Reform UK going from strength to strength.

[Jacksgranda]

2 hours ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

The reform leaflet we got through the door was quite softly softly in its messaging on one side. A picture of the candidate (some Perth bint) with lovely messages of a brighter future for our community, we will fight for you and your family etc etc.

The other side was effectively just Nigel Garage saying “darkies out” though.

7% is worryingly high but not surprising. Would be interesting to see age demographics on that.

Apparently us oldies and young folk.

[Jacksgranda]

36 minutes ago, velo army said:

Folk need to stop being surprised that the BNP/UKIP/Reform or any other quasi Nazi party are getting votes. The economy is utter shite and people's lives are generally worse. Add in the complete lack of community and sense of belonging and we have a large group of people with a whole lot of anger that's just waiting to be given form. 

Add to that a political elite that are increasingly out of touch and mendacious and we have a recipe for "f**k it, might as well give this lot a shot" voting. 

I'm frankly amazed it hasn't happened up here. I imagine it's because we have our own sense of nationhood that is apart from the Little Englander mentality of Farage and his ilk, but the decline of the SNP and the inertia of independence will see the same frustrations come to the surface in the near future.

It's a grey and rainy day in Aeberdeen

Fit aboot the twal' mile roon' bittie?

[Granny Danger]

56 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Apparently us oldies and young folk.

I wouldn’t be too worried/surprised if it was largely older folk.  They (we) will all be dead soon enough.

I have real concerns if it is younger people but hope/expect it turns out to be the ‘thick as pig shit’ type of young person who has an IQ below 3 and who’s every opinion on every issue is the result of watching a TikTok.  They’re engagement with politics will last about 8 weeks.

[JS_FFC]

Apparently they’re popular among gen Z but far more so among the young men of that generation than the women. Is Andrew Tate shilling for them?

[Wee-Bey]

Young folk still overwhelming prefer Labour/Greens/SNP.

It probably looks like a jump compared to the tories who have always polled badly with da yout.

What's more of a concern is the vote increasing across the entire country outwith their traditional dilapited seaside towns heartlands and the smaller blocks in post industrial northern England.

[Monkey Tennis]

I know that Reform voters are unlikely to include many of the more thoughtful types, but it's still nuts that the party can get any sort of traction at all.

Even leaving aside the racism which is essentially their raison d'etre, their policies on tax and spending are utterly mental.  

Velo Army is right in recognising the forces that will be shaping their vote, but I'm afraid it still shocks and horrifies me that said vote is so big.

It's a huge worry.

Edited July 9 by Monkey Tennis

[velo army]

12 minutes ago, Monkey Tennis said:

I know that Reform voters are unlikely to include many of the more thoughtful types, but it's still nuts that the party can get any sort of traction at all.

Even leaving aside the racism which is essentially their raison d'etre, their policies on tax and spending are utterly mental.  

Velo Army is right in recognising the forces that will be shaping their vote, but I'm afraid it still shocks and horrifies me that said vote is so big.

It's a huge worry.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Much as there were silent Trump voters amongst educated people, not to mention educated Nazis (Hiya Conrad Lorenz, hiya pal) as there will be people attracted to Reform who are, in fact, intelligent and educated. They're a provocateur of a party, designed to push certain issues front and centre which are ultimately distractions from the bigger ones, but appeal to primal and atavistic impulses of even the most educated. 

Issues such as "wokism" and the narrative and tone around gender politics are interpreted on a visceral level by a lot of men (and some women) as shaming, that they themselves are now the untermenschen and are now excluded from society and life. Shame is, in a felt sense, a fear of disconnection and that we are inherently a bad thing. The response to it within is often anger and a passionate need to be heard and included. This isn't something people talk about (shame engenders and thrives in secrecy) but the signs are there. 

Another important thing to consider is that, like the Tea Party in the US it isn't a grassroots group, but rather one funded by billionaires. These people become rich because they are able to understand the needs of the market and by taking the temperature of the human world around them and understanding what people need. 

They know that people are angry and they know what to give them which will soothe it just enough while also feeding a dependency. So we get The Daily Mail with its daily "two minutes of hate" and a fanny like Farage speaking the truth which voters feel but are unable to say. 

I don't have the faintest idea what to do about this either.

The weather in Aberdeen has cleared a bit, to be fair, but it's still pretty grey.

[Wee-Bey]

The party itself is incredibly shallow. It's basically a one man band with 'concerns about immigration' and some vague Thatcherite handwaving.

It's what happens next that's key. Does he effectively merge with the Tories and accept that he's 'won' having changed them and rooted out the wets/liberals, or does he smell the blood in the water and keep going.

They made massive inroads on Thursday, they only won 5 seats but were second in over 100 others, loads of them Northern Labour ones. He'll be targeting them next.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

2 hours ago, velo army said:

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Much as there were silent Trump voters amongst educated people, not to mention educated Nazis (Hiya Conrad Lorenz, hiya pal) as there will be people attracted to Reform who are, in fact, intelligent and educated. They're a provocateur of a party, designed to push certain issues front and centre which are ultimately distractions from the bigger ones, but appeal to primal and atavistic impulses of even the most educated. 

Issues such as "wokism" and the narrative and tone around gender politics are interpreted on a visceral level by a lot of men (and some women) as shaming, that they themselves are now the untermenschen and are now excluded from society and life. Shame is, in a felt sense, a fear of disconnection and that we are inherently a bad thing. The response to it within is often anger and a passionate need to be heard and included. This isn't something people talk about (shame engenders and thrives in secrecy) but the signs are there. 

Another important thing to consider is that, like the Tea Party in the US it isn't a grassroots group, but rather one funded by billionaires. These people become rich because they are able to understand the needs of the market and by taking the temperature of the human world around them and understanding what people need. 

They know that people are angry and they know what to give them which will soothe it just enough while also feeding a dependency. So we get The Daily Mail with its daily "two minutes of hate" and a fanny like Farage speaking the truth which voters feel but are unable to say. 

I don't have the faintest idea what to do about this either.

The weather in Aberdeen has cleared a bit, to be fair, but it's still pretty grey.

Aye, good post.

The other day, in a chat, I saw a baffling post from my cousin, an educated woman with - I'd thought - political insight, in which she said she'd been tempted to vote Reform.  She was saying it was up to those on the left like her, to support for free speech, reject wokeness and stand up for working class values.

It struck me then, and still does, as utterly contradictory, ignorant garbage. 

It does speak of something going on though, whereby people can somehow saddle their partially just and real grievances onto this most ill suited of vehicles.

I still, absolutely don't get it, but I know that what you're saying is true.

Edited July 6 by Monkey Tennis

[tamthebam]

"... Farage, after trading barbs with activists, asking one where he was from. "Glasgow" replied the man as he was being manhandled away, to which Farage replied "Well that explains it".."

Guardian

So much for the Union of Equals that Farage believes in. Know your place Jock scum.

"Inevitably, Farage told a press conference in Westminster yesterday that Reform would be lobbying to abolish first past the post, an electoral system he said was "Not fit for purpose" 

He's correct in that at least but I'm sure Nigel was against changing the electoral system previously. 

[Wee-Bey]

They got 167, 000 votes in Scotland. Almost twice the amount of the Greens, doing barely any campaigning up here.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

9 hours ago, velo army said:

Folk need to stop being surprised that the BNP/UKIP/Reform or any other quasi Nazi party are getting votes. The economy is utter shite and people's lives are generally worse. Add in the complete lack of community and sense of belonging and we have a large group of people with a whole lot of anger that's just waiting to be given form. 

Add to that a political elite that are increasingly out of touch and mendacious and we have a recipe for "f**k it, might as well give this lot a shot" voting. 

I'm frankly amazed it hasn't happened up here. I imagine it's because we have our own sense of nationhood that is apart from the Little Englander mentality of Farage and his ilk, but the decline of the SNP and the inertia of independence will see the same frustrations come to the surface in the near future.

It's a grey and rainy day in Aeberdeen

They also rely on voter ignorance- those who are not into politics and then believe their misinformation.

[velo army]

24 minutes ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

They also rely on voter ignorance- those who are not into politics and then believe their misinformation.

Exactly. The internet is a crowded place right now and people tend not to be particularly critical of their sources. There is also the algorithmic nature of social media which seeks to keep you engaged (and angry) with repeated examples of the content which reinforces your already forthright opinions.

It's fair brightened up in Aberdeen though, so there is that.

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, Cheese said:

They got 167, 000 votes in Scotland. Almost twice the amount of the Greens, doing barely any campaigning up here.

Isn't Der Sturmer Daily Mail one of the best selling newspapers up here? 

There's been a sort of myth that there isn't as much racism in Scotland as there is in England. Try asking Scottish BAME people about their experiences.. 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

22 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

Isn't Der Sturmer Daily Mail one of the best selling newspapers up here? 

There's been a sort of myth that there isn't as much racism in Scotland as there is in England. Try asking Scottish BAME people about their experiences.. 

It is a myth - the agenda against Yousaf was as much about religion/race as his political competence.

[Monkey Tennis]

54 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

 

There's been a sort of myth that there isn't as much racism in Scotland as there is in England. Try asking Scottish BAME people about their experiences.. 

We also have our own version of hideous prejudice.

A Scottish football website seems a good place to consider it.

[Binos]

3 hours ago, Cheese said:

They got 167, 000 votes in Scotland. Almost twice the amount of the Greens, doing barely any campaigning up here.

Rangers fans

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

Offering a £20k Personal Tax allowance with improved public services is always going to be a vote winner for the hard of thinking.

[Suspect Device]

Posted this in the twitter thread but it deserves a wider audience.

 

 

[ICTChris]

13 hours ago, Cheese said:

They got 167, 000 votes in Scotland. Almost twice the amount of the Greens, doing barely any campaigning up here.

 

I keep posting this. 38% of those who voted in the EU referendum here voted Leave, again the Leave side basically didn’t campaign here, no Scottish MPs backed Leave, I think one MSP did (others admitted afterwards that they voted Leave). Over a million votes cast for Leave. In 2019 the Brexit Party came second in the European elections, 230k votes, 14.8% of the vote. In 2014 EU elections UKIP came fourth, 10% of the vote 140,000 votes and an MEP elected. They got 5% of the vote in 2009.

If I was a strategist in Reform UK HQ I’d look at Scotland as a potential place for them to grow. If (and it’s a very big if) Reform don’t implode in Parliament I’d expect them to get two MSPs in 2026.