How long is it before Reform implodes?
I ask the question for a very straightforward reason, and that is that Nigel Farage has, of course, had three political parties in his career. He started with the United Kingdom Independence Party, which was not founded by him, but which was totally identified with him from very soon after it started, and then he had the Brexit Party, and now he has Reform. And if we look at what happened to UKIP and the Brexit Party, both of them basically imploded.
Both of them won. They achieved tyhe political aim they had been set up to gain. Won. So, having won they went home.
You’re giving me hope Tim. Maybe Reform’ll win as well!!
The Anti-Corn Law League dissolved in 1846, what a failure that guy Cobden was, couldn’t hold the associations together or stop the Manchester industrialists bickering about how he and his mates ran things. Loser.
Perhaps Nigel’s recently more emollient tone is an effort not to be AfD’d before the next. election.
There’s a fairly decent chance that Nigel will end up as Prime Minister and then go on to vermine. I can’t imagine why this exercises Spud so much.
The defenestration of Rupert Lowe and to a lesser extent Ben Habib saddened me.
Fortunately the media would never consider standing up for either of these admirable gentlemen and so the opportunity of stirring trouble was missed.
Just keep it on message (immigration, the economy, immigration, net zero and immigration), stay very wary of former conservative entryists and it might just happen.
The Brexit Party didn’t implode, it was just renamed Reform UK. The logo and all other branding being nearly identical should be a bit of a clue.
Hard for true politicos to imagine, first, actually achieved something, and second, haven’t continuously invented reasons to stay on the public dosh.
John – I was unsurprised that one of Reform’s MPs fell out with Nigel, populist insurgency parties attract people with disagreeable personalities.
That disagreeableness is a good thing when it’s pointed in the right direction, but Reform says Mr Lowe “repeatedly threatened” its chairman with physical violence. Mr Lowe denies these claims. If true, it was at best extremely unprofessional of Lowe. If untrue, Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf called the cops on one of their own MPs for no reason.
All very regrettable, but we have a country to save. My gut feeling is that if a man can’t maintain a respectful working relationship with his own party chairman for at least 5 minutes after a general election, he’s a loose cannon and a diva. How many times have you had the police call on you for alleged threats? Zero, right?
And the Musky criticism that seems to have influenced this episode – Reform shouldn’t be Elon Musk’s bitch or accept so much as a penny piece from the guy. He’s not a British citizen, doesn’t live here, and doesn’t have a feel for what the British electorate will go for. Farage played that one with a straight bat, and the voters are rewarding him for it now.
Go high instead of Lowe.
The allegations against Lowe don’t seem very credible and could well be taken out of context. It’s like being arrested for saying you could “murder a pint”. Probably coming soon under Starmer.
If he’s so righteous on money from Musk how did Mustapha Leak get the top job after coincidentally donating a large sum of money?
I’m not anti Reform but I don’t really trust them at the moment.
Martin – If he’s so righteous on money from Musk how did Mustapha Leak get the top job after coincidentally donating a large sum of money?
As the richest man in the world, with a highly visible role in the Trump administration, Musk comes with Musk baggage. I don’t think the public wants to vote for a Musk vehicle, or to elect a party that’s a foreign billionaire’s side project.
Just my opinion. I voted Reform but am not a member or involved in any way with the party.
Yes, I can imagine Lowe using colourful language that’s been taken out of context, but I can’t imagine Farage and Yusuf going to the trouble of calling the rozzers over similes. I suppose I trust Nigel Farage, he hasn’t let me down before.
I don’t really trust Reform but I REALLY don’t trust any of the others. One of the regulars here repeatedly suggested we vote Tory as the least worst option. Reform is very much the least worst option now and it is the only option which gives me the slightest hope for the nation’s future. In the interests of that future I am prepared to compromise.
Steve,
I agree Lowe may be a loose cannon but in his first few months he was a superb parliamentary attack dog asking questions and generating soundbites on so many of the “right” issues. I very much hope that for the good of the country he will swallow his pride and not proceed with any legal action.
I can still take comfort that he will presumably continue to trumpet the inconvenient truths Bridgen-wise while allowing Reform a degree of plausible deniability if and when he oversteps (at which time “look how prescient and responsible we were to realise this and throw him out” is an extremely strong line”).
John – I very much hope that for the good of the country he will swallow his pride and not proceed with any legal action.
Me too. I also hope Reform has the wisdom to avoid pride, which is a deadly sin.
Our country has been brought very low, it is right for us to show a spirit of humility and generous solidarity with everyone who wants to help fix Britain. But the weasels in a sack stuff can miss me, none of these lads are Richard the Lionheart, they need to play nice rather than play The Big Man.
One of the fake-Conservatives (Philp, sounds like a minor character from Harry Potter) was on the Beeb this morning promising to “reduce immigration to substantially below 350,000* a year”. That’s shot Reform’s fox, and no mistake!
* a city the size of Coventry or Sunderland
The ex-accountant also accused Reform of just being a limited company, presumably for Farage’s benefit. What a weasel. Not only has Farage already taken steps to widen the base of the party, but how else is anyone to found a new party? Furthermore, a quick squiz at the accounts would show him that far from being a money-making machine, it was totally reliant on its directors for funds. Besides, of course, being a political party, is registered in a fundamentally different way to that of any profit-orientated company.
As I say, a weasel.
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