The Reform UK Party (latest nigel farage vehicle) is it to be laughed at or not

[cupid_stunt]

UKIP was a party primarily about leaving the EU...leave won referendum and it fizzled out

It fizzled out, because Farage resigned, after Robinson was appointed as an adviser, and set-up the Brexit/Reform instead.

The success of UKIP/Brexit/Reform were/are about just one man.

 

[skyscraper101]

My view is that at least half of the popularity of Reform is based around Farage’s personality, much like Trump is to the Republican Party. And that’s only exacerbated by the fact Starmer, and Badenoch lack any charisma let alone any of that pint drinking man of the people shit which people are so easily conned by.

So like replace him with who? There’s literally nobody in Reform that I can think of that has Farage’s level of appeal. They’d need a Clarkson or someone.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

My view is that at least half of the popularity of Reform is based around Farage’s personality, much like Trump is to the Republican Party. And that’s only exacerbated by the fact Starmer, and Badenoch lack any charisma let alone any of that pint drinking man of the people shit which people are so easily conned by.

So like replace him with who? There’s literally nobody in Reform that I can think of that has Farage’s level of appeal. They’d need a Clarkson or someone.

Musk seems to favour Rupert Lowe. Which tells us a) that you are right and b) that Musk really does know nothing…

 

[agricola]

My view is that at least half of the popularity of Reform is based around Farage’s personality, much like Trump is to the Republican Party. And that’s only exacerbated by the fact Starmer, and Badenoch lack any charisma let alone any of that pint drinking man of the people shit which people are so easily conned by.

So like replace him with who? There’s literally nobody in Reform that I can think of that has Farage’s level of appeal. They’d need a Clarkson or someone.

TBF I think Farage's personality is less important than him being identified by many people as the person who "opposed this", from Blair onwards. His opposition was always, to use the Russian phrase, systemic opposition compared to someone like Corbyn but that is what IMHO is behind his sustained success, much more than his man of the people bollix.

 

[steeplejack]

Musk seems to favour Rupert Lowe. Which tells us a) that you are right and b) that Musk really does know nothing…

What a fucking joke

Lowe is like the old non-Farage leaders of UKIP; voter-repellingly weird and more than likely to issue a 40,000 word manifesto calling for things like the return of National Service and the mandatory wearing of ties for gentlemen and skirts for ladies, whilst having luncheon in a hotel

 

[gosub]

What a fucking joke

Lowe is like the old non-Farage leaders of UKIP; voter-repellingly weird and more than likely to issue a 40,000 word manifesto calling for things like the return of National Service and the mandatory wearing of ties for gentlemen and skirts for ladies, whilst having luncheon in a hotel

Tbf recent visits to the opera and the west end I did wish the audience had made more of an effort

 

[Serene]

I think farage told trump he is the prime minister and trump still doesnt know that he isnt, but musk googled it this week and found out reform isnt in power.

 

[two sheds]

Have we had this? Not just Farage of course

Inside private members' club bash where guests laugh at Hitler jokes and sing 'we're all racist now'

The dinner was attended by Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Liz Truss, Robert Jenrick and Lee Anderson among other high-profile political figures.

www.thelondoneconomic.com

The London Economic has obtained footage from a Tory Party private member’s club which shows guests laughing at Nazi jokes and the host singing “we’re all racist now”.

The dinner, hosted by media outlet Guido Fawkes, was attended by Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Liz Truss, Robert Jenrick and Lee Anderson among others, and offers an extraordinary insight into where the right is now.

Just days before the event took place in November, both former PMs had laid wreaths at the cenotaph and Reform UK leader Farage had kicked up a stink about not being invited to the remembrance commemorations.

They were guests of honour as comic Dominic Frisby sang: “We’ve lost our way, long past our best. So I suggest maybe we should have let the Nazis win.”

To raucous laughter, Frisby went on: “They wouldn’t have stood for the state that we’re now in. The roads would be fine, the trains on time, we’d all have second language.”

 

[Dystopiary]

Musk seems to favour Rupert Lowe. Which tells us a) that you are right and b) that Musk really does know nothing…

Another man of the people. From wikipedia:

Lowe was born on 31 October 1957 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.[4] He was educated at Radley College, an all-boys independent boarding school, and the University of Reading. He then worked in the City of London for companies such as Morgan Grenfell, Deutsche Bank and Barings Bank where he worked with rogue trader Nick Leeson.[5] He was also a board member of the London International Financial Futures Exchange. He founded Secure Retirements, a quoted care home provider, with Andrew Cowen, later the Southampton F.C. Vice-Chairman.

Lowe stood for election as the Referendum Party candidate for The Cotswolds in the 1997 general election.

Rupert Lowe is a multi-millionaire.

 

[Lotte]

Tbf recent visits to the opera and the west end I did wish the audience had made more of an effort

Yeah, but I'm not putting heels, make-up, gloves and a hat on just to go shopping. I did go smart casual for a Christmas concert at the Phil though, not sure if you would have approved but it was black trousers, Chelsea boots, a long-sleeved dress worn as a top and earrings.

Sheds, I've seen that. It's so depressing that we're far enough from WW2 that Brits can openly say they're Nazis and that Hitler was a good guy really, he just attacked the wrong people. As for second languages, plenty of us do have that but the problem is, loads of kids aren't doing languages at school now and schools are dropping languages as a subject because there isn't the interest, and I'd guess the assumption that everyone speaks English is part of that. And I'd have thought modern languages were a bit woke for the far right, no? Except Latin.

 

[brogdale]

Have we had this? Not just Farage of course

Inside private members' club bash where guests laugh at Hitler jokes and sing 'we're all racist now'

The dinner was attended by Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Liz Truss, Robert Jenrick and Lee Anderson among other high-profile political figures.

www.thelondoneconomic.com

Hands up who thinks it's wrong to joke about being ruled by Germans?

 

[brogdale]

This has, undeniably, made accepting the Musk-treasure a whole lot harder for the refUKers.

should have added "under Farage's leadership"!

Who'd have thunk that it would all come crashing down so quickly!

 

[brogdale]

Certainly looks like the claims that Musk and Farage were engaged in 4D chess beyond our ken were a little wide of the mark.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Yeah, but I'm not putting heels, make-up, gloves and a hat on just to go shopping. I did go smart casual for a Christmas concert at the Phil though, not sure if you would have approved but it was black trousers, Chelsea boots, a long-sleeved dress worn as a top and earrings.

Sheds, I've seen that. It's so depressing that we're far enough from WW2 that Brits can openly say they're Nazis and that Hitler was a good guy really, he just attacked the wrong people. As for second languages, plenty of us do have that but the problem is, loads of kids aren't doing languages at school now and schools are dropping languages as a subject because there isn't the interest, and I'd guess the assumption that everyone speaks English is part of that. And I'd have thought modern languages were a bit woke for the far right, no? Except Latin.

One of the biggest colleges in Manchester, not just for 16-19 year olds, but offering adult education, professional and vocational courses in the day and evening, etc, used to have a language centre. I learned conversational Arabic in evening classes for about three years, on and off. I also did a French course. They also offered eg Urdu, Chinese, as well as other European languages.

I think their finances went to shite when they had a chief exec who went on a building binge, wanting to build lots of big shiny new buildings. So they ended up making loads of cuts. The language centre went, around the time Brexit happened. (They still offer English language and literature A levels, I think, and also ESOL classes, but that's it.)

I mean, how short-sighted? Lots of multilingual Europeans were leaving around the time of Brexit, many driven out by racist rhetoric, we were closing the doors to more moving here, we weren't as welcoming to overseas students, and Brits are - generally speaking - notoriously monolingual, except for those who've been brought up in a multilingual/different mother tongue household.

At a time when you might have thought that the government would be promoting and encouraging language learning, they did f-all.

I mean, if you're a politician who doesn't want 'all those foreigners coming here and taking our jobs' but some of those jobs require eg German language skills, or Spanish, or Chinese, or whatever... but the local college closed it's language centre and isn't teaching those languages any more, how are people supposed to train to do those jobs?

But tbh, it's not all about jobs, I think all children, and adults, really, should be able to access language learning, whether to improve their own language or learn/improve others. People need to be able to communicate with one another, learn about other cultures and societies.

 

[Lotte]

I am biased because I've always loved languages and how people say words in different languages and language families and that kind of thing. My first family holiday was to Portugal and I loved reading the phrasebook, and my mum had this big French kids' dictionary with loads of pictures and I was always reading it. I hate the attitude to languages in this country. Not everyone speaks English! Not even in big cities!

You look at foreign footballers and how many of them speak different languages (Romelu Lukaku is like an IRL version of Joey from the Chalet School books with his ability to pick up languages), and you wonder how many of their English team mates would cope going abroad and if they'd bother to learn the lingo.

 

[brogdale]

Many a true word....

 

[nightowl]

I sadly fear the Musk rejection and standing firm on Robinson will play into Farage's hands. I do find the latter situation a bit odd as personally I can't see much of a fag paper between them. Their words ultimately lead to the same kind of poison seeping through society.

 

[Happy Tree]

Farage is scared of Robinson taking over. If Musk sticks to his guns Farage could be bought off. But he was right to say he'd never sell out his principles; he has none to sell.

 

[nightowl]

It's interesting to cast an eye over the reader comments under the coverage in the usual right-wing media suspects. I expected some Robinson support but was surprised at just how many think he's a decent bloke.

 

[Serge Forward]

Local paper article on the Refukkers Leicester meeting.
I was told to go back to where I came from at Reform's conference

 

[krtek a houby]

It's interesting to cast an eye over the reader comments under the coverage in the usual right-wing media suspects. I expected some Robinson support but was surprised at just how many think he's a decent bloke.

And not just in the UK. There's people on Irish social media (and elsewhere) who veer from "he's sound and only standing up for what he believes in" to "he's been silenced by the Jews/media/establishment/deep state/Marxist liberals" etc.

It's depressing and is only getting worse.

 

[cupid_stunt]

How ironic!

Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe has launched a scathing attack on Elon Musk, stating the tech billionaire "has no clue what he's talking about" following his criticism of party leader Nigel Farage. https://archive.ph/R8b4V

 

[Brainaddict]

I know it's all grubby oligarchical fixing going on, but there's something funny about Musk saying Farage is not up to the job, for no apparent reason. Whatever you think of Farage (and I think he's rancid scum), he's the most successful politician in this country since Tony Blair. Just bizarrely idiotic to start gunning for him with almost zero understanding of UK politics.

 

[krtek a houby]

I know it's all grubby oligarchical fixing going on, but there's something funny about Musk saying Farage is not up to the job, for no apparent reason. Whatever you think of Farage (and I think he's rancid scum), he's the most successful politician in this country since Tony Blair. Just bizarrely idiotic to start gunning for him with almost zero understanding of UK politics.

Reckon hes extremely impatient and controlling and gets stroppy when things dont go his own way. His lack of comprehension doesnt seem to be a barrier to his shit posting and politics.

 

[brogdale]

View attachment 458280

How ironic!

I'm conscious this will look like nothing more than hindsight but, since the possible "$100m" was reported, I became increasingly suspicious of why the donation had not just been made. The delay seemed somehow odd; maybe Musk wasn't convinced that Farage had the bottle to go full-on fash?

 

[Gerry1time]

I'm conscious this will look like nothing more than hindsight but, since the possible "$100m" was reported, I became increasingly suspicious of why the donation had not just been made. The delay seemed somehow odd; maybe Musk wasn't convinced that Farage had the bottle to go full-on fash?

Interesting point. I wonder if the conversation was around 'adopt these policies and I'll give you this money', and the deal just didn't work out. I doubt this is Elon walking away from British politics though. I get the impression that between this, and the AFD stuff, he's to some degree playing an international relations role for the new administration too, trying to shape Europe the way they want it shaping.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I know it's all grubby oligarchical fixing going on, but there's something funny about Musk saying Farage is not up to the job, for no apparent reason. Whatever you think of Farage (and I think he's rancid scum), he's the most successful politician in this country since Tony Blair. Just bizarrely idiotic to start gunning for him with almost zero understanding of UK politics.

But, he thinks he fully understands UK politics, because he's been reading all about on, err <checks notes>, twitter.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I'm conscious this will look like nothing more than hindsight but, since the possible "$100m" was reported, I became increasingly suspicious of why the donation had not just been made. The delay seemed somehow odd; maybe Musk wasn't convinced that Farage had the bottle to go full-on fash?

Yeah, I never believed that "$100m" figure, I forget where it first came up, but it was some nutjob outlet, like the Express, Mail or GB News, it seemed pure fantasy to me, in the back of my mind I thought at most it would be $1m, if anything.

 

[krtek a houby]

But, he thinks he fully understands UK politics, because he's been reading all about on, err <checks notes>, twitter.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

But, he thinks he fully understands UK politics, because he's been reading all about on, err <checks notes>, twitter.

Musk is basically a child with no filter. Surely his only appeal can be the pots of cash he holds? Hopefully he can sabotage the right a little more before he fucks off.