I'm really worried whoever we get in they don't care about us working people. The trouble is all the older racists in the country will vote them in not looking at anything else they are proposing..I've heard they want to ruin the NHS
There's a fact check on this:I'm really worried whoever we get in they don't care about us working people. The trouble is all the older racists in the country will vote them in not looking at anything else they are proposing..I've heard they want to ruin the NHS
We know that when it comes to deciding who qualifies for what it becomes slippery groundHe was quoted in the Times in January as saying: “I was given almost pariah status for suggesting the NHS model isn’t working. I haven’t shifted my position. We’ve got to identify a system of funding for healthcare that is more effective than the one we have currently got, and at the same time carries those who can’t afford to pay.”
I feel like "at the point of use/delivery" doesn't really bring clarity to what it is he is suggesting either. It leaves the possibility that you may have to pay once you exit the buildingMr Farage has made similar comments for many years, when associated with different parties. For example, as leader of the UK Independence Party he said in 2012 that “I think we’re going to have to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare”, and in 2015 he told the BBC that the idea of replacing the NHS with an insurance-based system was “a debate that we're all going to have to return to”.
However, Mr Farage appears to have stood in recent elections on a platform of NHS care remaining free at the point of use. As we wrote in a 2016 fact check, UKIP’s 2015 election manifesto pledged to keep the NHS free at the point of delivery. And in 2019, when Mr Farage was leader of the Brexit Party, the party’s general election manifesto also pledged to keep the NHS “free at the point of use”.
What if you can't though what if you need medication every month (overactive thyroid) and need blood tests every 6 weeks will I have to pay every blood test every time I want medication what about dentists too? I don't like this and it seems all people are seeing is they are kicking immigrants outThere's a fact check on this:
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Is Labour right to claim Reform UK would ‘scrap the NHS’? – Full Fact
In the run-up to the local elections, Labour is warning Reform UK would make people pay to use the health service—a claim the party’s strongly denied. Full Fact looks at the evidence.fullfact.org
Farage doesn't seem to expand on what it is he actually means beyond probably dodge but I did find this bit concerning:
We know that when it comes to deciding who qualifies for what it becomes slippery ground
I feel like "at the point of use/delivery" doesn't really bring clarity to what it is he is suggesting either. It leaves the possibility that you may have to pay once you exit the building
The simple answer is that there's no clarity on what it is Reform is proposing outside the free at the point of use/delivery, and I hope that both their electorate and other MPs/parties push them to clarifyWhat if you can't though what if you need medication every month (overactive thyroid) and need blood tests every 6 weeks will I have to pay every blood test every time I want medication what about dentists too? I don't like this and it seems all people are seeing is they are kicking immigrants out
Definitely should clarify or we will be having another Brexit situationThe simple answer is that there's no clarity on what it is Reform is proposing outside the free at the point of use/delivery, and I hope that both their electorate and other MPs/parties push them to clarify
It’s not a ramble, it’s a wonderful personal example of how experience shapes our thinking. These stories are important and should be told and discussed. They matter, and anyone who’s genuinely interested in changing voting patterns should listen.I really like this idea. I don’t know if my experience counts as any sort of proof but this is how my views have changed:
Maybe a decade ago, if you’d asked me about Farage/UKIP/Brexit Party etc I’d have said: “all a nasty bunch of right wing facists, hateful idiots”
I was a remainer, europhile, liberal left wing type voter.
My in-laws are, husband is etc.
Now, at that time, I lived in a different area of the country - north west England, an area that was relatively diverse, not hugely affluent but not run down.
I got married, ended up living in a not so sparkly area of North Wales that’s been ruined by lack of investment, unemployment and over the last 5 or 6 years an unsustainable amount of immigration from Eastern European countries.
All our local shops have disappeared, all replaced by Eastern European supermarkets, vape shops and nail bars. The street we live on, English/Welsh speaking locals are the minority. You’re more likely to hear a Polish or Romanian language spoken when you step out the front door.
There’s no community or integration anymore and no sense of local bonds. I often feel threatened and scared and don’t go out alone anymore - we get lots of groups of single Eastern European young men hanging round on the streets causing issues.
We regularly have to get the police and social services out to our Romanian neighbours because of their awful behaviour towards each other and their children. It’s scary.
My opinions therefore have altered somewhat. I don’t think mass immigration works. Do I think we need some migration? Yes. Do I think it’s sustainable at the levels it’s at? No. Does that make me a right wing bigot? NO. It makes me someone who has seen both ends of the scale and has moderated my view.
If you asked my in-laws who live in an affluent area of NW England with little to no migration and in an almost exclusively white, British middle class street - they’d tell you that ‘all migrants and refugees are welcome’ - but funnily enough, they don’t want to come and visit us here, because it’s a ‘bit rough…’ and make fun of the fact their son and daughter in law are living in a terraced house in a run down area.
My husband is hanging on to the liberal, left wing - mustn’t say anything bad about immigrants, but he’s not happy here either.
Right, sorry for the ramble…
I agree, they should absolutely clarify their position on the NHS and other things.The simple answer is that there's no clarity on what it is Reform is proposing outside the free at the point of use/delivery, and I hope that both their electorate and other MPs/parties push them to clarify
Sure but the problem you have right now is that you have no real idea what Reform are proposing and how that might impact youHere’s the thing though, at some point things will get so bad that more and more people are going to start to think - or are already thinking (like me), - that all they really want is to have a functional healthcare system. And that they don’t really care what model is brought in as long as it’s better than the intolerable system we have now. And that being able to actually get a GP appointment in a reasonable time is more important than cult-worshipping the NHS and repeating “free at the point of delivery” to each other ad nauseam. There are many other models around the world to look at that have far better outcomes than ours. What exactly do we think we’re protecting by not even considering them?
But what precisely do you mean by “right wing extremist”? What sort of viewpoints specifically are you talking about that?Yes, a lot of them have become right-wing extremists. This shift is not only true of Reform voters; its happening in many parts of the world because its an economic not immigration issue.
Reform proposes lower taxes for everyone so that's also concerning when you take in the larger pictureThe only way to fix the NHS is to propose massive changes that affect the tax of everyone, and no one would ever be elected if they were honest about it.
I lived in the US and most certainly don’t want a system like that. But I think we need to find another solution and I am really up for hearing ideas. I agree that the conversation around point of delivery seems to be relaxing a little.Sure but the problem you have right now is that you have no real idea what Reform are proposing and how that might impact you
It seems that the idea that the NHS needs some changes and shouldn't necessarily be a 100% free is becoming less controversial these days as I have heard it mentioned more and more, but at the same time you don't want to end up with a system you cannot even afford to access due to a fear of costs. It's a bit like when you hear the Americans say not to call an ambulance in an emergency because it costs money
After 14 years of running the country to the ground I doubt you will see improvements instantly. Just a thoughtBut I do think (and I think others share this view) that 14 years of the Tories decimated the country and now Labour seems to be making things even worse, which is quite an achievement.
I’m not expecting instant improvements, but a government with sound economic policies who didn’t take money off old people, disabled people, kids and small businesses would be nice.After 14 years of running the country to the ground I doubt you will see improvements instantly. Just a thought
Reform UK's rise aligns with a broader trend of right-wing populism gaining traction across Europe and the United States. There are tonnes of examples of how and where this is happening. Reform's anti-immigration stance and critique of net-zero climate policies resonates with parts of the electorate feeling left behind by globalisation and rapid societal change.But what precisely do you mean by “right wing extremist”? What sort of viewpoints specifically are you talking about that?
100%. A characteristic of right wing extremism is to undermine democratic processes which Farage has done in the past with elections in Peterborough. And he aligns himself with people who have done the same like Trump with the 2021 Capitol attack.Reform UK's rise aligns with a broader trend of right-wing populism gaining traction across Europe and the United States. There are tonnes of examples of how and where this is happening. Reform's anti-immigration stance and critique of net-zero climate policies resonates with parts of the electorate feeling left behind by globalisation and rapid societal change.
Precisely. Farage would improve things for the average Brit like Trump is for the average US citizen.100%. A characteristic of right wing extremism is to undermine democratic processes which Farage has done in the past with elections in Peterborough. And he aligns himself with people who have done the same like Trump with the 2021 Capitol attack.
People who think Reform and Farage are a moderate party genuinely looking to improve things for the average Brit have their blinkers on to put it politely.
I struggle to tell if these people actually know what is going on and just think they won't be affected or if they're blindPeople who think Reform and Farage are a moderate party genuinely looking to improve things for the average Brit have their blinkers on to put it politely.
I think they get swept up in the populist narrative. I think Farage's one liners and soundbites appeal to people, and people switch off to the long winded counter arguments.I struggle to tell if these people actually know what is going on and just think they won't be affected or if they're blind