Reform UK discussion

[JGurney]

The USA would be one. Most liberal democracies ........

To what extent the USA was ever really a functioning liberal democracy, and if it had been one whether it still is now, might be debatable.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Reform's attempt to run Cornwall council has failed - they didn't win a majority and nobody will form a coalition with them. It looks likely to become a LibDem led coalition.

BBC News - Cornwall Council leader to be decided at crunch meeting - BBC News

Cornwall Council leader to be decided at crunch meeting

Councillors are meeting later to decide who should form the next administration on Cornwall Council.

www.bbc.co.uk

A meeting will be held later to decide who will run Cornwall Council for the next four years.

No party won a majority on the authority at the local elections meaning different groups need to work together in an administration.

Reform UK, which won the most seats, has withdrawn from the race after other parties said they would not support them.

The Liberal Democrats said they would now seek to work with the Independent group to form a coalition.

The council was left under no overall control after the elections on 1 May and parties have since been in negotiations over who will be in charge.

Reform UK won 28 seats - but were still a long way short of the 44 needed for a majority to win votes in the council chamber.

However, they have been unable to find a willing coalition partner and accused other parties of "playing politics".

 

[styles]

Hardly surprising.

Normally I'd say it's pretty unfair on voters to have the largest party excluded from a coalition, but if what the independent group leader says is true, that Reform were the only party who didn't have any proposals to bring to the table, then there's not really any other sensible outcome. Of course, it's Reform's word against the independent group's, so who knows.

Semi-related, but I enjoy that a Cornish nationalist party managed to get 3 seats (Labour only got 4). The party is genuinely in favour of a devolved legislature on par with e.g. Holyrood.

 

[AlterEgo]

Reform didn't win a majority and can't complain that other parties don't want to work with them. That's too bad.

Reform isn't a party which seems to understand consensus and compromise so it doesn't surprise me that they were unable to form a coalition, especially given what will probably be their red lines.

 

[styles]

Reform didn't win a majority and can't complain that other parties don't want to work with them. That's too bad.

No sympathy for the party, but I think voters can rightly be miffed that the largest party isn't part of the coalition.

In fact excluding them may well increase support for Reform as they'll be able to lay it on thick about this point for the next 4 years in opposition.

Of course, if it's true that Reform simply had no proposals where the other parties did, then voters' resentment should very much be directed towards Reform. Whether that happens or not? Well, I'm doubtful.

 

[Thirteen]

If Reform can't even form a council coalition, they're really going to struggle if they were in power in a National Government.

 

[Meole]

If Reform can't even form a council coalition, they're really going to struggle if they were in power in a National Government.

If they were in power then clearly that would be on a basis of holding the majority of seats, all the evidence to date suggests their supporters have no interest in policy detail.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If they were in power then clearly that would be on a basis of holding the majority of seats, all the evidence to date suggests their supporters have no interest in policy detail.

They're really a pressure group rather than a political party. Farage must be bricking himself at the thought of actually becoming PM, which is looking distinctly possible at the moment. In reality he'd probably be more effective (in so much as he's effective at all) as leader of the Opposition.

 

[Harpo]

They're really a pressure group rather than a political party.

Others have called Reform a cult. (I checked the spelling.)

 

[m0ffy]

The self-titled “Lord Boam II”, Leicestershire County Councillor and lead for Adult Social Care has claimed “depression isn’t real”, according to Leicester Mercury.

A new Leicestershire Reform UK councillor has been told to “educate himself” after a post appearing on an account on X in his name claiming “depression isn’t real” resurfaced online. The post, which was shared by X account Reform Party UK Exposed, allegedly quotes Joseph Boamexpressing his views on the illness, including telling people they will “always be depressed” if their “life is depressing”, and that sufferers should “fix it”.

 

[AlterEgo]

The self-titled “Lord Boam II”, Leicestershire County Councillor and lead for Adult Social Care has claimed “depression isn’t real”, according to Leicester Mercury.

Really spectacular stuff, given his brief.

 

[GusB]

Reform really is the gift that keeps giving. It has already succeeded in its quest to abolish Low Traffic Neighbourhoods!

Reform councils pledge to scrap LTNs – despite there being none in their areas

All 10 council areas controlled by rightwing party tell the Guardian they have no low-traffic neighbourhoods

www.theguardian.com

Reform UK’s pledge to remove all low-traffic neighbourhoods from the council areas it controls looks to be achieved in record time after the 10 local authorities said they do not actually have any in place.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s chair, said last week there would be a “large-scale reversal” of existing LTNs in the 10 areas across England where the party won control of the councils in local elections on 1 May.

“We view these schemes with the same suspicion as mass immigration and net zero,” Yusuf told the Telegraph, adding: “You can expect, if you live in a Reform council, for there to be a much higher bar for any proposals for LTNs and for the large-scale reversal of these existing LTNs.”

The Guardian contacted the councils now run by Reform – Derbyshire, Doncaster, Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire – and they all said they had no such schemes.

 

[Grimsby town]

Reform really is the gift that keeps giving. It has already succeeded in its quest to abolish Low Traffic Neighbourhoods!

Sunak and Harper killed of any chances in of LTN schemes in places like Lancashire with their plan for drivers. There's schemes that have been developed that are similar to LTNs in that they improve walking and cycling but they don't use modal filters to block streets. It'll be interesting to see what they do with existing modal filters as they've been around for decades. I can't see local residents being too keen for their street to become a rat run which seems to be being proposed in the article.

 

[The Ham]

Sunak and Harper killed of any chances in of LTN schemes in places like Lancashire with their plan for drivers. There's schemes that have been developed that are similar to LTNs in that they improve walking and cycling but they don't use modal filters to block streets. It'll be interesting to see what they do with existing modal filters as they've been around for decades. I can't see local residents being too keen for their street to become a rat run which seems to be being proposed in the article.

Indeed, if LTN are bad then the councillors should go round trying to get support to make cul-de-sacs through roads.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Of course, if it's true that Reform simply had no proposals where the other parties did, then voters' resentment should very much be directed towards Reform. Whether that happens or not? Well, I'm doubtful.

Anyone who voted for a party that has no tangible policies wants their head looking at.

 

[High Dyke]

Anyone who voted for a party that has no tangible policies wants their head looking at.

Agreed. Sadly, there are so many that believe everything they see or read online, or in the media, that they vote for a 'business' - I don't consider them a proper political party.