Reviewing Reform

By Bev Haigh-Jones

“The Financial Times reported on 28 March that Resolute 1850 will seek to develop and test policy ideas for Farage’s party. The plans seen by the newspaper suggested that Resolute 1850 would formulate ideas about how to cut state services, oppose DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and “reform healthcare”.

Sound familiar? Be warned, it doesn’t stop there, either – take a look at the article.

Given the stated aims of Resolute 1850, one of the recent defections to Reform UK from the Tories, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews will no doubt be very welcome. According to this piece in Oakham Nub News, Mr Matthews gave his reason as wanting “a little bit more support” to take a “robust line on woke-ist type of stuff.” Unfortunately, in common with the majority, if not all of the Reform party, he also supports hunting with dogs, which is not ideal for a PCC as he should be ensuring that offenders against the Hunting Act 2004 are prosecuted. Conflicts of interest of this nature have already caused controversy in Warwickshire where their PCC also supports hunting, to the extent that he is a member of the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance.

Perhaps the short film from the Trades Union Congress made earlier this year in Clacton, where an interviewer spoke to some of Nigel Farage’s constituents on the streets and appraised them of his voting record may have helped to cause the Reform membership reduction, but since then there have been more revelations which could be unknown to many. For example, despite claiming – falsely – that the UK was being governed by “unelected bureaucrats” in the EU and using that as one of his core reasons for driving the Leave campaign, he has now stated that he believes that some UK ministers should be appointed rather than elected. (More shades of America here?) As Huffington Post quote in their article, Farage “has claimed it’s ‘ridiculous’ to fill the government with elected officials.” Once again the Reform leader shows his outstanding talent for hypocrisy!

Of course, I couldn’t write a current review of Reform UK without mentioning their stance on the migrant situation and the unrest in the country that is being caused by their rhetoric of hate. We have all heard the claims made by Reform regarding the migrants and the small boats – exaggerated numbers as to illegal immigrants, claims of migrants being a danger to the public in areas where they are housed, suggestions that the UK taxpayers are funding immigrants to a much higher degree than is true – and we have seen the results, riots, protests and an escalation of hatred for anyone not considered British. Depressing as all this is, though, there are still plenty of people who reject this attitude and welcome genuine asylum seekers to our shores, as well as put their efforts into dispelling many of the myths being spread. Just a few can be seen below.

• Uncontrolled immigration has pushed Britain to breaking point. – The reality is very different, by far the greatest majority of immigration is approved and controlled. Illegal, or more appropriately, irregular immigration, accounts for only 4% of those entering the UK. See this clip.

• Asylum seekers “get free mobile phones paid for by ‘taxpayers’ and £70 a week in addition to free meals.” – This is not true! There were some phones provided to refugees during Covid as face to face meetings could not be carried out, but this was a temporary measure. Also, some charities provide donated second-hand phones in some circumstances. With regard to the weekly payment, each person gets £49.18 per week to cover everything, unless their meals are provided at the accommodation, in which case they only receive £9.95. It would be interesting to see how those making these claims and complaints would cope on such a paltry sum.

• There is a heightened and increasing threat to the safety and security of women and girls across this country, because of an influx of people who do not share our values. – This refers, of course, to the arrival and housing of refugees and asylum seekers, and this totally inaccurate assessment is sold to the followers of Reform. The following links show some of the people dispelling the myth that these refugees are all potential sex offenders and a danger to our society; LBC Radio, Tattoo Dave, The Guardian, Hope not Hate, Dr Amir Khan, and last but not least, a young lady from Skegness. With regard to the Hope not Hate item, you might be interested to learn that one of the protestors mentioned, Karen McIvor, was included in a report on GB News as a concerned mother, yet she is a Branch Secretary for Reform UK, and the mother of a Reform councillor.

Finally, to end on a lighter, and rather amusing note, a comedian called Simon Harris took up the gauntlet when Nigel Farage criticised the RNLI for saving the small boat migrants in the English Channel. Simon responded by starting a Go Fund Me page to raise £300,000 to buy a new life saving hovercraft for the RNLI which would be called “The Flying Farage”. As I write this the fund has reached £293,380, so not far to go. If you would like to add to the pot, you can do that here.