No, not really. The outcome of both Kingswood and Wellingborough was predictable enough. Labour took both seats. Reform UK came in third with around 10% of the vote. This is a good thing as in both seats, it cost the Tories dearly. That, frankly, is the only good news. 10% is nowhere near enough for a seismic shift under FPTP. The twat from Lewisham who took Kingswood gave us the usual moronic platitudes about the people of Kingswood voting for change. No! That is precisely what the majority did not vote for. The majority voted along the same bovine, tribal lines as usual. The middle right ground was split by the 10% of us who did actually vote for a change. The rest, the majority, voted for the same shit from the same liblabcon arsehole as usual. Labour did not win last night, the Tories gave both seats away due to their continued ineptitude.
It’s depressing, frankly.
It is depressing that the top two parties are still the one that really, really deserves to lose and the one that really doesn’t deserve to win.
It was too much to hope that Reform could win or even come 2nd, but that 13% or so at Welly if reflected throughout the land should ensure the Tories are soundly thrashed at the general election, which is exactly what they deserve.
Short of going round unplugging televisions all over the country i don’t see how you can stop a pre programmed electorate in general from unthinkingly nay automatically doing as instructed and voting uniparty.
Exactly. >10% across two by-elections, beating the LibDems (almost beating their popular vote at the last GE, despite a dramatically lower turnout), really isn’t bad for a new party. And, as UKIP showed us, you don’t have to win; you just have to make sure the Tories lose.
Hell, the Greenists have managed to take over the entire country on less.
It’s what they deserve. But results in a huge Labour majority, which is the last thing the country deserves. If they then, which they will, spend the whole parliament inviting every dinghy rider in the world to live here, giving votes to sixteen year olds, and to EU nationals living here, then it’s safe to say, Labour will be in for good.
And no matter how bad the Tories, that is a disaster.
And in many areas, Reform ARE Labour. Look at Rochdale – Simon Danszuk for Gods sake – ex Labour discard, surrounded by sleaze accusations.
Reform have their noses in the trough just as firmly as the others, it seems….
I don’t think anyone expects Reform (or Farage come to that) to be the knight in shining armour this country so needs.
What i hope for personally is the complete and final destruction of the tory party, whatever the labour version of uniparty does over the next 5 years can it really be worse than what the un-conservatives have done over the last 13 years in particular, for crying out loud they’ve even bought that steaming pile cameron sone of bliar back into un-government, they are taking the piss and they have to not just lose but be annihilated as a party.
And that’s the error.
Of course what Labour can, and will, do will be worse than whatever even these worst of all world Tories can do.
Of course they are worse- if you think not, then I’m afraid you simply haven’t been paying attention.
And, the second point is that we really aren’t talking about 5 years. We are talking 25 years or more.
Lots of people don’t even know who they are. Hopefully a good campaign will do them some good. Even if Labour get in you don’t know how long they’ll be in for as people won’t be happy if they don’t sort out the problems.
Not an ‘even if’. Reform (who are in many areas simply Labour. They are even using ex-Labour MPs for goodness sake (and ones who left under a cloud of sleaze allegations).
And your point about “people not being happy” is so very naive.
Once in, every Labour policy will be to ensure they can never be forced out of power.
Double the number of new arrivals by dinghy
Increase votes by giving votes to sixteen year olds
Give votes to EU nationals living here
Give votes to prisoners.
Nope. Once in power, Labour will never leave. That’s what a vote for reform does. Heck, if I was Labour, I’d be bigging up reform for all I can.
Not that the Tories deserve my vote either. But I’ve already had my mp deselected. By joining up and voting. You can do that too.
Statistically dodgy, I’m afraid. In both by-elections yesterday ‘the majority’ actually did NOT vote, indeed more than 60% of the electorate stayed away for whatever reasons, that’s the majority position.
Of the minority who did actually vote, it is true that most of those few voted as they always have, the uniparty, and as they probably always will.
That disaffected majority needs to be Reform’s target. If they can somehow demonstrate they aren’t just another lobe of the uniparty they might significantly improve on that 10% or so.
Of course that requires they actually not BE a lobe of the uniparty. Having a load of Tory MPs defect to them would be a disaster.
It was that disaffected majority that won it for Brexit. The Reform Party needs to galvanise that cohort again to achieve anything.
So they might get 15%
By my reckoning it gets them one seat. Barnsley.
One.
And gives Labour around 450.
Which they will use to never, ever leave.
We’ll only get a better country once we have a better electorate. Blaming the politicians for pandering to the interests of the feckless and selfish is missing the point.
Well, they are bringing in the new electorate at ever increasing rate, not sure that will make the country better though.
I wouldn’t consider adding murderers, rapists, drug dealers etc as improving the electorate. But then, I’m not part of the blob so what do I know?
It will make it more Labour.
That’s going to be one of the ways they will retain power.
Getting coverage on main stream TV woukd help, BBC was very quiet about reform as was Itv. If they can retain third party place they can get involved in debates nearer an election.
Then again maybe there are Tories that want to change things and are stuck in their party confines. A few jumping ship will increase the profile of reform.
A bit like Brexit party, if you vote for them you are being dubbed racist. They need to get across its being logical not racist to want to limit immigration and stop the illegal migrants.
Reform are simply Labour’s stooges. The6 have no hope of power in any form under FPTP
https://youtu.be/KbA-_CQfE0c?si=HO7MRqQ2WNQCgSDV