Reform

[Stairway 2 7]

Unfortunately they are probably going to be in the Scottish and UK landscape quite a lot in the coming years, so thought a thread of their own rather than posting in the Tory thread for them.

The Sunday Times is reporting Musk might give them $100 million to help them fight the next election. He'll bypass funding rules by giving them it from his X UK branch. Horrendous stuff can see Trump promoting them openly in future too

[Northernhibee]

Being honest, I think they’re a shoe-in at the next election. Between Russian propaganda on social media, a right wing media, and both Labour and the Tories being hugely unpopular it’s near inevitable.

They’ve not had to back up what they say to this point and as such attacking what they say is like punching mist at this point, and there’s always some brain dead student throwing milkshake at Farage to allow him to play the victim.

I fear where we’re going.

[Bostonhibby]

The rich and powerful buying their way into politics for whatever their ends are. Musk needs a vehicle to do it and right wing populist talkers with no real record of delivery is as good a way to do it as any.

American influence in UK politics is taking off big style, their easy way in is Farage, will do and say just about anything for money and the recognition helps.

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[AgentDaleCooper]

Liberalism has max 4 years left to save itself from itself in the UK, and even then, who knows for how long.

[Bostonhibby]

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Liberalism has max 4 years left to save itself from itself in the UK, and even then, who knows for how long.

I tend to agree, unfortunately

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[JimBHibees]

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Unfortunately they are probably going to be in the Scottish and UK landscape quite a lot in the coming years, so thought a thread of their own rather than posting in the Tory thread for them.

The Sunday Times is reporting Musk might give them $100 million to help them fight the next election. He'll bypass funding rules by giving them it from his X UK branch. Horrendous stuff can see Trump promoting them openly in future too

Surely there are rules prohibiting that.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Elon Musk is the biggest threat to pluralism and democracy since the 1930's. Trying to get everyone to look at Mars rather than what's happening around us. The self-entitled white powerfull men openly mock liberalism and ask the centre parties what's not to like.

[lapsedhibee]

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Surely there are rules prohibiting that.

Musk will be quaking at the thought of a maximum £20,000 fine from the Electoral Commission.

[Stairway 2 7]

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Surely there are rules prohibiting that.

https://archive.ph/pzyyH

Apparently he'd put it through his UK business to get round the rules

[AgentDaleCooper]

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Elon Musk is the biggest threat to pluralism and democracy since the 1930's. Trying to get everyone to look at Mars rather than what's happening around us. The self-entitled white powerfull men openly mock liberalism and ask the centre parties what's not to like.

He's the embodiment of the 'sovereign individual', an idea promoted in a book by Jacob Reese-Mogg's dad, basically about how the already-mega-rich can exploit the conditions created by the internet to basically become gods. Capitalism-as-usual is dying - welcome to technofeudalism (term coined by Yannis Varoufakis, the only person on the left with anything approaching an answer to our predicament!)

[Keith_M]

The last few years has seen self-righteous groups, including in large parts of the Media, pour the blame for practically everything on a part of society that now feels marginalised, ignored... and even ostracised.

Want somebody to blame for an issue you feel strongly about? No problem, there's always an easy target.

When this happens, many of the same people lean towards groups, political parties, etc that they feel either listen to their concerns, or are at the very least oppose the 'establishment' .

This is a problem that has been caused, over the last couple of decades, by both left-leaning liberals, and conservatives alike.

Maybe it's time to take a step back and think about the effect that ignoring and/or marginalising large groups of society is having and consider if that really is the way forward.

[SHODAN]

You had the chance for a left wing government but it was made clear that option wouldn't be allowed. Liberals are happy to pal up with fascists because they don't threaten their business interests.

Labour and the Tories blame absolutely everything - failing health services, cost of living etc etc on immigrants, the poor, Muslims, trans people and any other marginalised groups because the real reason (capitalist price gouging, open wealth transfer and dismantling of the welfare state for private profit by obscenely rich ruling class oligarchs) cannot be said aloud, either via the fact that these people fund them or because they are ruling class themselves.

People are angry and will vote for the permitted electoral option that skips the dog whistles and tell them what they want to hear, and that's the far-right lot. A lot of people are going to suffer immensely because the super rich cannot give up even a bit of their wealth.

If you think I'm woke or whatever then go ahead and block me. I'm done debating what's been right in front of our ****ing eyes my entire adult life.

[Keith_M]

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You had the chance for a left wing government but it was made clear that option wouldn't be allowed. Liberals are happy to pal up with fascists because they don't threaten their business interests.

It is inevitable. Sorry.

A left wing government that might have threatened the interests of the well off and was also willing to criticise Israel.

Two factors that finally united all sides of the Media.

[SHODAN]

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A left wing government that might have threatened the interests of the well off and was also willing to criticise Israel.

Two factors that finally united all sides of the Media.

Maybe the upcoming generations won't grow up with this subjugated mentality of automatically deferring to people with a recieved pronounciation or double-barrelled surname and all these hacks will lose their influence. I won't hold my breath though.

[JimBHibees]

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Musk will be quaking at the thought of a maximum £20,000 fine from the Electoral Commission.

Indeed

[Mon Dieu4]

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Unfortunately they are probably going to be in the Scottish and UK landscape quite a lot in the coming years, so thought a thread of their own rather than posting in the Tory thread for them.

The Sunday Times is reporting Musk might give them $100 million to help them fight the next election. He'll bypass funding rules by giving them it from his X UK branch. Horrendous stuff can see Trump promoting them openly in future too

If he does then it's just the Social Media Age version of what Murdoch has done for years, it's nothing new

[babahibs]

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You had the chance for a left wing government but it was made clear that option wouldn't be allowed. Liberals are happy to pal up with fascists because they don't threaten their business interests.

Labour and the Tories blame absolutely everything - failing health services, cost of living etc etc on immigrants, the poor, Muslims, trans people and any other marginalised groups because the real reason (capitalist price gouging, open wealth transfer and dismantling of the welfare state for private profit by obscenely rich ruling class oligarchs) cannot be said aloud, either via the fact that these people fund them or because they are ruling class themselves.

People are angry and will vote for the permitted electoral option that skips the dog whistles and tell them what they want to hear, and that's the far-right lot. A lot of people are going to suffer immensely because the super rich cannot give up even a bit of their wealth.

If you think I'm woke or whatever then go ahead and block me. I'm done debating what's been right in front of our ****ing eyes my entire adult life.

Very well said

[Paul1642]

Reform are a one trick pony.

We are an island nations with a powerful navy. “Stopping the boats” shouldn’t be hard. Succeed in doing that and the reform bubble is burst.

Unfortunately we won’t and Reform will probably end up the opposition next parliament.

[Jones28]

If these ****ers get anywhere near having any real influence I am done with politics. Really it’s been a slow burn since the independence referendum but if the likes of Elon Musk start having a hand in anything then I’m out. It’s a pointless excercise and the *******s will always have the upper hand.

[superfurryhibby]

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The last few years has seen self-righteous groups, including in large parts of the Media, pour the blame for practically everything on a part of society that now feels marginalised, ignored... and even ostracised.

Want somebody to blame for an issue you feel strongly about? No problem, there's always an easy target.

When this happens, many of the same people lean towards groups, political parties, etc that they feel either listen to their concerns, or are at the very least oppose the 'establishment' .

This is a problem that has been caused, over the last couple of decades, by both left-leaning liberals, and conservatives alike.

Maybe it's time to take a step back and think about the effect that ignoring and/or marginalising large groups of society is having and consider if that really is the way forward.

Interesting that you highlight marginalising of large groups of society, yet I recall you scoffing when I suggested that alienation and marginalisation were factors behind recent unrest and social disruption we saw in recent events in Edinburgh?

[lapsedhibee]

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If these ****ers get anywhere near having any real influence I am done with politics. Really it’s been a slow burn since the independence referendum but if the likes of Elon Musk start having a hand in anything then I’m out. It’s a pointless exercise and the *******s will always have the upper hand.

Don't think dictatorships really work like that, do they? You'll be expected to swear loyalty to/undying love for the dear leader like everyone else.

[Bostonhibby]

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Don't think dictatorships really work like that, do they? You'll be expected to swear loyalty to/undying love for the dear leader like everyone else.

So it works like the monarchy in England then?

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[AgentDaleCooper]

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Interesting that you highlight marginalising of large groups of society, yet I recall you scoffing when I suggested that alienation and marginalisation were factors behind recent unrest and social disruption we saw in recent events in Edinburgh?

IMO, one of Liberalism's problems is that it assumes its morals are the end of the story, that we've basically reached a kind of intellectual nirvana when it comes to the principals of ethics (a bit like Francis ***uyama declaring the fall of the Berlin wall as "the end of history"...nope, it wasn't!)

[lapsedhibee]

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So it works like the monarchy in England then?

Think it's only MPs that do that, isn't it? Maybe Lords and judges too. I've never done it - I think jury duty maybe required something about a higher being, but that was more imaginary than King Charles, who's kind of, in a way, real.

[grunt]

Just 5 MPs you say? Let's put that **** on the BBC again!

[Smartie]

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Just 5 MPs you say? Let's put that **** on the BBC again!

A head to head between Alastair Campbell and Nigel Farage sounds uncharacteristically interesting for Question Time tbh.

If Farage is to appear then having at least 1 person who will challenge his pish is good.

[Jones28]

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A head to head between Alastair Campbell and Nigel Farage sounds uncharacteristically interesting for Question Time tbh.

If Farage is to appear then having at least 1 person who will challenge his pish is good.

Campbell will obliterate him.

[matty_f]

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If these ****ers get anywhere near having any real influence I am done with politics. Really it’s been a slow burn since the independence referendum but if the likes of Elon Musk start having a hand in anything then I’m out. It’s a pointless excercise and the *******s will always have the upper hand.

I think it’s almost impossible to avoid the influence of Musk etc.

I’m very left leaning politically, I despise the likes of Trump and Farage and Johnson etc. I take care not to share content from them to try and avoid feeding algorithms yet still, if I go on twitter and it’s on the “for you” page then the feed is full of that stuff, or conspiracy theories, anti-vax, anti-Labour (as soon as they were elected the volume of extreme anti-Starmer content sky rocketed - I’m no fan of his but he’s two minutes in the door and I think I’ve seen more stuff aimed at him than I saw aimed at prime ministers in a year of the Tories), Andrew ****ing Tate , Russell Brand and all the other grifters.

I try to use Twitter as little as possible now, Bluesky has been a welcome alternative but I think it’s inevitable that folk will consume those grifters’ content to the extent that they not only accept it as true but agree with it, and that’s a real issue for politics going forward.

There is no balance, you have to actively seek out other sources for news than the mainstream to at least sense check what is being put out but I think a lot of folk simply won’t be bothered to do that.

[Hibs4185]

The only way to avoid reform and all this nonsense is to vote for independence.

Let’s face it, reform is an English party and the only reason they are interested in Scotland is because they can gain representation in the parliament due to our proportional representation system.

They don’t believe in the union because it is good for Scotland, they believe in the union because it’s good for England and having MSP’s boosts their profile and credibility as a party rather than a fringe party.

The yes movement has two years to sort itself out or we are going to be dragged into Elon Musk’s and Farage’s UK.

[Stairway 2 7]

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The only way to avoid reform and all this nonsense is to vote for independence.

Let’s face it, reform is an English party and the only reason they are interested in Scotland is because they can gain representation in the parliament due to our proportional representation system.

They don’t believe in the union because it is good for Scotland, they believe in the union because it’s good for England and having MSP’s boosts their profile and credibility as a party rather than a fringe party.

The yes movement has two years to sort itself out or we are going to be dragged into Elon Musk’s and Farage’s UK.

I think that's an quite wrong utopian vision of a left wing Scotland. Yes we are more to the left of England in general but we have our fair share of bigots and tories. Reform just came in 3rd in 5 of the last 6 by-election. Tories and reform are polling around 25% of people asked in Scotland recently, they are clearly ahead of the greens and Lib dems in polling now