We have the Holyrood Elections next year and it takes time to build a new political party.
Money helps, but what you actually need is buy-in and reach.
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Check out 30:25 A new BEGINNING + The School of SHAME - With Andrew Bridgen
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I think Reform is finished thanks to Nigel and Muhammad. Both appear to be narcissists and there is no way for them to be voted out. People say there is no time to start a new party, but I disagree. Starting from scratch as a group of nobodies would be a tall order but Rupert, Ben, Howard etc are known, plus we are at a desperate time. Circumstances and events seem to be coming together to allow for this. People can achieve amazing things, such as lifting a bus off a person. There just needs to be the will and I think we are there now.
Not only have people had enough of failing governments but they are sick to the back teeth of narcissists and celebrities. People are crying out for authenticity.
You all seem to be genned up but if you need to know more about Nigel then please watch Andrew Ebornâs recent interviews with Catherine Blaiklock, Ben Habib and Martin R. Jay (although the latterâs two videos seem to have been taken down):
And for Muhammad, search for past Velocity Black employee reviews, I think Tousi TV did a video on this. He is described as having tantrums and acting like a dictator.
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I think youâre right. Nigel has become very curmudgeonly on the subject of Rupert who I think is a superb performer. Fearless in his over 900 questions he has submitted in the House and, according to his staff, a decent and kind person. I found the airing of dirty laundry in mainstream media grossly unedifying and extremely damaging. Especially as it was conducted BEFORE investigations on what appear to be cooked-up charges were completed. I yesterday terminated my membership of Reform UK. Not just because of this issue but also the treatment of Ben and Howard and what is happening at local level countrywide because of the dreadful handling of the vetting system (which I passed but others didnât - with no reasonable explanation given). There is also the elephant in the room: Reform UK is STILL a limited company making its so-called members subscribers. Also cronyism and something else that happened that I would rather not discuss here. Unsavoury, unprofessional and deeply disappointing as I was hoping to stand in the CC elections. Somebody who FAILED the vetting, and a friend of Nigel, was parachuted in. Nigel is very razzmatazz and engaging and charismatic but Rupert is in my opinion, a true statesman.
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The New Right as one writer called it needs to set a minimum expectation from the people who represent it in order to prevent the New Right from becoming the old right.
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What a breath of fresh air to read a series of well thought-out, intelligent and incisive remarks. I was getting a little tired of âReform for me all day long,â as a supposedly witty retort.
On the topic, of Reform, I joined almost two years ago and from around 18 months ago I worked with our local parliamentary candidate Sandra Daniells and even though she was bearing all the costs of canvassing herself, she got a reasonable 10K+ votes at the 2024 GE. During that time, we muddled through, ran our own campaigns with no help or interference from head office. Apart from when Sandra and I set up a sort of local association and were told by one of the local âmanagersâ to stop doing so.
After the elections, we tried, with others to form a local association to get support from the local population but were advised more than once to stop. Right up until the point where we were told that we had to set up a local Branch.
This we did last September and had a contender for the position of Chair was parachuted in. I was elected as the (Interim) Deputy Chair. After some wangling, Sandra was brought in as the (Interim) Secretary. Everybody was âinterimâ as this gave Reform an opportunity to kick out those who did not toe the line. And kick them out they did.
From day one it was made clear that we were not expected to think, just to do as we were told. Everything had to go through the Chair who then had to pass it up to a manager for approval. And by âeverythingâ I mean comments on Facebook, emails, everything. Zia Yusuf was now in charge of âprofessionalisingâ the party and went at the task with all the zeal of the commissars of the past. He was, apparently, only just talked out of applying targets for new members and fund-raising. Even then, the rules we were bound by, the NDAs, the vetting were all more like entering the Politburo rather than a supposedly centre-right political party.
Like many of my colleagues I was becoming more disillusioned as the days went on but we were restrained by the idea that if we all quit and let Reform flounder we would be faced with nothing but the UniParty for the rest of our lives.
The Rupert Lowe debacle was, perhaps, the best thing to have happened to British centre-right politics in a long while. Mister Lowe may not agree with me on that point just yet.
It offered the hope that there was another answer to the problem.
Whether GB-PAC becomes a political party or not is moot. But perhaps it might serve us better if it is not, but provides the structure and guidance to steer independents into parliament, and then the leadership to forge them into a cohesive unit, even if it is not a party.
Whatever it does, it has to be better than any of the current alternatives.
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Please note, we would not normally allow posts like this as they are not policy suggestions. However you have all demonstrated a great level of debate and interaction, which will be the barometer for us in the future in deciding whether or not to allow/reject off-topic posts again. Well done, and thank you again for being part of this movement.
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Appreciated Mike thank you
Might I suggest that a similar platform to this is created for non-policy debates. It could also encompass questions and suggestions to GB-PAC.
Happy to oblige and give this a try. You can find the off-topic category here: Off-Topic and Suggestions - Policy Platform UK
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Thank you, Mike,
That was quick and demonstrates you guys actually listen to us. Other political organisations please note.
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Since I withdrew my support from both the Reform and the Branch Committee, I have been joined by many other people locally.
We are not against Reform. It is the only party that offers â or offered â a manifesto that we can get behind. What we are against is the way Reform is being managed, the changes to core policies, and the treatment of membership. We are against what Zia Yusuf is doing to our party.
Therefore, we are getting together as Reform in Exile, although thatâs a working title. A branch that will do everything that a branch should do, but without the control of Reform HQ or its highly paid managers.
We are not starting a new party. Far from it. We live in hope that Zia Yusuf and Nigel Farage are removed from Reform, along with all the aforementioned managers, and that Rupert Lowe is appointed as leader. Failing that, Rupert Lowe starts his own party, or GB-PAC sets up the mechanisms for us to operate under their umbrella. Regardless of the outcome, we will be prepared as a fully functioning local association.
If any other former Reform branch members share this sentiment, please let us know. We all need to be communicating with each other, and the GB-PAC umbrella might be the ideal platform for doing so.
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I have supported Nigel Farage and Reform UK for a long time now, including promoting the party on Facebook. Due to the Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe debacle, I have recently stepped back and stopped promoting the party.
I have begun to like Rupert Lowe moreso than Nigel Farage. Rupert is a very good hard working man and I believe he would make a very good leader. I donât believe he has done or said anything wrong. I just believe he was getting more popular than Nigel who was very jealous.
I have now looked into the kind of man that Nigel Farage is. Apparently, Nigel worked very hard in promoting the Brexit party. Then he just walked away. Then he worked very hard in promoting UKIP then walked away. Now he has been working very hard in promoting Reform UK. So, I am just wondering, when will Nigel Farage walk away from Reform UK.
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I am also disappointed with what has happened between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe. I donât believe Rupert has done or said anything wrong. I am waiting to see what Rupert is going to do before I make my mind up. Is he going to set up his own party ? I have heard he is going to set up with Ben Habib and Andrew Bridgen. Only time will tell.If he does this, then I will support his party.
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Fundamentally Politics about power, Farage was always like this itâs a failure on the grassroots not preparing and a failure on both Habib and Lowe for being blindsided.
After 20 years of betrayal to find out a politician isnât honest is an indictment on the people who bought into him
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Hello Patrick, the points you make are very valid. I too, have seen Reform UK FB groups where the group administratorâs have told people what the âleadershipâ dictates they can and cannot say in posts.
I wholly believe the rot set in when off the back of a ÂŁ200k donation, Mr. Yusuf was parachuted in as Chairman and undermined the work of the grass roots (thousands of genuine people) and sabotaged Reform UK. He sabotaged many people who worked hard and diligently for the Party including Ben, Rupert and other who led the party to the point where we had 5 Reform UK MPs. But also, Mr. Yusuf also seriously and significantly harmed Farage too in the Rupert Lowe travesty. So I donât think Farage should be ousted from the leadership. He does have credentials and earned his right to lead Reform UK (irrespective of any character faults which recently came to light). However, Farage made a big political mistake in giving Mr. Yusuf such a powerful role in the party and to allow Mr. Yusuf to have such significant influence over him and (what was) our Party. Mr. Yusuf does not have any credentials to âleadâ the Party. He has not earned his right to âleadâ Reform UK. Mr. Yusuf snuck in as a âleaderâ Chairman off the back of a ÂŁ200k donation. And in less than a year of his Chairman âleadershipâ, he has single handedly, grossly mislead Farage and has seriously harmed the party. Yusuf needs to go!
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I could not bring myself to join the reform party, as they promised to democratise, but used sleight of hand to pretend that they had, but did not. we are extremely lucky that this Rupert Lowe thing happened. let me explain: It was not evident to most of us the history of Mr Farage getting rid of quality people who might compete with him for the limelight. it is only since Reform, in a most un-british way, removed Rupert Lowe, and then tried, and seem to still be trying, to destroy his reputation, that this complete lack of ethical base has become apparent. Nigel farage is a great publicist, and thanks to his efforts, a Brexit referendum came into being, and for that, I am most grateful. We must choose leaders who have a sound base of moral principles, who will put country before self. it is a high calling, but we must keep looking until a grouping of such people come together ready to govern. luckily, we have four years until the next general election (yes, it seems like an eternity with this lot!), and thus have time to work together to find and encourage quality people. Ben and Rupert seem to be such people, and we may have to form new groupings in each constituency to support such high quality candidates. Do they need to belong to party? For the moment, probably. I donât for one moment believe that Rupert Lowe behaved in any way as is being spouted by Reform. looking in as an outsider. they are doing well at creating a political machine, but they do not seem to have the moral compass necessary to lead this country. And, how come, if Rupert really threatened him, did Y report him to the police so long afterwards, by chance just after he had raised some serious concerns to help reform do better. as they say, it stinks to high heaven.
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Oh yes indeed the " skeletons" are dancing as you say. However much Reform says that Rupert Lowe is unknown outside of X and however much they blame Indian bots, the word is out there even more so now after Catherines interview on Dan Woottens show.
I think Farage and especially Yusef were surprised by the extent of the backlash the defenestration of Rupert has caused, and is still causing. Rupert and Ben Habib are not" bitter and twisted" as they are accused of. I believe that they with the addition of Andrew Bridgen should form a new party. There is still time. I dont know, at this point what else can save this country from the abyss, but one thing I do know is that its NOT Farage.
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I could never now, after the actions of Yusef in particular, vote for Reform. I have cancelled my " membership" and now, once again, am politically homeless. A great pity as I had a glimmer of hope for the future of the country.
Perhaps would be players are biding their time until after 1 May elections before announcing a new party? They should not bide too longâŠ
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It serms to me that the landing in of Yusef was when the rot set in. He needs to go imo.
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