Some early reactions:
1) The Scottish Greens’ co-leader, Ross Greer, has dismissed Reform UK’s plan as “pathetic” and “Trumpesque”. He said: Reform are now openly threatening voters and not only that they’re threatening them with a power they don’t actually have. This is absolutely pathetic. People across Scotland are proud of the fact that this is a welcoming country that shows solidarity to people who need it. Reform are essentially saying ‘If you don’t vote the way we want you to, we will punish you’.
2) Fraser Nelson, Times columnist, “Another significant evolution in Reform’s style of politics. Its proposed internment camps will only be built in parts of the country that vote for its rivals. This is a new departure for UK politics: rejecting the idea of PM-for-all and instead a new partisan style.
3) Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times’ chief foreign affairs commentator, “I think most British people believe in the basic principle that no matter who you vote for, the government will treat you equally under the law. Yusuf’s plan to put detention camps in Green voting areas violates that. It is trolling as public policy and I think will damage Reform.
4) David Aaronovitch, the Radio 4, “The practical and legal problems seem insuperable. No non Reform local council would agree to it. So it’s not really a serious policy. The biggest concentrations of illegal migrants are almost certainly in the cities. You shouldn’t confuse them with the asylum seekers being accommodated in hostels. It’s likely that potential Green voters are already living among them”.
^Parliament ignore silent people at their peril.
Both silent and noisy people have a right to vote in a General Election every five years or sooner (or more frequently in local elections). They have the same "voice" as everyone else.^
Yes.
But silent people are ignored.
Their opinions and thoughts.
But they have the same voting power.
And I often think there are more silent people than vocal ones.
MissAdventure
I think reform are more popular than people give them credit for.
Certainly, none of the other parties have dealt with assuaging peoples worries.
I (sadly) agree.
I think that they are totally misguided, especially given the behaviour of Reform’s Leader.
However, these people, in the main, feel disenchanted, disengaged and overlooked.
I’m not sure they are overlooked, but they feel they are and having an entire cohort of people, much maligned and despised by most of the media, to blame and immigration being the most important thing on their agenda, are very much attracted to an eloquent and friendly chap as Farage.
To me, Farage is a grifter and a smiling assassin, to his “followers” he’s literally their messiah.
God help us, and them, if Reform win a lot of seats and overall control of several councils on Thursday, many, many of their candidates are not local and if previous Reform Councillors are anything go by, they have not the slightest clue what being a councillor actually entails.
Still, one reaps what one sows.
Parliament ignore silent people at their peril.
Both silent and noisy people have a right to vote in a General Election every five years or sooner (or more frequently in local elections). They have the same "voice" as everyone else.
If Reform ever legitimately come to power in Westminster they can try to pass laws that do the things they say they want to do. But as I explained above, it would be a practical impossibility with not one single person with any experience of government.
This is not the USA. Unlike Trump, a Prime Minister cannot sign executive orders on a whim with a Sharpie pen.
The UK government can enact secondary legislation but as it is not made by parliament, the principle of parliamentary sovereignty – which usually prevents courts striking down legislation – does not apply to it. This means that secondary legislation can be challenged in the courts and quashed. This gives the judiciary an important role in policing the exercise of power.
Any major change Reform tried to enact would have to go through the very long process of debate and legislative scrutiny in both Houses.
If Farage and Yusuf think they would be able to behave like Trump, they would soon have a rude awakening. Actually, I dont think they are that naive ...but they think their supporters are.
There-in lies the death of democracy.
Whitewavemark2
Kandinsky
Punishing voters for not voting for you must be illegal surely!!
‘Punishing’? Why is it a punishment to have people you want here ( migrants) living in your community?
You should be delighted! ……but clearly not.
A case of NIMBY if ever I saw one.You entirely miss the point!!
The punishment is seen by the Reform idiot and of course their supporters, not anyone else.
But whatever - it is illegal to threaten voters with anything if they vote the “wrong” way.
Not missing the point at all, its an excellent idea.
Strikes me Farage is a bit desperate to make such a threat.
Autumncolours
I’m a Green supporter and certainly not ‘bonkers’ Oreo! Everyone is entitled to their views without their sanity being questioned.
I’ll be voting Green on Thursday.
Our Green candidate is my next door neighbour. He’s not bonkers, neither am I.
He’s a truly dedicated person, honest and up front and lives his vision of saving, or at least preventing more damage to, our precious planet.
He will work tirelessly for his ward and is visible and available to put in the 100% of effort and has lived locally for over 20+ years.
In our part of Essex Reform have gained a huge amount of support, our polls, (for what their worth) currently show:-
Reform 29%
Green 27%
Labour 26%
Our ward Reform candidate has appeared from nowhere, the other contenders are all well known local people.
Kandinsky
Can’t see the problem?
Surely anyone who votes Green would welcome having 1000’s of migrants living amongst them?
I’m surprised they’d have an issue tbh.
You cannot see the issue? Perhaps you are part of the problem?
It’s simply not democracy!
Also, I’m
Not aware that anyone supporting the Green Party is in favour of detention centres.
MissAdventure
I think reform are more popular than people give them credit for.
Certainly, none of the other parties have dealt with assuaging peoples worries.
I agree. Probably on both points.
People, and Parliament in particular, ignore silent people at their peril.
And by silent people, I dont even mean those who post on social media.
I’m a Green supporter and certainly not ‘bonkers’ Oreo! Everyone is entitled to their views without their sanity being questioned.
I think reform are more popular than people give them credit for.
Certainly, none of the other parties have dealt with assuaging peoples worries.
Kandinsky
No, it’s based on reading 1000’s of posts on here by the left wing contingent.
So no evidence that can be substantiated then? Just a general feeling?
Luckygirl3
Thank you for clarifying this. I am very glad that it is illegal. Who is going to report him?
Hopefully this is already being looked at.
No, it’s based on reading 1000’s of posts on here by the left wing contingent.
Thank you for clarifying this. I am very glad that it is illegal. Who is going to report him?
As you are quoting my post, Kandinsky, I am assuming that remark is aimed at me. I am just stating the law. You know nothing about what bothers me. You should apologise.
Kandinsky
*It is indeed illegal*
So is entering our country on the back of a lorry but you’re not too bothered about that.
Now you are making assumptions based on nothing whatsoever.
It is indeed illegal
So is entering our country on the back of a lorry but you’re not too bothered about that.
Crossed posts, WWM. It is indeed illegal.
I find it a very disturbing development.
It’s also illegal, a breach of the Section 114A of the Representation of the People Act 1983.
The Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division should investigate.
Kandinsky
*Punishing voters for not voting for you must be illegal surely!!*
‘Punishing’? Why is it a punishment to have people you want here ( migrants) living in your community?
You should be delighted! ……but clearly not.
A case of NIMBY if ever I saw one.
You entirely miss the point!!
The punishment is seen by the Reform idiot and of course their supporters, not anyone else.
But whatever - it is illegal to threaten voters with anything if they vote the “wrong” way.
Punishing voters for not voting for you must be illegal surely!!
‘Punishing’? Why is it a punishment to have people you want here ( migrants) living in your community?
You should be delighted! ……but clearly not.
A case of NIMBY if ever I saw one.
LemonJam
It's a shift in UK politics I've not seen before- ie using a threat to secure votes. The consequence, if you do not vote for us, we will be that we enact the threat, for your area but not the areas in which we won the constituency vote. This just may be the first of many threats. That is, a dictator/authoritarian style of campaigning and subsequent government.
A new low.
This was my first thought. I find it a very disturbing development.
It is highly likely that they would ever be in a position to action the threat, but just the concept of canvassing by threat is deeply unacceptable.
It us the norm to say that if you don't vote for me x, y, z is likely to happen because of the policies of another party, but to speak of active threats is quite chilling.
What a charmer he is.
valdali … even if Reform got a majority & formed a government, they couldn't make it happen. And I'm sure Reform know this, but they seem to think their supporters are too stupid to realise.
It won’t make anything happen. A Reform "government" simply wouldn’t be able to function.
Parliament would grind to a halt within weeks. The next UK general election is scheduled to be held no later than 15 August 2029. I doubt Reform could make it past October 2029 conference season.
For a start, there are 149 ministerial posts to fill, currently shared by 122 people. There are 22 cabinet ministers.
Currently Reform has only 8 MPs. Only two have any ministerial experience (Braverman (sacked twice) and Jenrick (sacked once) and one with a small amount of shadow experience (Kruger). Current polling says that if there was an election now, all three would lose their seats. Their constituents are not happy that they defected.
If that were the situation come 2029 or sooner and Reform were able to win a simple majority of 326 seats, what would happen next?
Assuming the other five MPs retained their seats, there would be a Prime Minister and four other MPs none of whom have any ministerial or shadow ministerial experience whatsoever plus 321 completely new MPs. Looking at the poor calibre of people standing (and elected as local councillors last year), chances are the calibre being elected to Westminster would be the same.
In addition, there would be an unelected Home Secretary (Yusuf) who could not enter the House of Commons to make statements and answer questions. The “Great Offices of State”, are the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, and Foreign Secretary. Whatever we may think of past and present holders of that office, they were experienced MPs.
How could Farage possibly fill 149 ministerial posts without bringing in a large number of unelected people, again who could not enter the House of Commons? It would be an undemocratic, unworkable shambles.
(In 2024, when Labour took office, there were also a lot of new MPs but also 180 with previous experience including shadow Ministers rot from a new Cabinet.
People forget that there is a huge amount of committee work done in Parliament that the public never sees (unless it tunes in to watch coverage on Parliament Live TV); people to serve on select committees, people to scrutinise legislation and so on. And that’s before legislation goes to the House of Lords which Reform would have to stuff with hundreds of new peers to get anything passed. And that would have to get past HOLAC and the King.
In other words, it doesn’t matter what outrageous and divisive schemes Reform propose in order to appeal to their supporters, they could never function as a democratic government.
Farage is a lot of things but he isn’t a fool. For all his noise and bluster he knows this and will be gone before 2029 after which the cult that has grown around him will collapse. If the Parliamentary Committee on Standards has any teeth over the £5 million bung from Harborne he will be gone by Christmas.
Meantime, he will do all he can to disrupt so expect to see more local councils come under Reform control on on Friday. The chaos that will ensue from that as adult social care and SEND budgets are cut to pay for flags and floral St George crosses on roundabouts will be bad enough but that’s as far as it can go.
Meandrogrog
Whitewavemark2
I would have thought that this is illegal under the 1983 Act.
Punishing voters for not voting for you must be illegal surely!!
If it isn’t that they need to change the Act pdq.Given your views, why is it a punishment?
Do you think there would not be Reform voters in that constituency Meandrogrog? How would they feel if their own party treated them in a way they perceived as unfair compared with other Reform voters?
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