Reply With QuoteNot really sure that's true SludgeOriginally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY
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those aren't the only tax changes they're proposing - they also want to raise the threshold for inheritance tax to Ł2.5 million - and even then make it an option to pay it to a "charity" instead of to the exchequer.
that's another massive unfunded gift to the very wealthy.
Not really sure that's true Sludge
Loads of speculation on here. No elections for a year, why don't you all be open minded, sit back and see how Reform do in the numerous councils they now run?
You have all the jigsaw pieces and are mashing them together to make a different picture.
Services have declined or disappeared primarily because councils have statutory responsibilities to a wider and wider reach, whilst budgets decrease in real terms.
The right has only ever had one answer to the public sector and that is budget cuts and 'efficiency savings' so that is likely the safe space that reform fall back to when it comes time to outline a plan. The main issue with that is what ends up happening is they destroy the network of people supporting frontline workers, it's far easier politically to get rid of someone facilitating the smooth running of a service than somebody who is face to face with the public, at the same time you cancel any and every project that might create efficiencies in the future because you can't justify the spend. You do that and you end up with chaos, which leads to panic and paying consultants to do a job you previously had staff doing for a third of the cost.
The reality is, local government salaries are shite, pension is a benefit, flexible working is a benefit, if those two things are downgraded/removed then you will be left with a less capable workforce.
My job can be done remotely, there's literally no benefit me going into an office on a weekly basis and that's good for me because I live hundreds of miles away.
Farage pulled back on his immigration views only to get called out by Richard lowe and he subsequently went back to his original stance on it you'll have noticed that I think Farage is just a gate keeper and serves the same masters as the Tories and the Nasty Party. Have I mentioned it before 😂
I think that eluned morgan is an absolute disaster as is starmer
I can only see reform sweeping the board at the next Welsh election
Plaid are talking about being the next big thing and I would grudgingly prefer that to reform but I think it's curtains right across the board
Grim times as far as I am concerned
It'll be interesting (or perhaps horrifying) to see what Reform manage to do without Farage - in some ways Wales should be fertile round for their type of protest votes. But Farage is always such a dominant feature of his parties that they tend to fall to pieces without him.
He's the most effective political communicator in a generation, so their opposition will have to try to take him out of the equation.
He isn't standing in the senedd elections, he fronts a very english centric party, and his party don't seem to have much in the way of Welsh policies, and he's the face of the Brexit movement that hasn't exactly been a roaring success for wales.
And their manifesto is complete nonsense, none of it adds up.
There are certainly many areas that Reform should be weak on in Wales, it's just a question on whether the other parties can get that message out effectively.
Farage seems to have a very good feel for how far he can push those kind of views before you go too far and start losing more votes than you're gaining from it.
Others in his party do not.
It shows how bad labour is in Wales that huge chunks of the population will be voting reform at the next assembly election
An English right wing party
It's almost so bad it's funny
Unstoppable now unfortunately
I think most Reform voters don't care if the language is over the top towards immigrants etc
They love it which is why so many of them are voting for reform
Negative language towards immigrants is very different to negative language about mass immigration. The latter is fine. The former isn't.
Reform have loads of both
The comments coming out now they are above the trenches are appalling
It will out come out in the wash
These people have a party to vote for so it's up to the rest to forget about trying to placate them and deal with the core issues in a sensible and practical way
The Economy
Immigration
The NHS
That's it
Yeah he's clearly their biggest asset, interesting that he won't be allowed in any of the Welsh debates due to not being a candidate
Plaid have had a few false dawns but this is the second consecutive poll they've led in. As Bob said Labour should have been out last time and Plaid did actually lead the last poll before Covid (which saved that Labour government in many ways)
Plaid looked well ahead with younger voters in the most recent poll as well, is it a one off or people who've grown up with the Senedd coming of age and naturally leaning that way a bit more than their elders? Support for abolishing the Senedd, for instance, is almost entirely confined to those over 55 whilst polling shows those under that age are almost overwhelmingly in favour of more powers or even independence
I will only vote plaid to keep reform out as a tactical vote
If it's clear reform are walking away with things I will vote green or liberal
Labour will only get my vote if they sort themselves out
Apart from the fear of reform getting in the biggest issue for many is the utterly stupid idea of increasing by 30 the number of assembly members
At a time of hardship for many it stinks and has passed a lot of people off
It will be almost funny if reform get a large amount of those extra seats
What a complete farce for the nationalists that will be
The yes cymru marches are not a sign of an increased fervour for independence at all
More people attend ccfc games
I would imagine people who have grown up with the Welsh assembly realise what a shambolic nonsense it is
Right across the board the elected representatives have been inadequate
If whoever runs the place after the next election sorts it out then good luck to them although I can't imagine reform doing that
In addition the Welsh electorate are hardly foaming at the mouth regarding the assembly ....not once since it was created have 50 percent of those eligible bothered voting
It's no good giving that sort of institution more powers and members is it ?
Well every statistic and poll goes against you there Sludge
Here's a statistic for you
5000 people marched for Welsh independence recently
More people watch Cardiff City
Your point is?
Getting a few thousand together for a protest march ain't bad going to be fair, and apparently it was nearer 7k: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0zpz2ev6eo
That's far more than any of the Welsh political parties get for their conferences, for instance. I know you disagree with them, but I can't think of many things that would get 7,000 people out on a Sunday in Barry
I guess you saw the stats and polls and realised you were wrong about young people?
My point is if you think 5000 people waving Welsh flags in a country that you want to believe is marching towards independence is proof ...then I think you are deluded
The rise in the Plaid vote is because Labour have been so shocking recently
They will be loaned votes to try and keep reform out apart from those living in fantasy land who think we could survive as an independent nation
We have more in common in this part of the country with Bristol and Somerset and the M4 Corridor .......part urban , part semi urban , part rural ....than we do with the remote Ceredigion hills
If we were to go with Plaid to it's inevitable conclusion Cardiff and South East Wales would not have the financial taxation and infrastructure base to support hill farmers and rural schools and hospitals in mid , west and north wales
I hope to God that message is rammed home after the initial elation of your lot next May because if it isn't many of those independents living in pontcanna won't have to suffer like the poor sods in the rest of the country 😢
Shocking defeat for Plaid in Llanelli yesterday
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