Another Farage trainwreck

In a press conference today, a journalist asked Nigel Farage about comments from Danny Kruger. Kruger said “Reform can have a limited but important role in undoing elements of the sexual revolution”. Farage was asked if we can expect any rolling back in these areas under a Reform government. The short answer was “No”.

Journalist Nick Dixon was less than impressed. He remarks:

Farage reassures the media that Reform will not do anything socially conservative. He then claims abortion is not a party political issue, only an issue of conscience. But that’s obvious nonsense, since every state needs to set a limit on abortion. Ours is one of the most extreme in the world at 24 weeks. Is he saying we should go all the way up to birth as long as the individual is fine with it?

It’s just more proof that Reform is an extremely liberal party and lacks serious thinking on social issues. And to the extent that there are relatively serious thinkers like Danny Kruger, they are undermined by Farage’s shallow and meaningless statements on these issues.

This is another prediction of mine coming true. Regardless of what Danny Kruger comes up with in terms of intellectual substance for the party, it will be overruled by Farage for expediency. Policy is whatever the leader says it is at any given moment, and Farage will always duck anything contentious. As such, developing policy for Reform is a completely futile exercise while Farage is running the show. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Kruger/Orr resigns in frustration at some point in the future.

The problem, though, is that there isn't a viable alternative. The online right is pushing hard for Restore Britain to be more TradCon on social issues, but to a large extent, Farage is right. The public won't wear it. While most do not support full term abortion (which Reform might very well reverse) women aren't going to vote for a party steered by zoomer boys who see women as little more than instruments of demographic correction.

This is an emergent problem for Restore in that it’s fishing in a certain barrel, where aside from the casual antisemitism, you’ll routinely bump into the zoomerwaffen who think women shouldn’t even vote. There is also a major incel vibe coming off the Lotus Eaters fanboys. There is a reason young women are voting for left wing parties.

This is one of the reasons I think Restore Britain is a non-starter. As Donna Rachel pointed out earlier, “the echo chamber does not merely amplify the signal, it distorts the map. The people inside it cannot perceive the vast territories of the electorate into which their message does not penetrate — the apolitical, the moderate, the disengaged, the millions who do not follow political accounts and have never listened to a political podcast — because those territories are, by definition, outside their field of vision”. I might add women to that list.

So this is becoming quite the conundrum. Reform is increasingly drifting off the point. Today’s press conference was to announce the defection of an ex Labour Party mayor, who asserted “Anybody who is here legally is a British citizen and entitled to the full support of the British state”. Rupert Lowe responded with “This is an absolutely insane thing for a Reform politician to say” - and he’s not wrong.

As such, Reform becomes more diluted by the day. Pressure from Restore may be forcing more red meat rhetoric, but a party’s median position is ultimately dictated by its front line members. Connor Tomlinson remarks “Reform continue to play Ship of Theseus with the uniparty, unveiling today two underwhelming Labour defectors, who argued immigration is good "because of the food" at the press conference. Farage has fatally misjudged the mood of his base and the country”.

So that then leaves us with a liberal party under Farage, tyring to ride two horses (and falling off both), and undefined hybrid nationalist party run by an undisciplined slop merchant, who is temperamentally identical to Farage. At this rate the Tories could end up looking credible just by standing still. I’m certainly leaning in the direction of voting for Alec Shelbrooke who is a decent enough constituency MP. I’m not yet seeing a good reason to trade him in for a novice belonging to a dysfunctional populist rabble. Either way, it doesn’t look like the right is going to win in 2029. We don’t deserve a victory.