless of results), they are fiscally incompetent, they are soft on crime, they are in favour of immigration at record levels. (They only immigrants they are making serious, but useless,attempts to send back, are the ones coming from France.) What's right wing about them?

 

[Is it PotG?]

Consistent like saying he's not running on Thursday and then a volte face by Monday, is that the sort of consistency you mean?

Exactly, like a dozen of Labour's current front bench team voted against renewing Trident in 2016 under Mr Corbyn, including shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.
They're all as fickle as "*@$.

 

[Eric the meek]

Consistent like saying he's not running on Thursday and then a volte face by Monday, is that the sort of consistency you mean?

He fielded that question by claiming he didn't want to let millions of racists people down.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

If his masterplan is to drag the tories to the right, and is colluding with right wing tories to do so, he might try being a little less rude to tories in general. If I were a middle wing tory I'd be livid with Farage.

My take on him is he wants to monetize his brand. That's all.

Fair point. I’m not yet certain what he’s up to but I agree that to get anywhere he needs massive traditional Tory support. A little bit of buttering up would probably go a long way. People don’t like being told they’re bad people for taking another tack on the broad right/centre right. As he’s unlikely to comply it seems obvious he won’t make the progress he dreams of. Mind you, I think destroying the Tories will satisfy him for a good while. He’s still extremely bitter about 2019. I think he’s after revenge first and foremost. He shares this characteristic with Trump, among plenty of other traits.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Why is it more or less universally accepted that the Conservative party is so very right wing? They believe in high taxes, high benefits, running down the armed forces, they believe that the NHS is untouchable and increase its budget more and more (regardless of results), they are fiscally incompetent, they are soft on crime, they are in favour of immigration at record levels. (They only immigrants they are making serious, but useless,attempts to send back, are the ones coming from France.) What's right wing about them?

I don't think they believe in high taxes, being soft on crime, running down the armed forces etc. It's just that they're crap

 

[Zeberdi]

obviously was having a not so funny five minutes.

The problem with irony is that your average ‘f***ing racist’ wouldn’t get it.

shit! does that mean i’m a racist

Lol no - of course not but surely anyone that post was directed at couldn’t possibly think Enoch Powell’s River of Blood performance utterances and sending all non-white people back to various parts of the Commonwealth is actually serious proposition for 2024 - not even for the Reform Party. If someone doesn’t understand that because they are so entrenched in the xenophobic view of the world, then a video of EP won’t make a difference either way nor will an internet discussion trying to convert them.

 

[Eric the meek]

Get a cat instead and be happy.

Sound advice.

There is evidence that 10 minutes of stroking a cat lowers your blood pressure and stress levels. Cat owners are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

I wonder if Farage has got a cat?