[Abernathy]

Saw this posted on Fleecebook, and thought it worth sharing here. It's a long piece, and I don't agree completely with it, but it is thoughtful and well written.

Piece by James Mitchison, Editor of the Yorkshire Post.

“NIGEL FARAGE: 'IF YOU WORK ON CLIMATE OR DIVERSITY, LOOK FOR A NEW CAREER'

I was asked mid-morning today by my Executive Chairman: James; what do you make of the mood music around the local elections?
It is, of course, always tricky - foolhardy, even - to make predictions when it comes to modern politics, especially to your boss who has a vested interest in the quality of your judgment. Remember Brexit? It was never going to happen, was it? People aren’t so stupid as to self-harm the nation simply because they don’t like me, the then-Prime Minister David Cameron once said to me.
Donald I could shoot people in the street and still get elected Trump. A convicted felon who says his M.O. in the presence of a beautiful woman is to kiss her without waiting for permission, before grabbing her by the ______ (Google it … actually, don’t. Just trust me). He could never be elected to become the leader of the free world again, not after inciting the undemocratic riots on Capitol Hill. No chance.
And, Nigel Farage. The ale-swilling, nicotine-stained, Trump-nuzzling, xenophobic, milkshake magnet. He can stand in front of as many make-believe lines of brown-faced people as he likes, whilst pointing at boats in the sea and sucking air through his teeth, but nobody will ever take him seriously, will they?
So…what I ought to have said, were my foresight on point, to my boss-in-chief was: Nigel Farage is about to run through the foundations of the political Establishment like Japanese Knotweed, razing to the ground myriad pillars of power, shifting the tectonic plates of influence in this country, highlighting quite how angry people remain about the way the Conservatives took the nation for granted - taking for themselves as they did whatever they wanted, whatever the consequence - whilst grinning in our faces, hair unbrushed, shirt untucked. It will be a bloodbath, I should have said. I didn’t. What I did say was that I sincerely believed the day ahead (today) would see the end of the duopoly of power in this country, perhaps forever. Whilst I was overly cautious, I stand by that. Knowing what we know now, I’d like to know what you make of today’s events in UK politics?
So, to my question: will people take Reform seriously…?
Well, yes actually. The good people of Durham, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire (Reform took 25 seats - the closest to that took 15, leaving Leicestershire under no overall control) Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. Kent, too. Warwickshire flipped to NOC, too, but Reform leads in bums-on-seats terms. People are either enchanted by everything Nigel Farage and his right-wing ideology offers, or so sick to the back teeth of a decade-and-a-half of Tory sex, lies and videotapes (Matt Hancock, anyone?) and of what they’ve seen thus far of the Labour lot that they’re all thinking: ‘bugger it. Let someone else have a go. How much worse can they be?’
Well, for a flavour of what’s to come, Nigel Farage has already said to a gathered phalanx of sycophants that those working for Durham council who care about the planet or about community cohesion, inclusivity and equal opportunities should ‘seek alternative employment.’ His exact words? “I’d advise anyone working for Durham County Council on climate change initiatives or diversity, equity (sic) and inclusion … I think it would be better if you seek alternative careers.” True colours, seeping through, yes, but not by accident and, it seems, people agree with his world view. People are fed up of illegal migrants taking advantage of the UK. They’re fed up of doing menial, meaningless jobs in the gig economy. They don’t like paying through the nose to keep the house warm and yet, nobody seems to be listening. Disenchantment abounds…but Nigel says he sees us; hears us. Nigel is listening. That's what these results suggest people are thinking.
…Farmers hate Sir Keir Starmer, as do the disabled and vulnerable, following cuts to PIP payments. By not knowing what a woman was, until the grown ups at the Supreme Court cleared up that a woman is an adult human being who happened to have a vagina and ovaries at birth, he alienated half of the country. Now, for that reason alone, Reform’s shiny new MP for Runcorn and Helsby is worth a closer look, not least because she is the first woman MP on team-Reform, and she couldn’t be more different to the likes of Lee Anderson, the boorish oaf who rose to the very top of the Tory party before taking home his ball in a fit of pique, then whimsically defecting to Reform - an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of intelligence, and all that.
Sarah Pochin is - as far as I can tell - squeaky clean. Smartly dressed, comforting smile and, crucially, intelligent. A magistrate of 20 years, family-oriented, fiercely patriotic and demonstrably compassionate - she is on the record stating her sympathy for persecuted asylum seekers, fleeing torture. She is, whether you like it or not, plausible, likeable, credible, and those are all of the qualities Nigel Farage wants associated with Reform.
Whilst also on stage in Durham, he spoke of reindustrialising the north of England, bringing to market a surfeit of skilled jobs, instilling pride in working-class Britain. Again, whether you like it or not, Mr Farage is a world class communicator; he is no longer the audacious, crackpot, political freakshow. A home for the homeless. A place of protest. These are messages that are music to the ears of a once-proud, well-off north. On today’s evidence, Reform must be taken seriously. Very seriously. Especially by the Tories whose leader, Kemi Badenoch, as of 4.45pm today, with the Tory lawn scattered with decaying carcasses of those deposed, had decided the best course of action was to say absolutely nothing on the record. That’s not leadership, that’s cowardice. She turned up eventually in Peterborough, where she repeated that nobody in the country trusts the Tories anymore. She then said that her party was on track. It isn’t, by the way. It’s in tatters, facing an existential crisis. If that’s on track, I'd love to know what trouble for them looks like? At the time of writing, the Tories had lost 13 councils.
Sir Keir Starmer, to his credit, had said: ‘we get it.’ I’m not sure he does. I’m not sure anyone does just yet. Certainly, I can see nobody acknowledging the urgency with which the political elite must move if they are to head off ‘Reform-Quake’. Perhaps they can't.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage was on his hind legs, everywhere, heightening his momentum, soft-soaping the national sense of disillusionment with Westminster politics; skilfully articulating the frustration and anger of millions whilst, borrowing from the Trumpian playbook, demonising the mainstream media as being self-serving and out of touch with ordinary people.
Be under no illusion; British politics changed today. If it is a stretch to suggest Nigel Farage has a foot in the door of number 10 Downing Street, he certainly has a toe on the welcome mat. Nigel Farage has said the results are ‘beyond his wildest dreams’; for Mr Starmer and Ms Badenoch, make that their wildest nightmares. Whether or not he and his surging party have the stamina to sustain a meaningful, structurally robust, united push for power remains to be seen, but for sure Nigel Farage will be raising a pint of Bombardier tonight.
Ps: do not be surprised if, in the coming hours, the President of the United States of America says, whilst playing his imaginary accordian: “You know, Nigel is a good guy. A really good guy. He’s my kinda guy. Totally. We can really do business with this super, super guy, Nigel. We can do a deal that will make Britain great again.”

[davidjay]

Ahead of yesterday's elections, I am sure that there was a fair amount of digging around, to expose the toxic backgrounds of Farage's candidates.

A few were unmasked for what they are, but the archaeology can now begin in earnest. They are fair game for the local press, in particular, and it will be confirmed just how foul and endemic they are.

Local press? If Daniel from The Adver and his ilk stop trying to hit their twelve stories a day target from lurking on local Facebook groups and copy/pasting press releases they might just turn something up.

Don't blame Daniel. He's trying to get a foothold in the media; he's not well paid, he's got no wise old hack to show him the local ropes or a sympathetic editor who'll give him the time to research a decent story. He's got bosses whose only interest is in how many hits he generates, who know that a landlord's hilarious response to a TripAdvisor review will do the job better than saying a Reform candidate was once in the BNP and who will sack him if he doesn't hit his targets.

[Andy McDandy]

All I'll say is remember Truss doing the rounds of local radio and getting shredded. For her, it was supposed to be a fun morning in the provinces. For them, it was an FA Cup opportunity for giant killing. Rocky vs Apollo Creed.

[Rosvanian]

I've spent the last day wondering what Reform is actually going to do in the councils they control. Obviously the diversity officer will get the chop straight away and as will sustainability policies that aren't a lefal requirement. Does it mean no more bus lanes, cycle lanes, speed bumps, 20mph speed limits, parking spaces for people with disabilities? Reform despise pretty much everyone so they could do a lot of damage.

[Boiler]

Well, round here the crown of the main road running through the town is breaking up badly so it acts as a speed restriction in itself. However, the council did resurface all the footpaths recently to make them safer for pedestrians and the mobility-impaired, and the surface looks as though it will be better in bad weather (better grip).

My little bit of the council still has an Independent representing it, but this time you-know-who was nipping at his heels.

[Boiler]

I've spent the last day wondering what Reform is actually going to do in the councils they control.

I understand Chief Cunt is making noises about local government pensions.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I've spent the last day wondering what Reform is actually going to do in the councils they control. Obviously the diversity officer will get the chop straight away and as will sustainability policies that aren't a lefal requirement. Does it mean no more bus lanes, cycle lanes, speed bumps, 20mph speed limits, parking spaces for people with disabilities? Reform despise pretty much everyone so they could do a lot of damage.

I think you are pretty close to the mark, there, performative stuff, not based in evidence or need. Just 'common sense'...

[Andy McDandy]

I've seen ReFuck people complaining about access ramps and bobbly paving slabs by pedestrian crossings (so blind people know where to cross). Things that cost very little, and are overwhelmingly positive and they still hate them. They are beyond hope.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Pig ignorant bags of shite.

[Rosvanian]

Another thing that baffles me is the utter shite being said about how they're going to shine a light of council finances and contracts when all of that information has been available on every council website for the last 20 years. They're in for a hell of a shock when they they collide with reality.

[kreuzberger]

And the law, and the fact that the tories spent a decade and a half filleting council budgets. Revolutionaries? Not so much.

[RedSparrows]

Another thing that baffles me is the utter shite being said about how they're going to shine a light of council finances and contracts when all of that information has been available on every council website for the last 20 years. They're in for a hell of a shock when they they collide with reality.

It's just emotive bullshit. Vibes, as the kids say. They have, like MAGA, no interest in detail so long as the right people are getting punished, and so long as the funders and ideologues, who very much care about detail, get to work their evil in the background.

Empty vessels, moved around boards by the most cynical vessels imaginable. Their lack of grasp, willing or otherwise, means they, the stout yeomanry, the real English, those who know their ways and won't be told what to do, are as easy to play as a fucking one key piano.

[The Weeping Angel]

I reckon it's going to be like that episode of The Simpsons when Homer runs for sanitation commissioner and he ends up making a complete mess of Springfield.

[Youngian]

Winning Reform candidates are like the Sgt Bilko episode where a chimpanzee is accidentally enrolled into the army.

[Abernathy]

.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And even if there were, she would not have the power to dismiss them.

[Youngian]

That's what Reform want; woke judges suppressing the will of the people. Saw a poll showing immigration was the issue for 81 percent of Reform voters. All the rest of Farage's piffle was just noise.
No one wants a conversation about how to manage the economic consequences of a smaller workforce. Anti immigration brigade should be on it but they don't think through consequences. A Twitter twit suggested using more prison labour. Well that's a start I suppose.