Why does Nigel Farage get to play British politics on easy mode?
Andy BeckettThe UK’s electoral system traditionally makes it hard for new parties to succeed. Not Reform. Sitting back from the fray, it sets the agenda
It’s taken 30 years to get this far. Easy mode my arse.
The huge number of people who hate and despise the existing parties might also be a factor.
“Yet since winning only five seats at last year’s election, Reform UK has increasingly dominated the political conversation. Farage’s constant speeches and press conferences, complete with self-congratulatory smiles and jokes, receive huge coverage for a tiny Westminster party. Few Labour or Tory policies feel designed without actual or potential Reform voters in mind. And as the traditional main parties have fallen back in the polls, Reform has overtaken them. Winning power has become a possibility.”
Because it’s five seats and a lot of 2nd places or strong thirds.
“No new British party has ever done this. Even Labour, with the trade union movement behind it, took a quarter of a century from its foundation to reach government. Why is Reform seemingly finding politics so easy?”
Because the two main political parties are really shit, the Tories especially. They’re not even shit in the old way, of being incompetent. They’re shit in an even worse way, that their policy positions go against what the voters want. Conservative voters prioritise the economy, tax, health, immigration. They really do not give much of a fuck about eco. And give zero fucks about maintaining spending on foreign aid.
And the Tories can’t be fixed. Because it’s now centralised. It used to be about local associations picking a bloke who fitted how Northampton or Yeovil thought. It then broadly reflected the views. It’s now run by metropolitan types who are going to keep doing the same thing. Which is why so many activists left for Reform
The huge number of people who the existing parties hate and despite might also be a factor.
FTFY
Unfortunately the UK political system gave a shower of shit barely receiving one in three votes (33.7%) an unassailable majority to do whatever they like to the country until 2029.
It’s TTK’s agenda that’s the problem, not Reforms.
Besides, it took 25 years for Labour to get established because for most of that time, regular plebs couldn’t vote. The Strange Death of Liberal England is not so strange when you consider the effects of the changes made by the Representation of People Act 1918.
This Beckett bloke is an arse isn’t he ?
“ The UK’s electoral system traditionally makes it hard for new parties to succeed. ”
But this time the main Parties are Reform’s PR agents giving it blanket media publicity by the boatload (yes), and running its election campaign – just as the Democrats worked so hard to get Trump elected in 2024.
Have you noticed the main focus of British politics is now Stop Reform? Easy mode is easy when you’re the only people telling the truth.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Faster please.
And that’s why Reform won’t be the next governing party. Like the firewall the sausage eating boxhead politicians have formed against AfD, we’ll have a nightmare Lab/Lib/Wet/Green coalition instead.
The UK’s electoral system traditionally makes it hard for new parties to succeed. Not Reform. Sitting back from the fray, it sets the agenda
We had the Greens with their one gobby MP driving the political agenda for many years. I’ll bet Beckett didn’t complain about that.
Agent Smith
This where, perversely , first past the post might actually in their favour. If Reform can maintain 30% and everyone else less than 25%, they might have 100+ seat majority.
We might also have commercial nuclear fusion within 10 years.
wibble