I deplore Jim Ratcliffe's words. (owner of Man U)

Nothing to be worried about then.

Exactly, Maizie. Reform are not surging in the polls. Right wing media propaganda.

In January 2025 Reform were polling at 24%. In January 2026 22% - combined sources You Gov and More in Common. Minus two is not a surge.

Rupert Lowe entering the fray, behaving more like the Schutzstaffel every day from his £600 an hour rantings on X, could split the far-right vote.

Most people I know detest Farage and Lowe. Depends who you chose to mix with.

A surge is for The Greens up from 20% to 49% in a year with young people who detest what those two parties stand for.

Oreo

I think a lot of it is downright laziness, if a job needs a walk and a busride to get to then it’s too much trouble, if it involves any work at the weekend it’s ‘but that’s when I see my friends’ ( I actually heard that) or if shift work is involved.
There are some genuine reasons why working age people find doing a job stressful, but simply not the huge number that are presently living off benefits.

I would say it's not quite as "black and white" as that. I was an office worker and that's what I'd trained for/got qualifications in etc and had had over a decade basically being an office worker before unemployment hit for the first time (started work at 18 and "redundancy" hit in my early 30's). So I certainly thought it was fair enough to expect to remain an office worker and with those workhours of around 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and holidays being when I chose for them to be. Maybe a replacement job might have happened that bit sooner if I'd not "held out" for around equivalent. But yep....by the time you've spent your entire worklife to date basically doing what you trained for = you've moulded your life around "your" work pattern (ie knowing it's a sitting down job/in an office/your evenings and weekends are your own). So yep....evenings and weekends was when I had my social life/went to evening classes if I decided to/the events that were part of being a "political activist" (as I was for decades) happened. Personal social events probably couldnt be transferred to different times - and all the other constituents of my life generally couldnt be transferred to different times.

I can see just how that would have gone down if I'd said "Yep I'm an officer of this, candidate for that, etc and all my friends also work office hours = you'll have to change all that to suit me personally for however long I have to do antisocial hours for". They wouldnt have done so and it wouldnt have been reasonable for me to expect them to do so. Cue for I could have landed up having to spend decades not able to actually "live my life" - despite being single and so having to "have a life". It could have been a long long wait - up until my 60's to get a life back.....

If someone hasnt basically started work yet/hasnt basically established how their "life" is yet = that's one thing. But it's different for someone who is already "living their life", has already established what their own workhours are.

Most people in my experience do agree with sundowngirl, that is why Reform are surging in the polls.

Far from 'surging in the polls' Reform is actually slightly down and flatlining at the moment. Perhaps it's reached it's peak.
Farage is also the second least popular party leader, just below Starmer.

You probably just live in an echo chamber. Most people I know detest Farage and Reform. It means nothing really.

lemsip

he dared to say what so many others think! free speech, or have we lost the right?

Anyone who believes that anyone should be able to say anything about anything without limit and that that would be a ‘good’ thing is a bit silly.

As with Reform it’s something that has an element of truth to it but has been twisted to suit a right wing narrative.

he dared to say what so many others think! free speech, or have we lost the right?

I find links to verified sources is useful on threads where wild claims are being made. If that doesn't happen they can just become people swapping prejudices back and forth. 'The earth is flat'. 'No it's not'. 'Well, al my friends say it is.' etc

I can rarely watch videos in posts (not because I can't be bothered, but for logistical reasons) but do follow up links to text-based information when I can. Sometimes I am posing between doing other things, though, so I just don't have time to read long articles - I might intend to go back later, but then life takes over. I prefer to see a paragraph or so cut and pasted into the post, and a link provided so I can click on it if I can/am able to do so.

Casdon -
You disagree with my post, which is you prerogative.

So are you saying that you agree with Grandmabatty, that, if we are concerned about the level of immigration, you consider us to be racist?

I occasionall on a thread, do go back and count how many posters[not posts] agree with something or dont.

If I had more time[and enthusiasm] I would on this thread.

fwiw, I did a week or two on one.
To my surprise, it was 7 posters for something and about 26 against. I wasnt even sure there were more than against, before I actually counted.

I read the replies Meandogrog. It’s not rocket science. I said thread by the way, not forum.

When you say rocket science, I dont understand which you think.
That there are more posters are agreeing with sundown? or less. On this thread.

After all JR is their hero and he set a great example about being factually correct 😂😂🤞

Maremia

Thank you to all the GNs who take the time and trouble to research, identify and post links to support their points of view.

Oh come on - much more fun to continue posting bathed in ignorance.
But seriously, of course you’re right, and it’s a pity that not everyone feels that way. But we know why.

Thank you to all the GNs who take the time and trouble to research, identify and post links to support their points of view.

Vintagewhine

Not being bothered to read is why many replies are ignorant of the facts and based on hearsay and prejudice using words like "invasion" and "millions" . As they say, you can take a horse to water etc

Obviously the links are chosen by the poster to reinforce their arguments or beliefs and sometimes come from very vague sources.
Some are just lists of stats and you can see from the times that people post, after such a post, that they have not even looked at the links.

Not being bothered to read is why many replies are ignorant of the facts and based on hearsay and prejudice using words like "invasion" and "millions" . As they say, you can take a horse to water etc

Casdon

Primrose53

sundowngirl

Grandmabatty- so unless we welcome people from other countries (and I assume that includes those illegally arriving by boat) we are to be labelled “racist and wanting to live in an all white enclave with others who look the same as they do”

You say you want an intelligent conversation about immigration. Labelling those that are concerned about the level of immigration as racist is no way to go about it

Best post on here tonight. 👏

You mean the post that best accords with your own views. Other people on this thread do not in most cases share your views,

I rated the post “best” because it is concise and direct and, above all, honest. Well done sundowngirl.

It doesn’t include countless links to other sites which few people can be bothered to read.

Casdon

Meandrogrog

Casdon

Primrose53

sundowngirl

Grandmabatty- so unless we welcome people from other countries (and I assume that includes those illegally arriving by boat) we are to be labelled “racist and wanting to live in an all white enclave with others who look the same as they do”

You say you want an intelligent conversation about immigration. Labelling those that are concerned about the level of immigration as racist is no way to go about it

Best post on here tonight. 👏

You mean the post that best accords with your own views. Other people on this thread do not in most cases share your views,

I do, well done sundowngirl!

Just out of interest Casdon, how do you know that people on this forum in most cases do not support the view of sundowngirl? Most people I speak to in the ‘ real world’ certainly do.

I read the replies Meandogrog. It’s not rocket science. I said thread by the way, not forum.

Your reply does sound like ‘the voice of authority’. Most people in my experience do agree with sundowngirl, that is why Reform are surging in the polls. Even EU countries are cracking down on illegal immigration. I was reading about that yesterday.

Basgetti

Sorry, that was in response to sundowngirl. I wasn’t able to quote for some reason.

As the uk birth rate declines and the elder population grows, who is going to g to look after old people?

We need immigrants wanting to become UK citizens and raise families now more than ever.

We're already losing jobs in retail due to internet shopping, with technical advances and AI in the future, people will be glad of job opportunities in the care industry. It is a worthwhile, rewarding job, and there will always be a need for it. We do not "need immigrants wanting to become UK citizens and raise families now more than ever." We can easily fill vacancies with our own.

foxie48

Doodledog Sorry if you found my reply smug. It was meant to be helpful but clearly you found it irritating. Apologies!

No, not you😀

I meant people who use the ‘there is no pension pot’ line as though they are the only ones who realise. It’s very tiresome when the majority of people are fully aware of how it works.

I wasn’t referring to anyone on this thread (unless they make a habit of doing that😈) but making a general point.

Sorry, that was in response to sundowngirl. I wasn’t able to quote for some reason.

As the uk birth rate declines and the elder population grows, who is going to g to look after old people?

We need immigrants wanting to become UK citizens and raise families now more than ever.

Not if the indigenous population continues to decline.

Basgetti

Furret

It is a dreadful thread MaisieD isn’t it? I would have thought that Elders like us would be able to sort facts from the fiction being spread by the likes of Radcliffe, Musk, Farage and Trump - to name but a few of the millionaires pushing their own agenda.

Most people of our age are, 67 and 61. This is a nation built on immigration, for millennia. Most sensible people understand and appreciate that.

That’s not to say that there aren’t concerns about people crossing the channel in boats. Of course there are. The most obvious being the danger to those people - people - in those boats.

In the grand scheme though, it’s a very small proportion of immigrants entering the UK.

“This nation is built on immigration for millennia” however more immigrants arrived in the uk since 1997 when Tony Blair opened the floodgates, than in the previous 200 years.

As previously stated this is unsustainable

Furret

It is a dreadful thread MaisieD isn’t it? I would have thought that Elders like us would be able to sort facts from the fiction being spread by the likes of Radcliffe, Musk, Farage and Trump - to name but a few of the millionaires pushing their own agenda.

Most people of our age are, 67 and 61. This is a nation built on immigration, for millennia. Most sensible people understand and appreciate that.

That’s not to say that there aren’t concerns about people crossing the channel in boats. Of course there are. The most obvious being the danger to those people - people - in those boats.

In the grand scheme though, it’s a very small proportion of immigrants entering the UK.

Meandrogrog

Casdon

Primrose53

sundowngirl

Grandmabatty- so unless we welcome people from other countries (and I assume that includes those illegally arriving by boat) we are to be labelled “racist and wanting to live in an all white enclave with others who look the same as they do”

You say you want an intelligent conversation about immigration. Labelling those that are concerned about the level of immigration as racist is no way to go about it

Best post on here tonight. 👏

You mean the post that best accords with your own views. Other people on this thread do not in most cases share your views,

I do, well done sundowngirl!

Just out of interest Casdon, how do you know that people on this forum in most cases do not support the view of sundowngirl? Most people I speak to in the ‘ real world’ certainly do.

I read the replies Meandogrog. It’s not rocket science. I said thread by the way, not forum.