New York Times Article about the local election in Torfaen.

And depressing statistic: "just 973 people (less than a quarter of those eligible) voted".

Stuart Keyte became the first member of Reform to win an election in Wales. Apparently the other 3 councillors in Torfaen defected to Reform.

by MrPhyshe

11 comments

  1. That’s the real issue isn’t it…the total lack of voter engagement…the labour party really needs to pull it’s finger out it’s arse and actually do something to benefit actual working people and not just doing right by business and fast or this is going to be a far more common occurrence…

  3. Since when have by-elections become headlines? 6 by-elections took place, reform winning one, but that one has had more publicity than the other 5 put together? Such skewed reporting.

  4. Just embarrassing. Welsh people voting for an English nationalist party

  5. I live in the next village over, however I’m in Torfaen (Pontypool) for my gym, hobbies and social stuff. While it’s easy to just dismiss it as nothing, folks attitude here is generally that of “it can’t get any worse”.

    Now I didn’t vote in it (as I’m not eligible, my village is just in the next region…even if it is like a mile away), so I’m not surprised by it.

    We saw a lot of reform around, canvassing and trying to get noticed. Not once did I see a labour, conservative or other doing the same amount of it, to normal folks. (even if it just accounts for shy of 1000 votes total case for them all).

    It’s easy to pass off Torfaen too as a backwater, but we all commute to Cardiff, Newport or Bristol for work. Folks my age (30s) tend to use it for it’s decent location travel wise. So it’s not all boomers here that seem to want something different, when we go out it’s younger folks than me who seem more interested and the older generation who are poorer hate labour because of the fuel payment and inheritance tax issues.

  6. I really hope the inevitable 20+ seats Reform win at the 2026 Senedd elections act as a wakeup call for Labour. Obviously it won’t, but it’d be nice to avoid sleepwalking into a Reform+Con disasterclass coalition in Westminster.

  7. Not even 25% turnout. If people want to stop Reform they need to get out and vote. If Reform and its brand of English nationalism wrapped in a British flag worries you, get out there and vote for Welsh led and headquartered political parties.

  8. We do need to make britian great again. Multicultural Society can and does work. But the UK government destroy any hope for British citizens

  9. Said it before. If he gains power at Westminster, I’ll leave the UK. I’m not sticking around for Nigel, he’ll sack the fucking economy. Wants to go back to using the gold standard which is just insane.

  11. For fuck sake Wales remember, our parents and grandparents suffered a lot to stop fascism taking over here and across Europe including volunteering to fight in Spain.

    Let’s not welcome fascism in through the ballot box.

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