Beware the Reform hype
Why there are reasons to be hopeful...
The election results last week were – on many levels – chastening.
There’s no joy in seeing a radical, cruel, unpatriotic party leading in the polls. Reform victories, no matter how small, are bad news for the poorest and most marginalised people in Britain – for the environment, the economy, and for our collective sanity.
However, it’s clear that Reform’s performance has been significantly overhyped – and I’ve written a new piece (free to read) for Novara, spelling out why that’s the case.
A year ago, Nigel Farage was swaggering towards a majority. Some polls predicted a total wipeout – the entire country paved turquoise. That’s not the case today. If last week’s results are replicated at the next general election, Reform will fall well short of a majority. Their momentum has gone into reverse, even if much of the media says otherwise.
All is not lost.
Farage wants to write the story of the next election before a ballot has been cast. He wants it to be seen as a coronation, making it pointless for the media to scrutinise his multi-million-pound crypto “gifts”, his incoherent policies, and racist candidates. He wants us to resign ourselves to Reform rule.
We shouldn’t let him. The results were excruciating but they were far from definitive. There is too much time before the next election – and British politics is too volatile – to make any premature assumptions.
It may not seem like it, but last week’s results gave us reasons to be hopeful. And we must all use those glimmers of hope as fuel for the fight ahead.
Hi Sam
While there's every reason to expose Farage, about which you are doing a great job, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that last week the progressive parties (and we'll include Labour despite some recent policy decisions) won more seats than the parties of the right
The oligarch owned mainstream media, and the BBC, still has a two party mindset, in a multi party era
The UK remains a country with broadly centre left values, which a majority wishes to vote
That perspective needs to be presented wherever the debate about Farage occurs
Thanks for all your heavy lifting
Does anyone else out there share my hopes that, when it comes to the election in the UK, many will look at what Trump has done to America and fight shy of a radical vote?