UK General Election 2024 #2

[Miss Begotten]

Reform's 'contract' is not to be taken seriously

Reform UK manifesto: a reaction | Institute for Fiscal Studies

An assessment of the tax and spending changes proposed in the 2024 Reform UK general election manifesto.

ifs.org.uk

Carl Emmerson, deputy director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “Reform UK proposes tax cuts that it estimates would cost nearly £90 billion per year, and spending increases of £50 billion per year. It claims that it would pay for these through £150 billion per year of reductions in other spending, covering public services, debt interest and working-age benefits.

This would represent a big cut to the size of the state. Regardless of the pros and cons of shrinking the state, or of any of their specific measures, the package as a whole is problematic.

Even with the extremely optimistic assumptions about how much economic growth would increase, the sums in this manifesto do not add up.

Im not sure that you need the Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies to work out that Farage’s manifesto, which he probably wrote last night on the back of a fag packet was a festering pile of nonsense.
He’d have been better off just going with “Yay racism” and leaving the rest of the pages blank.

 

[Moley1]

Reform's 'contract' is not to be taken seriously

Reform UK manifesto: a reaction | Institute for Fiscal Studies

An assessment of the tax and spending changes proposed in the 2024 Reform UK general election manifesto.

ifs.org.uk

Carl Emmerson, deputy director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “Reform UK proposes tax cuts that it estimates would cost nearly £90 billion per year, and spending increases of £50 billion per year. It claims that it would pay for these through £150 billion per year of reductions in other spending, covering public services, debt interest and working-age benefits.

This would represent a big cut to the size of the state. Regardless of the pros and cons of shrinking the state, or of any of their specific measures, the package as a whole is problematic.

Even with the extremely optimistic assumptions about how much economic growth would increase, the sums in this manifesto do not add up.

Farage, like Trump, isn’t one for letting reality or the truth getting in the way of scamming the electorate.

 

[Miss Begotten]

Farage, like Trump, isn’t one for letting reality or the truth getting in the way of scamming the electorate.

Im surprised he didn’t nick a couple of Trump’s policies.
He should have said he was going to build a wall across the English Channel and make the French pay for it and offer free covfefe for anyone who could trace their ancestors back to Boudicca.

 

[Halister]

Farage wants people to hark back to a way of life that, for most people, never existed.

It’s a world of semi-detached houses, Dad going out to work, Mum at home in a pinny, making sure tea was on the table. Very white, very middle class.

My mum was born in a slum in the North of England, people worked in Mills for a pittance, you had to pay to see the Doctor. My great uncle died of a tooth infection at the age of 12. My husbands family worked down the mines, and they were all dead of lung disease before they hit thier mid 40s.

This Fantasy world of “British Values” they hark on about, references a life lived by a small number, of well off people.

 

[biscuitthief]

Generally, as a nation we are obsessed with Nostalgia.

I'm guilty of this. I, a millennial, look back on the 90s with such fondness and have often found myself wishing things were like how they were back then.

The Baby Boomers look back on the 50s/60s in similar vein. Its a rose tinted view of the past of which the outcome is known - there is no anxiety about what will happen in the future. People look back to the past as it brings them some sort of comfort and as a result people struggle to look to the future because of fear of the uncertain. People like Farage et al exploit this anxiety about the future by blaming the crappy state of the present on a common villian that once defeated will allow people to return to the good old days.

Except it's a complete fantasy. The notion of "the good old days" means something different to each generation and will continue to do so.

I've just started reading Rule, Nostalgia! A Backwards HIstory of Britain by Hannah Rose Woods - it is an interesting read so far!

 

[Moth]

The Reform 'manifesto' is just a tarted up version of the 'draft' policy document that has been on their website for ages (plenty of pictures of the 'dear leader' added). It's full of glib nonsense about 'slashing wasteful spending', 'cutting bureaucracy' 'negotiating better procurement', 'scrapping QUANGOs', 'cutting red tape and unnecessary nanny state regulations' without giving a single concrete example but coming up with the not at all 'finger in the air' saving of £50 billion a year, every year and all without any impact of the services delivered.

A cynical fantasy designed to appeal to the hard of thinking. It's exactly the same strategy as for Brexit. Tell people that they can have all of the benefits with none of the cost.

 

[Merpedy]

the sums in this manifesto do not add up.

But do they need to add up?

As long as we take back our borders and declare Britain great again we will be winning

 

[LittleMissOnions]

But do they need to add up?

As long as we take back our borders and declare Britain great again we will be winning

And buy lots of sunscreen because remember there’s nothing that can be done about global warming

 

[Pmyouhun]

There is someone on this thread who keeps reacting face to most negative things said about Nigel Farage or reform party

 

[Miss Begotten]

There is someone on this thread who keeps reacting face to most negative things said about Nigel Farage or reform party

It’s hilarious. Is it Richard Tice?

 

[Merpedy]

Honestly if it wasn’t so dire it would be hilarious

 

[Warpaint]

Farage wants people to hark back to a way of life that, for most people, never existed.

It’s a world of semi-detached houses, Dad going out to work, Mum at home in a pinny, making sure tea was on the table. Very white, very middle class.

My mum was born in a slum in the North of England, people worked in Mills for a pittance, you had to pay to see the Doctor. My great uncle died of a tooth infection at the age of 12. My husbands family worked down the mines, and they were all dead of lung disease before they hit thier mid 40s.

This Fantasy world of “British Values” they hark on about, references a life lived by a small number, of well off people.

Your post reminded me of this

 

[HelloStereo]

Farage inseminating the political discourse with the eggy essence of Enoch Powell

 

[Moth]

Have you ever read any of the 'Biggles' books? I always get the impression that these UKIP / Reform types are captive to that mythical time where everyone inherently knew their place, that men were men and women were subservient or absent, British icons were all unquestionably heroic, "The British Empire" was an unequivocally 'good thing' (and never let it be said otherwise) and the idea of equality was an anathema because there was no situation that could not be improved by the presence of a British man especially if it involved putting somebody, preferably an inferior foreigner in their place.

I was of course half joking when I wrote this but watch the last part of this interview with Reform's 'co-deputy leader', Ben Habib on last night's Newsnight about their plans for a "patriotic curriculum" (from about 4.45 mins):

 

[kev1974]

I was of course half joking when I wrote this but watch the last part of this interview with Reform's 'co-deputy leader', Ben Habib on last night's Newsnight about their plans for a "patriotic curriculum" (from about 4.45 mins):

All this focussing on Reform and Farage is time and effort that ought to be spent grilling the tories and labour about their manifesto promises and whether their plans add up. This should have been a straightforward two horse race. The supposed two main horses are getting off so lightly while everyone concentrates on hating on Farage. Maybe that's his purpose, maybe he's been paid to disrupt and distract from the main event!

 

[bluefoot]

He’s definitely being paid to disrupt something and we keep falling for it by giving him disproportionate attention

 

[HelloStereo]

All this focussing on Reform and Farage is time and effort that ought to be spent grilling the tories and labour about their manifesto promises and whether their plans add up. This should have been a straightforward two horse race. The supposed two main horses are getting off so lightly while everyone concentrates on hating on Farage. Maybe that's his purpose, maybe he's been paid to disrupt and distract from the main event!

If he's positioned Reform as the main opposition to Labour surely we would be focusing on them rather than Tories?

Farage loves making things about him and getting all the attention but hates it when what he actually says is scrutinised.

 

[kev1974]

If he's positioned Reform as the main opposition to Labour surely we would be focusing on them rather than Tories?

Farage loves making things about him and getting all the attention but hates it when what he actually says is scrutinised.

Only if we think he is actually in with the remotest chance of that coming true.

From what I've seen of Tice's rabble of candidates, it's not going to happen. Not this time around anyway. Maybe this election is just to establish their name and they'll be back with better candidates next time.

 

[bluefoot]

It’s not really up to him to decide he’s the main opposition. He’s been given way too much attention in the past relative to other smaller parties and now look where we are.

 

[Piff paff puff]

Only if we think he is actually in with the remotest chance of that coming true.

From what I've seen of Tice's rabble of candidates, it's not going to happen. Not this time around anyway. Maybe this election is just to establish their name and they'll be back with better candidates next time.

I think they've stated their aim is to win the next election.