Are The Reform Party Actually a Threat

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Comments

  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    My Reform led council, who were elected on a platform of saving money have decided to splash the cash on flags.. Apparently we'll get a couple for our town. Well we fly the Union Flag from our Town Hall anyway, so not quite sure why we need more.
    I thought that my husband was pretty politically engaged, me being a councillor and all. Yesterday he admitted that he didn't realise that the County Council had gone Reform. If he doesn't know, or appear to understand the structure of local politics I guess there are a lot of other people in the same position out there.
  • HugalHugal Shipmate
    There is a God. Reform have been beaten by Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly. Well beaten. Reform came second. Labour badly beaten to third after 100 years in charge
  • Yes and I'm sure a lot of Labour voters supported Plaid to get this result. I'm a believer in proportional representation but results like this one in Caerphilly make me want to retain first-past-the-post. 😉

    I think the next Senedd elections are going to be PR so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.
  • Alan Cresswell Alan Cresswell Admin, 8th Day Host
    The Welsh Senedd has reformed it's voting system, increasing the number of seats from 60 to 96 and moving from an additional member system (40 FPTP constituencies + 20 additional members) to 16 six member constituencies with each constituency filled by D'Hondt PR from closed party lists. I wasn't paying enough attention when the decision to reform the system was taken, and so I don't really know the reasons for needing a change or opting for the system that's replaced it.
  • TurquoiseTasticTurquoiseTastic Kerygmania Host
    So if the system has been changed to D'Hondt PR, how come the Caerphilly by-election was FPTP?
  • So if the system has been changed to D'Hondt PR, how come the Caerphilly by-election was FPTP?

    Presumably because Caerphilly was for a seat at Westminster, but Cardiff?
  • TurquoiseTasticTurquoiseTastic Kerygmania Host
    No, Caerphilly was a Senedd by-election not a Westminster one.
  • OK, now I am with you in the confused section!
  • stetsonstetson Shipmate
    So if the system has been changed to D'Hondt PR, how come the Caerphilly by-election was FPTP?

    Presumably because Caerphilly was for a seat at Westminster, but Cardiff?

    Is there a missing "not" that was supposed to go before "for" there?
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate, Heaven Host
    The new system takes effect from the next general election in 2026.
  • stetson wrote: »
    So if the system has been changed to D'Hondt PR, how come the Caerphilly by-election was FPTP?

    Presumably because Caerphilly was for a seat at Westminster, but Cardiff?

    Is there a missing "not" that was supposed to go before "for" there?
    Yes... its one of those days!

  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I had a Reform candidate for our local election to the District Council today knock on the door. She thanked me for my honesty when I told her I was a Town Councillor for the ward for a very different party and then disappeared rather rapidly. My friend a few doors down who did engage with her discovered that she approves of Farage's message but not his delivery whatever that means. She also said she'd sort our the local problem with flooding, which coming from a Party that doesn't think there is such a thing as climate change might be a problem.
  • How would they sort out the local problem with flooding without spending money?

    Oh, by diverting money from all the wasteful practices that town councils are involved with of course ...

    Here Reform are trumpeting about reducing the Council Tax precept by slashing initiatives that would save residents a whopping £4.50 a year.

    It would be risible if it weren't so serious.
  • HugalHugal Shipmate
    Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot. They are a disaster. The Kent leader wants councillors to sign a loyalty paper to her for a start. They went in listening to Reform leadership and not understanding the situation in the ground.
    Nigel has been defeated and essentially mocked in parliament this week.
  • Yet they are still 10 points ahead in the polls.
  • JonahManJonahMan Shipmate
    And even though they didn't win in the Caerphilly Senedd election, they still came second, and 1/3rd of those voting voted for them (about 1 in 6 of those eligible to vote). Which I find quite disturbing.
  • Hugal wrote: »
    Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot.

    Most people's connection with their council are potholes on local roads and bin collections; they really won't notice much else, and not many people pay much attention to the news - apart from being generally dissatisfied with the way things are.

    The best Labour could have done would have been to set out a long term vision and try to track progress against that, absent any kind of vision the only thing left is a series of tactical challenges re Reform, and Reform always win when you pose things in right wing terms.
  • Hugal wrote: »
    Reform’s credibility at local council level is shot.

    Most people's connection with their council are potholes on local roads and bin collections; they really won't notice much else, and not many people pay much attention to the news - apart from being generally dissatisfied with the way things are.

    The best Labour could have done would have been to set out a long term vision and try to track progress against that, absent any kind of vision the only thing left is a series of tactical challenges re Reform, and Reform always win when you pose things in right wing terms.

    'Where there is no vision, the people perish'. I'm old enough to have heard Harold Wilson live. He really was inspirational.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I was out canvassing this morning ahead of next week's by-election. Two gentlemen I was speaking to were of the opinion that Labour and the Conservatives had had their chance and it was time to give Reform a go. I think this is what a lot of people are thinking though I guess in other areas it might be voting Green (a paper candidate here) instead.
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