Reform UK's chronicles

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich

I think that says more about you (evidenced by your posts on here, you appear to view things either/or, rather than faceted/shaded), than about 16-17 year olds; also, anecdata should not inform policy…

Not sure "gerrymander" is emotive enough - why not use "steal"?

Also, what makes you think that the 1.63 million 16-17 olds are a homogeneous group? A poll last year showed them prospectively voting Labour at 28%, followed by the Greens on 26% and the Liberal Democrats on 20%. In contrast, the Conservatives were on 9% and Reform UK on 8%.

I don’t understand how over 68% of 16-17 year olds prospectively not voting for Labour is "gerrymandering"…

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

They have in Wales

[jem]

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by jem

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

And if you're still socialist in you're 50's, you're a really nice person, unlike everyone else

Originally Posted by jem

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

lf is doing a lot of heavy lifting. So much so that anything after it may be ignored.

[Sephiroth]

Could you be more specific, please? Do you think I'm generally wrong?

Or put another way, once the youth emerge into the capitalist world, the leave socialism or its offshoots behind? As people in our sort of society mature, their political outlook changes. Did yours?

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

I think that says more about you (evidenced by your posts on here, you appear to view things either/or, rather than faceted/shaded), than about 16-17 year olds; also, anecdata should not inform policy…

Not sure "gerrymander" is emotive enough - why not use "steal"?

Also, what makes you think that the 1.63 million 16-17 olds are a homogeneous group? A poll last year showed them prospectively voting Labour at 28%, followed by the Greens on 26% and the Liberal Democrats on 20%. In contrast, the Conservatives were on 9% and Reform UK on 8%.

I don’t understand how over 68% of 16-17 year olds prospectively not voting for Labour is "gerrymandering"…

But they are predominantly left wing parties. Young people tend to be idealists, not understanding as much as they think they do, heavily influenced by what their left wing teachers have been telling them.

As they start to get life experience, many of those who understand the need to work for a living start to change their minds about where they stand politically. Becoming better off starts to be an aspiration, so they know where their loyalties should lie.

[Sephiroth]

OB is spot on.

[Carth]

As a teenager I didn't give two monkeys about politics, it was all music, football, girls and drinking (in no particular order).

Similar to Seph, politics reared it's head a few years after getting married and buying a house. Unlike Seph, my interest in who did what when and why in politics soon waned and that crock of shit got ignored while I got on with life.

Never really had any time for people who can't answer a question without resorting to vague and meaningless gobbledygook, especially mature supposedly intelligent people that argue like school kids scoring points in the playground when discussing how to run a damn country.

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Could you be more specific, please? Do you think I'm generally wrong?

Or put another way, once the youth emerge into the capitalist world, the leave socialism or its offshoots behind? As people in our sort of society mature, their political outlook changes. Did yours?

Mine did. As I got older and began to see the inequalities in the UK mostly because of the sod you as long as I'm alright attitude of the right of centre parties and the quest for ever greater profits at the expense of the people who are actually out there earning those profits.

I think we should be a more compassionate and inclusive society and certainly don't like seeing the hatred that seems to be becoming the accepted face of the 'civilised' country we profess to be.

Call me a lefty if you want - I really don't care.

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by GrimUpNorth

Mine did. As I got older and began to see the inequalities in the UK mostly because of the sod you as long as I'm alright attitude of the right of centre parties and the quest for ever greater profits at the expense of the people who are actually out there earning those profits.

We pay our staff very well , and yes at the end of the day if it's case of staff or family. then sod the staff. Yes they know this and guess what, we treat them so very well few leave the "firm" before they retire

[1andrew1]

Whilst all eyes are on No 10, Farage is now being investigated for his undeclared £5m gift.

Nigel Farage will be investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over his failure to declare a £5mn gift he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in the run-up to the 2024 general election, according to people briefed on the matter.

If upheld, the allegations could lead to the suspension of the Reform UK leader from the House of Commons and a by-election in his constituency.

Farage admitted earlier this month that he had received the money from Harborne in 2024, describing it as a gift to make him “safe and secure for the rest of my life”.

He insisted that he did not need to declare it as it was not related to his decision to stand as an MP.

MPs are obliged to report financial benefits they receive in the 12 months before being elected. Farage was elected in July 2024 but did not record the gift in his parliamentary register of interests.

https://www.ft.com/content/3ac372a0-...syn-25a6b1a6=1

Oh, come on!

Who amongst us has not received a £5,000,000 gift from an overseas-based crypto billionaire with no strings attached?

I mean, it’s obviously a pure coincidence, and there is no reason to believe that when he said on the 23rd of May 2025 he wasn’t going to stand as a Candidate in the upcoming General Election, him receiving an undeclared £5,000,000 donation in late May 2024, and then stating on the 4th of June 2024 he was going to stand as a Candidate in Clacton and become (again) Leader of Reform UK, that there is any connection between those events…

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Oh, come on!

Who amongst us have not received a £5,000,000 gift from an overseas-based crypto billionaire with no strings attached?

These things can happen to anyone. And Christopher Harbornen is a genuinely patriotic Brit who just chooses to live in another country. He doesn't care if a Farage-led government deregulates cryto-currencies, that's just a coincidence.

The left-wing media are just picking on Farage because they want us to be ruled from Brussels!