The Reform UK Party (latest nigel farage vehicle) is it to be laughed at or not
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The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Well i've been up all night again
Party time wasting is too much fun
Then I step back thinking
Of lifes inner meaning
And my latest fling
Party time wasting is too much fun
Then I step back thinking
Of lifes inner meaning
And my latest fling
moochedit
I'm not feeding seagulls
Excellent love a bit of rw infighting
no idea who "ben habib" is though. I don't think he is one of the elected mp's.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
"the movement we have created doesn't belong to us"
though I will kvetch about not being given a position I feel I deserve despite winning zero seats personally.
Jaimie Lannister sends his regards
though I will kvetch about not being given a position I feel I deserve despite winning zero seats personally.
Jaimie Lannister sends his regards
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
It makes sense for Tice to become deputy leader, as he's in the commons, but they could have given Habib the chairman position, as he's been with the party since launched as the Brexit Party, was elected as an MEP in 2019, got a massive 21.5% vote share in the GE, and is totally loyal to Farage and Tice.
But, guess who's the new chairman is? That bloke* that bunged the party £200k during the campaign.
* ETA - Zia Yusuf, a Muslim entrepreneur,
But, guess who's the new chairman is? That bloke* that bunged the party £200k during the campaign.
* ETA - Zia Yusuf, a Muslim entrepreneur,
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Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
"The movement we have created doesn't belong to us, it belongs to the people. But unless Nigel lets me stay as Deputy Leader I am going to throw my toys out of the pram and resign"
The biggest threat to the growth of right-wing populism over the past 30 years has been its tendency to split over power struggles/ambition/ego.
These tendencies have been far more damaging to them than any challenge mounted by its liberal opponents and is the reason why they have been unable to properly or sustainably fill the vacuum of political representation.
It’s also the key reasons why Reform has been set up as a 'business' rather than as a democratic political organisation: to stop nutters destroying it from the inside.
Habib, who always strikes me as a particularly unpleasant and unreconstructed neo-con, doesn’t seem to have got the memo. And it appears that the adopted business model has failed to make Reform any more stable than any of its predecessor vehicles.
Some form of split less than a week after the General Election would be some going though, even for them!
The biggest threat to the growth of right-wing populism over the past 30 years has been its tendency to split over power struggles/ambition/ego.
These tendencies have been far more damaging to them than any challenge mounted by its liberal opponents and is the reason why they have been unable to properly or sustainably fill the vacuum of political representation.
It’s also the key reasons why Reform has been set up as a 'business' rather than as a democratic political organisation: to stop nutters destroying it from the inside.
Habib, who always strikes me as a particularly unpleasant and unreconstructed neo-con, doesn’t seem to have got the memo. And it appears that the adopted business model has failed to make Reform any more stable than any of its predecessor vehicles.
Some form of split less than a week after the General Election would be some going though, even for them!
GarveyLives
Well-Known Member
He has been one of Reform UK Party Limited's most prominent front men, most recently on the BBC's Question Time on 5 July 2024.
He is perhaps best known for stating that Britain should allow humans seeking asylum in the UK to drown the English Channel.
Bingoman
Well-Known Member
His taken well
He has been one of Reform UK Party Limited's most prominent front men, most recently on the BBC's Question Time on 5 July 2024.
He is perhaps best known for stating that Britain should allow humans seeking asylum in the UK to drown the English Channel.
steeplejack
trapped lbw for a duck
Nonentities descend into infighting and a bored trawl of social media and Talk TV (?) youtube clips seem to indicate that Reform’s grassroots customers are not happy with the sidelining of Habib & the downright weird “Dr” David Bull from their prominent roles. Bull has already announced that he is returning to be a full-time Thunderbird puppet on, er, Talk TV.
Habib clearly is a ghastly individual. Reform may be right-populist rather than fascist, but in both types of organisation endemic instability is caused by everyone wanting to be the Führer.
The major shareholder will shrug & continue. But the penny may be dropping with some Reform customers that they are there to pay, wear turquoise in public & laugh at Farage’s jokes on cue during election campaigns- they needn’t expect any say in policy or internal discussion.
Habib clearly is a ghastly individual. Reform may be right-populist rather than fascist, but in both types of organisation endemic instability is caused by everyone wanting to be the Führer.
The major shareholder will shrug & continue. But the penny may be dropping with some Reform customers that they are there to pay, wear turquoise in public & laugh at Farage’s jokes on cue during election campaigns- they needn’t expect any say in policy or internal discussion.
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
Farage claimed he had 'resigned' from GB News to take up the leader's position with Reform, I never believed him, he was just taking time off during campaign, it was clear to me that he would return, it's too lucrative for an old grifter like him, and guess what?
He's back, although only 3 instead of 4 days a week.
www.mirror.co.uk
He's back, although only 3 instead of 4 days a week.
Nigel Farage announces return to GB News after taking seat in Parliament
Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, formally took his seat in the House of Commons as the representative for Clacton on Thursday, but will soon be returning to TV screens next week
www.mirror.co.uk
andysays
Love and solidarity
Farage claimed he had 'resigned' from GB News to take up the leader's position with Reform, I never believed him, he was just taking time off during campaign, it was clear to me that he would return, it's too lucrative for an old grifter like him, and guess what?
He's back, although only 3 instead of 4 days a week.
Nigel Farage announces return to GB News after taking seat in Parliament
Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, formally took his seat in the House of Commons as the representative for Clacton on Thursday, but will soon be returning to TV screens next week
Aren't there rules which prevented anyone who's standing as a candidate appearing as a presenter on a politics programme, which no longer apply now that the election is over?
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
Yes, but that's not the point, he made a big thing about 'leaving' GBN, not just taking a break, about how hard the decision had been, because he had enjoyed the job, etc., very much suggesting he wouldn't be going back, but that was all just bullshit.
It's his usual grift to get double the media attention, like announcing he wasn't standing as a candidate to make headlines, then announcing he would after all, and get more headlines. He's done the same here, loads of media attention of his return to GB News, which would not have happened if he originally just said he was taking a break during the campaign.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
Yes. This is always the litmus test for Reform or for any populist organisation. The tendency to autocracy has undermined successive efforts by the far right and right populists over the past 30 odd years. In each case the pattern is the same – popular support, a breakthrough, the breakthrough gives rise to tensions as the tops start to squabble over power, control and direction, a split, fallback, rapid collapse and then the eventual emergence of a new organisation and the reproduction of the same cycle.
It appears that Reform is inevitably going to follow the same path given that it is essentially a vehicle for Farage and assumes adherence to the cult of personality. It will therefore fail to become the organisation that delivers a real breakthrough for the right populists here.
But the FN was like that once too. In their case the emergence of a younger generation – Bardella types – bringing organisation, discipline and energy and a visible change in the class composition, age, gender, race of its leadership propelled its growth and stability. With all of that came presence and a structure with sustainability. There is no reason I am aware of to think that this could not also emerge here.
France, of course, in not Britain. But the conditions a) popular and widespread disdain for discredited elite liberalism b) a supposed left centrist government signed up to the management of the agenda of the rich c) divisive culture wars d) further cuts to public services and wages and e) the crumbling authority of the establishment parties inevitably means a large poliitcal space will remain ripe.
The absence of the left in the UK – and by that I mean any credible form of left, a pro working class left appears impossible – guarantees that as more and more people give up on Labour/Tories and look for alternatives there is only one place where they are going to go.
Once the ludicrous and groundless optimism of the commentariat and middle class centrist orgasm over Starmer has subsided (and that isn’t going to be far away) focus here needs to turn to realignment, electoral reform and ideas to engage the populist right.
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
It's also going to be interesting to see how long Anderson lasts in Reform, he has a big mouth, and there's only room for one mouth in the party - Farage.
When he was a councilor he was suspended by the Labour party and switched to the Tories, when they suspended him, he joined Reform, despite having been critical of them, saying they were not a proper political party, and calling Tice a pound shop Farage, so where will he go next?
Clearly accepting him into Reform was just a opportunist move, Farage/Tice probably sees him as a bit of a oik, and he's certainly not a multi-millionaire like them, and their new chairman, I am not convinced their 'love' will last long, plenty of opportunity for trouble there.
When he was a councilor he was suspended by the Labour party and switched to the Tories, when they suspended him, he joined Reform, despite having been critical of them, saying they were not a proper political party, and calling Tice a pound shop Farage, so where will he go next?
Clearly accepting him into Reform was just a opportunist move, Farage/Tice probably sees him as a bit of a oik, and he's certainly not a multi-millionaire like them, and their new chairman, I am not convinced their 'love' will last long, plenty of opportunity for trouble there.
Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Seems to me there's some mileage in working toward a big event/series of events around the centenary of the general strike
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
And maybe launching a campaign or organisation off the back of that
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
My great uncle Wally in Elephant and Castle got three months hard labour for his participation in the general strike:
Yep, General Strike 100 would be great
From Nine days in May: the 1926 general strike in Southwark.
Yep, General Strike 100 would be great
Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
My great uncle Wally in Elephant and Castle got three months hard labour for his participation in the general strike:
From Nine days in May: the 1926 general strike in Southwark.
Yep, General Strike 100 would be great
As long as it involves striking of Reform MPs. With milkshakes only of course.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
My great uncle Wally in Elephant and Castle got three months hard labour for his participation in the general strike:
From Nine days in May: the 1926 general strike in Southwark.
Yep, General Strike 100 would be great
Reckon Camden trades council would be interested, and could get some seed money off trade union branches. Reckon mine might provide £250-300 without much difficulty. Be good to work with some of the radical historians to get pamphlets together and organise eg guided walks. The orgreave campaign might be a good ally too, I know some people involved in that (sure many others do too). I'm thinking something over say a month in '26, culminating in a conference on the contemporary situation and relevance of the gs now, and rally / demo in central London. But obvs just sketching out possibilities - think we could get the ball rolling this summer and autumn and launch early next year
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
Pickman's model, would be an idea to start a thread about this idea, it's going to get lost in amongst other stuff on this Reform thread.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Yeh I'm going to in a moment
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Thread here General Strike 100And don't forget charlie mowbray
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
This is what always happens to these anti-politics political parties. It happened to the bnp, only in these days of accelerationism the wheels have come off the bus mere minutes after they'd been fastened on
emanymton
A cat politely sat on the flaming gardener.
I was wondering recently if the modern far right has a problem in how hyper-individualistic it has become? A complete rejection of any authority or obligation to society?
But I'm probably just talking out of my arse as It was while watched some stuff on sovereign citizens, which are not typical I guess.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
Good analysis in the FT showing how Reform’s retro neo-conservative economic politics places a limit on its support, and how the most successful populist parties are generally on the left on economic questions and to the right on social issues…
www.ft.com
What we got wrong about the populist right
It would be naive to see the UK as immune to this phenomenon; Reform UK is not yet ready
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