Real risk now is that rather than looking at these results, including losing Runcorn a previously "safe seat", Labour will shift even further to the right with attacks on marginalised groups, thereby embedding Reform's narrative and giving them free publicity to dictate policy and grow more #r4today - ThreadSky

danielsohege.bsky.social • 8 days ago

Real risk now is that rather than looking at these results, including losing Runcorn a previously "safe seat", Labour will shift even further to the right with attacks on marginalised groups, thereby embedding Reform's narrative and giving them free publicity to dictate policy and grow more #r4today

Reposted from 🤖 BBC Breaking News (unofficial)

Reform wins its first mayoral election with victory in Greater Lincolnshire - follow live results and reaction

Comments

terrypasta.bsky.social•8 days ago

Especially since the entire political elite has shifted decisively to the far right.

webweasel.bsky.social•8 days ago

Yep, a repeat of Uxbridge

spicybee.bsky.social•8 days ago

They're already attacking marginalised groups. Look at what is happening with trans people. Are they condemning the court ruling or the FAs decision?

danielsohege.bsky.social•8 days ago

I meant increasing the attacks, rather than ignoring that they are already attacking.

spicybee.bsky.social•8 days ago

When I think about what labour was like when I was younger and what they are now, I don't know how we stop it getting worse

msbluewednesday.bsky.social•8 days ago

Instead they need to divest themselves of that awful PIP policy & make all our lives more prosperous by moving much closer to Europe.

In July, only a couple of months away, Starmer will have to look at whether to delay full incoming customs checks for an 8th time.
https://www.vatcalc.com/uk/uk-brexit-agri-foods-customs-controls-to-be-delayed-into-2023/

lizmurison.bsky.social•8 days ago

Will he wear his best suit, hire a small pallet truck and borrow Smogg's fluorescent vest for the 8th photoshoot at Dover?

msbluewednesday.bsky.social•8 days ago

No idea but if they are finally imposed, that’s yet more price increases & delays.
Seven shades of stupid.

sarahviktoria.bsky.social•8 days ago

Attacking marginalised groups is not likely to be an electoral ploy by Labour. Why would it be with Labour talking to the same kinds of think tanks as Conservative and Reform?
What if their backers just want it to happen? #r4today
https://policyexchange.org.uk/labour-party-conference-2023/

cloudyvee.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labour should assume they’ll lose the next GE because the economy and thus the general public’s prosperity won’t improve anytime soon. So they should take the opportunity now to make some radical changes because what do they have to lose and what could the country gain if they did?
#r4today

smfbooth.bsky.social•8 days ago

Need to get a Chief of Staff to implement a McSwervy.

chartedbenjamin.bsky.social•8 days ago

Relevant context

Source: figures.academia-assets.com

fbpech.bsky.social•8 days ago

I’m really worried about this too…

sitebadger.bsky.social•8 days ago

When in reality they should be re-establishing their socialist roots or they’ll *lose their voter base.
*even more than they currently are.

chalkandtalk.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labour can never go far enough right. Farage will always occupy that space. Unlike normal shopping, people aren't taking the discount offering whilst the full price version is there. Labour need to get firmly back to left/centre-left, sing it loudly and proudly. Help people. Be human. Stop cuts.

danielsohege.bsky.social•8 days ago

It is all well and good saying "vote Labour or get Reform", but the vast majority of people don't think about politics that way. Through its current course of action Labour won't gain seats from Reform, but they will lose people who may otherwise have supported them. That is not the fault of voters.

frdragonspouse.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labour has driven me and millions of other long-term Labour voters away by both their policies and in some cases by actively telling us, "we don't want you."

Why on earth would we return, given what they've turned into?

carolebristol.bsky.social•8 days ago

It seems pretty clear that many voters are actively repelled by what they have seen from Labour in office, so they are hardly going to hold their noses and vote Labour to stop Reform.

anneoldfield.bsky.social•8 days ago

Indeed so.
And actively repelled whether or not they are affected or even know anyone who is. The cruelty and uncaring attitude to some of these groups is both heartbreaking and rage inducing.

danielsohege.bsky.social•8 days ago

In politics, as in advocacy, there is no such thing as "the general public". There are disparate groups who vote for their own reasons, and if they do not see policies matching those reasons, often focused on improving their personal situation, such as cost of living, they just won't vote.

jaig5.bsky.social•8 days ago

Our MSM bears a responsibility for the rise of Reform UK and British racism and bigotry in general. Their hostile rhetoric, disinformation and misinformation fuels it.

danielsohege.bsky.social•8 days ago

Most people don't care about immigration, trans and non-binary individuals etc etc, but when all they hear from the Government are attacks on these groups, rather than anything genuinely practical and meaningful for their own lives they just lose faith entirely, stop caring, and stop voting #r4today

danielsohege.bsky.social•8 days ago

On that particular note, local elections rarely reflect voting intentions in national elections, too many different reasons, most personal, when voting in them, so it would be a huge mistake to say "Reform won these so we need to be like Reform to win them in the next General Election".

theartofcharts.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labor's been appeasing the far right now since the early 2000s (if not earlier).

It's hasn't really worked for them so far.

A friend of mine had a saying: if the horse is dead get off the horse. Xenophobic and transphobic bullshit from Labour is a dead horse: it costs them votes.

theartofcharts.bsky.social•8 days ago

My spelling and typos are kicking in. Labour. Also 'It'.'

calenhad-social.bsky.social•8 days ago

The moment Quisling started parroting Reform shite and stealing money from people in need he should have been given one chance to recant and then kicked out immediately if he declined to. He and his rabble are now no better than the scum they were elected to deal with.

chester66red.bsky.social•8 days ago

Except labour and reform are both Right-wing so that wouldn’t work plus Im never gonna vote for anti-LGBTQ+, racists, anti-environment, pro-war and pro-isreal and therell be loads who feel similar plus Keir and labour rejected the left so why would the left vote for them?

theangelremiel.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labour are making the same mistake that the Democrats did last year: alienating one of their natural constituencies in order to pursue a group who have already found the party that matches them.

toddlenrant.bsky.social•8 days ago

Are they blind to how this approach worked for Tories, and for them within a few months?! Labour needs to be Labour.

finl3y.bsky.social•8 days ago

It’s so stupid. They’ve just had it delivered that this policy doesn’t work. Nobody wants what the far right are offering, they just want someone to make meaningful differences in their lives. Reform promise that but will never deliver it

sheila-the-thief.bsky.social•8 days ago

Indeed! Can someone please speak to them?

anondon.bsky.social•8 days ago

And it will loose my vote bc they are too stupid to realise who actually does vote for them.

smdillon1975.bsky.social•8 days ago

Labour cares more about fiscal rules and pleasing the right than they do about getting children out of poverty, Starmer lied to be elected leader of the Labour party and told the left to leave if they didn't like it, working well for them isn't it.

elwick70.bsky.social•8 days ago

Agree with you regarding Runcorn, although the by-election came about because of odd circumstances, otherwise it would’ve been a Labour seat until 2029 at least. May even return to Labour at the next GE

Lincolnshire is a story of conservative collapse. It’s not Labour territory

suefromse5.bsky.social•8 days ago

Yes, I think context is important in local and by- election results. Lincolnshire includes Boston, which iirc had the largest % pro Brexit vote, and it's also rural - farmers and IHT is a big thing. I can see Reform pushed Labour close in the others but those areas too have their context.

suefromse5.bsky.social•8 days ago

The west of England encompasses Bristol, Bath & the areas around. Without Reform would it have been a Tory win? If so, then it's down to the Tory vote collapse. Doncaster isn't a rich city, unemployment and that left behind feeling all fuel Reform votes. And Ed Milliband is an MP there.

suefromse5.bsky.social•8 days ago

Easy to get anti climate change, concern over fuel bills, everyone will have to get a heat pump worriers on your side. But Labour must ask itself some serious questions about rebutting the Reform agenda.

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