Scrutable

Mad Nad moves to Reform (BBC).

BBC wrote:Reform UK's Zia Yusuf said Dorries would be an "asset" to the party.

I laughed at this. And then I realised, he's not wrong. For all that she had admit that most of the stuff she wrote on her website was just made up, temporarily losing the whip for going on I'm A Celeb without permission, and so many embarrassing statements on so many things, she never went so far she had to resign. Unlike so many Faragist elected representatives.

She held Mid-Bedfordshire for 18 years. I couldn't imagine anyone voting for her. Which just shows how incapable I am of thinking myself into the heads of those that that do. The Conservatives regained Mid-Beds in the 2024 general election, having lost it in the 2023 by-election. So I wonder if she might still be in Parliament if she hadn't decided to make the news by very slowly and noisily resigning in 2023.

IvanV wrote: Fri Sep 05, 2025 9:32 am Which just shows how incapable I am of thinking myself into the heads of those that that do [vote for Mad Nad]

And, by chance, to help me, BBC today publishes an article by Sir John Curtice on what we learn from attitude polls about what voters currently favouring Reform do think, in contrast to what others think.

Most of them think that Reform will fix the NHS. I wonder if they know what Reform's health service policy is. I suspect they don't even care to find out.

Did she hold the seat for 18 years or do people vote Tory no matter who is standing?

Tessa K wrote: Fri Sep 05, 2025 11:24 am Did she hold the seat for 18 years or do people vote Tory no matter who is standing?

I think we all know it's the latter. Tories would vote for a turd with a Blue rosette.

The worry now is the same idiots will move their unthinking vote to Reform - and elect even bigger idiots who pass lower bar of standing for Reform.

bjn wrote: Thu Jul 24, 2025 4:54 pm

IvanV wrote: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:29 pm

IvanV wrote: Thu Jun 26, 2025 10:11 am Reform leader of Warwickshire council resigns, leaving 18-yr-old in charge

Reform is the largest party in Warwickshire Council, with no overall control, but are able to run it with the backing of the Conservatives. The guy elected leader has soon discovered that running a county council is hard work, so he has resigned as it is too much for him to cope with. From the 21 other Reform councillors elected, he chose an 18-yr-old as his deputy, who is now interim council leader until a new leader is elected.

He's now 19, but he is no longer interim and has been duly elected as the leader of Warwickshire Council.

Meanwhile, it seems everyone wants to be Reform these days. When you read Thanet Council is trying to ban swearing in public (BBC), you would tend assume it must be a Reform administration, trying to get itself on the front page. But no, it's the Labour party trying to show they can be illiberal like that too.

Basic strategy, military and poltical, says don’t fight on the ground your enemy has picked. Labour can’t beat Reform on being c.nts, because Farage will always out-c.nt them, so why are they trying? They should be attacking them for their desire to want to f.ck everyone over and Farage’s desire to be as far up Trumps bum as he can be. Unfortunately they’ve ceded the ground on that as well.

I despair.

Absolutely agree.

We need an optimistic vision, which I'm not sure Starmer can provide.

Labour and Conservatives each now down to 16%, Reform at 34%. From a poll by Find Out Now (never heard of them tbh): https://findoutnow.co.uk/blog/voting-in ... mber-2025/

at least that leaves 66% of us that can tactically vote for anyone other than reform

that's definitely what I'll be doing on future elections

Hunting Dog wrote: Sat Sep 20, 2025 7:04 pm at least that leaves 66% of us that can tactically vote for anyone other than reform

that's definitely what I'll be doing on future elections

Until the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party surges, when you'll start voting tactically for Reform.

Entertaining piece about how Reform, having taken control of a county council, are finding it hard to live up to their fantasies. Best BTL comment:

Reform are simply unable to make the changes they promised because the problems we have are not due to:

1. Illegal immigrants
2. Net zero
3. DEI
4. Huge levels of inefficiency
5. Insufficient flags

If you try and fix an issue which isn't the root cause of a problem, it's simple, the problem won't be fixed.

Of course, local authorities don't actually have much power at all, and are heavily constrained by legal requirements on what they provide, how they provide it and how they raise money. National government is very different.

Brightonian wrote: Sat Sep 20, 2025 7:19 pm

Hunting Dog wrote: Sat Sep 20, 2025 7:04 pm at least that leaves 66% of us that can tactically vote for anyone other than reform

that's definitely what I'll be doing on future elections

Until the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party surges, when you'll start voting tactically for Reform.

Just to clarify, wasn't thinking you'd actually vote Reform or Tory. Was thinking of myself: I, though mostly Labour, going back decades, did actually go help a local Tory party out a while ago, but just to repay a personal favour to someone. (I found the Tories were mostly sane, reasonable people, so I didn't mind that much.) However, that someone has since defected to Reform, and if I need to repay them another favour, then I'd refuse.

The ex leader of Reform in Wales took money from Russia to ask questions in the EU parliament when he was an MEP. This should be being shouted from the roof tops by all the other parties. “So Nigel, who else in your party takes money from Putin? Did you take money from Putin? Seeing as you’ve been so crap at vetting your candidates how will you make sure none of them are taking money from the Butcher of Bucha?”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6 ... mpaign=rss

One of his comments was, "I just did whatever Nigel told me to."