Thanks for holding out for some common sense. The irony is that Lowe’s critique of Reform and its messiah without any real policies seems to have disapplied to himself.
Lowe is an honourable man, but whilst I agree with some of what he says, just now, with no coherent policies and no great momentum for party building based on anything other than anti immigration, I’d say all most people can do is watch. Reform continues to tread a slippery slope of political naivety, and they too need to put more coherent policies in place that will help convince the electorate to trust them. Matt Goodwin is an intellectual, and if elected I hope he can argue for better policies with the help of the ex-Tories who claim to be not just there for the ride and MP salary. The problem also is Farage who is apparently as slippery as an eel, and it’s becoming difficult to be sure if his views are merely tokenism or diversions to hide what he really plans; this is no way to run a party that should have policies in place.
While I will still give Lowe six months grace I agree that he will probably never develop detailed policies to support his rhetoric but the one useful thing he will hopefully achieve is to puncture the Farage bubble.
That’s a great objective I must say. Yeah let’s screw Farage over and get screwed over ourselves by socialists and communists which will be far far worse. Absolutely ridiculous comment.
I was listening to the same garbage on X on Monday from some well know ethnonats orgasming with excitement about Restore. They seriously think 12 million legal immigrants can be deported. How brainless can you be. The smart way to do it is the Farage way which is to stop benefits. Or make them ineligible for all bar the basics.
I’ll tell you what will come after the next election if we get a hard left coalition and that’s a PR voting system that will guarantee left wing coalitions forever. Then maybe unrest and civil war.
You are not very well informed as Farage supports PR.
At the next election whether a right or left coalition the result will be a total fuck up with civil unrest that we must hope leads to reform that sets us up for a better future over time.
He has been in favour of PR historically but has been silent on the policy since the last election and favourable polls thereafter as you know. Hoping things turn out ok is a bit too Mr Micawber for me. I’d rather give someone who hasn’t fucked up a chance and not risk more loony socialists and communists.
He fucked up UKIP using it largely for his own personal gain and did not lead the 'OUT' campaign for Brexit and in all his time as an MEP never set about devising the best way to leave the EU and had his secretary, as he is a coward, sack Pete's father, Dr Richard North, for having the audacity to want to create a think tank to work on an exit plan which he eventually did on his own with his Flexcit document.
Farage in government will be as bad as the loony socialists I fear.
I'm afraid it appears you don't understand or know Farage.
First he will need a working majority which all pundits think unlikely and yes if he manages to win the likes of Jenrick may well run the Treasury better than Reeves which would not be difficult!
However on the number one issue of immigration he has no plan save endless rhetoric.
Finally Farage has a history of very poor leadership and doesn't do detail and as PM you first and foremost must be a good leader and have strong convictions.
Everyone on the right is to some extent ethno nationalist or immigration would not be fundamental issue at all. Deportations are not feasible at scale as things stand. What is feasible is a zero immigration policies relative to all countries materially poorer than Britain - all routes including via universities. If this cannot be achieved and immediately on right wing party coming to power then Britain will cease to be what we recognise and understand it to be.
Reform have said they’ll start withdrawing benefits from migrants not granted nationality or ILTR. That will remove the pull factor and act as an incentive to leave voluntarily. The Lowe idea of deporting 12million immigrants is a non starter.
There is basically one shot at this and while I agree deportations on just about any scale are impractical (see ICE) the messaging around Lowe’s position ought to have been that alone. It was actually damaging for reform (neo nazi ffs) to sound like a Greens tribute act and suggests a leftist mind that will simply fold in the face of resistance. Farage is no Thatcher and it’s someone of her ilk that’s needed. I’m also done with pretend right wing and think actually more harmful in government than the left
I don’t agree with you. All this is irrelevant unless you can win an election. That will require at least 31% of the vote. That in turn requires broad appeal. Reform must be elected in order to sort this mess out which mean it has to stop being a protest party or a single issue movement and develop broad appeal.
It’s also leading to a situation where Reform fanboys are fighting with Restore fanboys and assuming anyone who disagrees with them must be from the enemy tribe. It’s absolutely pathetic.
Simpler than that, I think it’s just tribalism. Neither party is anywhere near ready to govern a country yet, but their acolytes are already attacking anyone who criticises them. They’re fighting like ferrets in a sack but they don’t realise that nobody outside the sack is remotely interested.
It's incredible to read an article worried about optics and extremism and then goes on to defend Israel's killing of 70,000 people in Gaza.
Young people both Left and Right will have nothing to do with support for Israel. Defending this regime is for the next/ coming generation the ultimate dead end and credibility destroyer.
The question “Who is British?” is the critical question of our time and has been dodged by politicians and cowards for too long. Thank God for Rupert Lowe and those willing to endure the name-calling and have the debate out in the open.
"This is also where policy insulates you from cranks. It has not gone unnoticed that Restore’s policy offerings are slop."
What do you offer as evidence for this 'slop'? - That a researcher called 'Khaled' thinks saying 'Scrap Foreign Aid' indicates - 'No experience. No expertise. No substance. No serious policies.'
Simple 'Argument from Authority' slop, in other words.
I'll say it too - Scrap Foreign Aid. It didn't stop us being invaded by biomass from countries with a space program and nuclear weapons.
Thank you for the brilliant article 👏👏👏👏
Thanks for holding out for some common sense. The irony is that Lowe’s critique of Reform and its messiah without any real policies seems to have disapplied to himself.
Lowe is an honourable man, but whilst I agree with some of what he says, just now, with no coherent policies and no great momentum for party building based on anything other than anti immigration, I’d say all most people can do is watch. Reform continues to tread a slippery slope of political naivety, and they too need to put more coherent policies in place that will help convince the electorate to trust them. Matt Goodwin is an intellectual, and if elected I hope he can argue for better policies with the help of the ex-Tories who claim to be not just there for the ride and MP salary. The problem also is Farage who is apparently as slippery as an eel, and it’s becoming difficult to be sure if his views are merely tokenism or diversions to hide what he really plans; this is no way to run a party that should have policies in place.
While I will still give Lowe six months grace I agree that he will probably never develop detailed policies to support his rhetoric but the one useful thing he will hopefully achieve is to puncture the Farage bubble.
That’s a great objective I must say. Yeah let’s screw Farage over and get screwed over ourselves by socialists and communists which will be far far worse. Absolutely ridiculous comment.
I was listening to the same garbage on X on Monday from some well know ethnonats orgasming with excitement about Restore. They seriously think 12 million legal immigrants can be deported. How brainless can you be. The smart way to do it is the Farage way which is to stop benefits. Or make them ineligible for all bar the basics.
I've no idea how well you actually know Farage but I knew him well for the 10 years I was in UKIP.
I can assure who ever forms the next government they will fail and its what hopefully comes after the next election that is the key to our future.
I assure you Farage is a corrupting individual and is incapable of solving our problems.
I’ll tell you what will come after the next election if we get a hard left coalition and that’s a PR voting system that will guarantee left wing coalitions forever. Then maybe unrest and civil war.
You are not very well informed as Farage supports PR.
At the next election whether a right or left coalition the result will be a total fuck up with civil unrest that we must hope leads to reform that sets us up for a better future over time.
He has been in favour of PR historically but has been silent on the policy since the last election and favourable polls thereafter as you know. Hoping things turn out ok is a bit too Mr Micawber for me. I’d rather give someone who hasn’t fucked up a chance and not risk more loony socialists and communists.
He fucked up UKIP using it largely for his own personal gain and did not lead the 'OUT' campaign for Brexit and in all his time as an MEP never set about devising the best way to leave the EU and had his secretary, as he is a coward, sack Pete's father, Dr Richard North, for having the audacity to want to create a think tank to work on an exit plan which he eventually did on his own with his Flexcit document.
Farage in government will be as bad as the loony socialists I fear.
I'm afraid it appears you don't understand or know Farage.
First he will need a working majority which all pundits think unlikely and yes if he manages to win the likes of Jenrick may well run the Treasury better than Reeves which would not be difficult!
However on the number one issue of immigration he has no plan save endless rhetoric.
Finally Farage has a history of very poor leadership and doesn't do detail and as PM you first and foremost must be a good leader and have strong convictions.
Everyone on the right is to some extent ethno nationalist or immigration would not be fundamental issue at all. Deportations are not feasible at scale as things stand. What is feasible is a zero immigration policies relative to all countries materially poorer than Britain - all routes including via universities. If this cannot be achieved and immediately on right wing party coming to power then Britain will cease to be what we recognise and understand it to be.
Reform have said they’ll start withdrawing benefits from migrants not granted nationality or ILTR. That will remove the pull factor and act as an incentive to leave voluntarily. The Lowe idea of deporting 12million immigrants is a non starter.
There is basically one shot at this and while I agree deportations on just about any scale are impractical (see ICE) the messaging around Lowe’s position ought to have been that alone. It was actually damaging for reform (neo nazi ffs) to sound like a Greens tribute act and suggests a leftist mind that will simply fold in the face of resistance. Farage is no Thatcher and it’s someone of her ilk that’s needed. I’m also done with pretend right wing and think actually more harmful in government than the left
Conform has completely lost any populist energy and has become a recycling waste bin for failed Torys.
I don’t agree with you. All this is irrelevant unless you can win an election. That will require at least 31% of the vote. That in turn requires broad appeal. Reform must be elected in order to sort this mess out which mean it has to stop being a protest party or a single issue movement and develop broad appeal.
It’s also leading to a situation where Reform fanboys are fighting with Restore fanboys and assuming anyone who disagrees with them must be from the enemy tribe. It’s absolutely pathetic.
Civic-Nationalism v Ethno-Nationalism?
Simpler than that, I think it’s just tribalism. Neither party is anywhere near ready to govern a country yet, but their acolytes are already attacking anyone who criticises them. They’re fighting like ferrets in a sack but they don’t realise that nobody outside the sack is remotely interested.
It's incredible to read an article worried about optics and extremism and then goes on to defend Israel's killing of 70,000 people in Gaza.
Young people both Left and Right will have nothing to do with support for Israel. Defending this regime is for the next/ coming generation the ultimate dead end and credibility destroyer.
The question “Who is British?” is the critical question of our time and has been dodged by politicians and cowards for too long. Thank God for Rupert Lowe and those willing to endure the name-calling and have the debate out in the open.
This is weak.
"This is also where policy insulates you from cranks. It has not gone unnoticed that Restore’s policy offerings are slop."
What do you offer as evidence for this 'slop'? - That a researcher called 'Khaled' thinks saying 'Scrap Foreign Aid' indicates - 'No experience. No expertise. No substance. No serious policies.'
Simple 'Argument from Authority' slop, in other words.
I'll say it too - Scrap Foreign Aid. It didn't stop us being invaded by biomass from countries with a space program and nuclear weapons.
Take off the sunglasses and perhaps you will see better.