“Reform’s success so far? The chaos unleashed by their getting control of local councils”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during a walkabout in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, on Tuesday whilst on the campaign trail for the upcoming local elections(Image: PA)
The latest reader letters in our sister print title The Herald discuss the prospect of a coalition Government and more.
Get in touch – tell us what you think. You can comment below or email yoursay@plymouthherald.co.uk to be featured.
A Reform party coalition would bring utter chaos
There is much understandable anger in contemporary UK politics whereas for others it’s still a matter of Ed Milliband’s bacon sandwich or Ed Davey’s paddle boards.
Some lightheartedness is essential but we will need continuous dedication in dealing with the effects of 14 years of incompetent Tory rule.
Add to that the catastrophic Brexit time bomb that will go on harming the UK economy and our standard of living for decades to come, the effects of Covid and the criminality in Presidential form currently ensconced in the White House – the debates must surely be serious.
There is discussion of a Reform/Tory coalition or a Labour/Greens one. The former might be shockingly close, with Mr Rees-Mogg planning a comeback perhaps at the head of such a nightmare. Would the supremely self-important Mr Farage tolerate being a Rees-Mogg assistant?
Having imposed years of insults aimed at Europe and Brexit harm on us Nigel has more recently fostered hate of all the boat people. He now wants to keep us on our toes with new divisiveness.
In his Daily Mail interview (24/4/26) he proposed swingeing cuts to unemployment and health benefits, encouraging those of us in work to despise fellow citizens who are physically or mentally unfit.
He wants “millions” of these “slackers” to grab employment when those who deal with work realities know that job availability is scarce. Will he soon be using that ‘glorious’ Victorian distinction between the deserving and the undeserving poor?
He seems to look forward to the “strikes and riots” that his proposals will cause. Shouldn’t constructive politicians enhance community rather than accepting, as normal, verbal or physical bloodshed?
Nigel’s apparent welcoming of riots ties in with the proposal of Kent County Council’s leader, one of the acclaimed “stars” of Reform at local level, that new policemen should be chosen purely for their size!
Reform’s success so far? The chaos unleashed by their getting control of local councils gets insufficient media coverage whereas their national political proposals are frequently presented as demanding full respect.
If Mr Farage is to be the next PM surely he should be preparing society for the onslaught that AI is unleashing on jobs. The Institute for Public Policy Research states that upto 4.4 million jobs in the UK will be affected by “churn” in the short term. Up to 3m jobs could be lost.
In fact Nigel, by investing in and promoting crypto currency, is playing with what could be a disastrous financial bubble.
Although not directly involved in the AI tsunami, his tech involvement will be for personal financial gain. He continues to encourage President Trump to copy his behaviour.
Of course Trump, “the bravest person I ever met” used to be Nigel’s friend. Now he “worries slightly about Trump’s judgement”.
Mr Farage should do more than worry slightly. The President insists that the US protects Nato members “while they do nothing for us”, says he will quit the organisation even though it has done, until recently, so much for peace and insults the 457 British soldiers who died in Afghanistan.
At least Keir Starmer, criticised so roundly over many issues for some of which he has no responsibility, has the courage to tell Trump that his insults were “frankly appalling”.
A Labour/Green coalition instead of a Reform/Tory one? Yes there will be some failed policies but at least they have factual analysis on the second most pressing challenge that we face – climate change. Reform’s climate policy? Encouraging fracking which will do nothing to help and infantilizing constructive ideas as “idiotic Net scam Zero”.
And Nigel is so dismissive of depressed young people. Could their depression stem from a grasp of the shambles that a Reform coalition would create?
Jeremy Hall
Show of hypocrisy over waiting lists
Prior to the Brexit vote, Conservatives were criticised for saying that not contributing to EU funds would provide money which could be spent on NHS.
After the Brexit vote, it was announced by the Conservatives that 40 new hospitals would be built. Labour constantly said these hospitals were not being built.
Three have since opened in Cornwall, two for elective surgery, so shortening waiting lists, while the third is a much-needed maternity unit.
Labour now claim they have shortened waiting lists. What hypocrisy!
Mike Baker
Lack of leadership from the Opposition
So, whilst Sir Keir Starmer is doing what is in the national interest as regards Iran, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has refused to say what she would instruct UK forces to do, has no idea as to what her objective would be, and then forgets to say that the single biggest constraint on the British military at present is her former government’s defence cuts.
What kind of leadership is that?
Geoffrey Brooking
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