[davidjay]

He's not 'just' a councillor, he's lead on adult social issues and deputy council leader.

[Andy McDandy]

If any more evidence were required, Reform is not about people (save for the few at the top). It's not about policies either, nor the ability to get things done. When they talk about fraud and waste, it's in the Elon Musk sense of "money spent on things I don't like". It's about rejecting it all, as a massive fuck you to a system they think hasn't done enough for them. While I can see the appeal in Jaywick (if not condone it), in rural Leicestershire it's just selfishness.

[Youngian]

'But look at the great team I can muster,' is not your strength Nigel. Or is he saying his team are crap not him?

Nigel Farage is voters' last choice to be Prime Minister - as he's branded 'political fraud'

Asked about the poll results, Mr Farage said the UK did not have a “presidential election” and he needed a “team of people that look competent and capable of going into government”. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... e-35293893

[Abernathy]

To be frank, I’m getting heartily sick of all this talk of Farage as a possible future Prime Minister and Reform as a credible future government.

I know that the Tories are meant to be circling the drain, that Badenoch is a fucking albatross round the Tories’ neck, that Labour is suffering poll-wise after what is perceived to be a lack-lustre and disappointing first year performance in government, and that Reform did moderately well in the recent local elections and in the by-election in Runcorn.

BUT the frog-faced grifter has zero credibility as a potential PM. Most decent people find the idea repugnant and unthinkable. His opportunistic embrace of lifting the Tories’s two child benefits cap just isn’t credible (Mel Stride of all people did a pretty good demolition job of it this morning and anyway, the cap is actually popular). The next election is still years away.

We should certainly be wary of continuing to treat Reform and Farage as a bad joke. They are a demonstrable electoral threat. But I do find it distasteful to hear them/him being afforded such serious credibility.

Politically, mind, Starmer may be tactically right to play along with the notion that Farage/Reform have in effect replaced the Tories as the principal opposition. A declining Tory party and an insurgent Reform UK might just make it easier for Labour to slide through the middle right back into government.

[davidjay]

What Reform have got is a compliant media - no minor party in history has ever had such widespread, uncritical media coverage. What they haven't got is an electoral machine. They'll find it hard to get activists on the streets, particularly if they meet concerted local opposition. Most of all, with the exception of Frogface, their leaders are as media-unfriendly as you can get.

[The Weeping Angel]

Considering all the media attention, it is ironic that Badenoch is more popular than Farage.

[Oboogie]

Considering all the media attention, it is ironic that Badenoch is more popular than Farage.

She's the leader of the opposition - the second biggest party in the UK, of course she's going to attract a lot of media attention and be popular, there's nothing ironic about that.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I think he meant all the media attention on Fargle.

[Oboogie]

I've (thankfully) not seen Farage on the media for ages, I think he's avoiding awkward questions about his toxic relationship with Trump. Tice and Pochin are the two Refuckers I see most frequently these days.

[The Weeping Angel]

Considering all the media attention, it is ironic that Badenoch is more popular than Farage.

She's the leader of the opposition - the second biggest party in the UK, of course she's going to attract a lot of media attention and be popular, there's nothing ironic about that.

Consider how inept Badenoch is and how much media attention Farage gets.

[Oboogie]

Considering all the media attention, it is ironic that Badenoch is more popular than Farage.

She's the leader of the opposition - the second biggest party in the UK, of course she's going to attract a lot of media attention and be popular, there's nothing ironic about that.

Consider how inept Badenoch is and how much media attention Farage gets.

Consider that the Tories have 120 MPs and Reform have 5MPs; now you may consider that's proof that Reform are more popular than the Tories but I disagree because 120 > 5.

[The Weeping Angel]

Well, polls show Reform outperforming the Tories, so there is an irony in Badenoch being more popular than Farage.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I agree, I think this is surprising. And suggests that the Tories may not be done, especially if Farage does more of his (attempted) serious policy mode.

[Youngian]

Wasn’t the poll showing whether the electorate as a whole prefers Badenoch over Farage? Half of which aren't ever going to vote for either.

[The Weeping Angel]

I see Nigel's gotten into crypto.

[Boiler]

As has been pointed out elsewhere, that'll also anonymise donations to his 'party' nicely.

Feeding the blockchain and AI will kill this planet.

[davidjay]

Reading BTL there seems to be yet another perfect circle Venn diagram between Crypto is the Future and Wake Up Sheeple con trails vaccines NWO.

[Andy McDandy]

Yes, more Alexander Pope than Dunning and Kruger, but the same ballpark. A little knowledge becoming blind faith, because that little knowledge is what sets you apart.

[The Weeping Angel]

[satnav]

Every couple of years the board of the Peak District National Park publishes a report claim that the board needs millions more pounds of funding to carry out essential work. The report usually also suggests that each visitor to the park paid 10p each visit the books could easily be balanced. This year the newly elected leader of the county council has seized on the reported and publicly stated that visitors should pay £1 per visit. Quite how this payment would be collected given that there must be hundreds of roads going in and out of the national park. It also seems to be at odds with the Reform parties stance on charging cars and vans using roads in London and other cities.

It just smacks of a leader desperately searching for policies that he can unveil after being elected on a fairly empty manifesto.