Local government may not be the most exotic branch of politics, but following on from last year’s general election, Thursday’s local elections will provide the first litmus test for Keir Starmer’s administration, Kemi Badenoch’s tenure as Tory leader, and give us our first indication as to whether Nigel Farage’s resurgent Reform UK are genuinely going to translate poll leads into success at the ballot box.
In play are 1,641 council seats across 24 local authorities, 6 mayoral elections, and of course the by-election in the Labour-held seat of Runcorn and Helsby, after Mike Amesbury MP decided to greet a constituent in a manner of which John Prescott would be proud. Incidentally, I’m all for Westminster’s finest getting more hands-on with the electorate – I just think it would be fair if the voters were allowed to fight back occasionally.
Of the 24 local councils up for grabs, 16 are currently controlled by the Conservative Party. But that was way back in 2021, thanks to a long forgotten ‘Boris wave’, and a Covid vaccine bounce. Depending on which poll you consult, Reform are leading the charge – polling 25% to Labour’s 23%, with the Tories trailing on 21%.
The polls are only headed one way, which is unsurprising. Reform UK are closing in on a quarter of a million members – that’s just shy of Labour’s 300,000 and almost double the number the Tories can boast. And indeed, the old idea that Farage couldn’t deliver on polling day is a distant memory. In the six-month period between October and March, Reform has contested 64 of 78 council by-elections, and either won or came second in half of them. It is telling therefore, that Labour believes it will lose Runcorn to Reform.
All of which is just as well, because the choice for voters tomorrow is a non-choice. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party are unashamedly anti-White and anti-British. They consider the White, working-class second-class citizens, and inquiries into Muslim rape gangs an inconvenient threat to the cosy vote-rigging they’ve enjoyed for decades. In fact, if you’re British and considering voting Labour tomorrow, you might as well leave your front door open at night, hand in your notice (assuming you work), and put your daughter’s virginity up for 99p on eBay (at least that way, you’ll be ahead on the deal when multiculturalism comes calling).
The Tories meanwhile are infinitely worse. Feigning conservatism for the best part of two decades in power, but equally as anti-White and anti-British as Labour. Christ I miss Jeremy Corbyn – yes I know he was the Catweasel of politics, but at least you’d have got free WiFi to enjoy the apocalypse!
The Greens are a joke party with Net Zero for a punchline, while the Lib Dems under Ed Davey are a joke party in search of a punchline.
So that leaves Nigel Farage and Reform UK. No one can argue that The New Conservative does not call out Farage when he makes a bad call. His Achilles heel of Islam in particular is of concern, as was his treatment of Rupert Lowe, his inability to share the spotlight, his disdain for patriots like Tommy Robinson, and the lingering questions about his Muslim backers and whether they are pulling strings behind the scenes. These are not trivial issues, and Reform’s supporters are right to demand clarity.
However, tomorrow’s vote is little more than Hobson’s choice. Labour and the Tories deserve to get a thorough kicking, and they will. All caveats notwithstanding, Farage and Reform are the current best bet. Of all the political parties strewn across the political slag heap, at least they are sailing roughly in the right direction.
Politics, they say, is the art of compromise, but I beg to differ. For my money, politics is the art of forcing the wrong people to do the right thing – and at present, that will only happen with a Reform landslide. Already, you can see the fear of electoral wipeout impacting the comfortable armchairs at Westminster. Yvette Cooper is promising that serious sex offenders will be automatically denied asylum, as though this were a concession to the electorate. Keir Starmer, the world’s worst illusionist, has seriously contested that ‘Taking back control is a Labour argument’. And Robert Jenrick can bluster all he wants that ‘The world and his wife cannot come to Britain’, but that’s not what he proved when he was Minister for Immigration.
No one knows what may happen before 2029, or which political alternatives may arise. Reform UK may not be the final answer to Britain’s problems. Farage’s weaknesses need addressing, and the party must prove it is more than a one-man show. For now however, it should be sufficient to send a clear message to those arrogant, smug bastards at Westminster: Britain is for the British. That means secure borders, a culture that celebrates its heritage, and a government that puts its people first. Reform is the vehicle for that message today, flawed as it may be.
A vote for Reform is more than a vote for Farage – it’s a chance to make the political class fear us again; a vote to remind them that we’re still here, we’re in command, and we aren’t going anywhere. So get out there and vote. Send Labour and the Tories packing. Back Reform, warts and all, and watch the establishment’s fake patriotism kick into overdrive. You never know your luck, you might get Emily Thornberry bedecked in the flag of St George (God help you!).
Frank Haviland is the author of Banalysis: The Lie Destroying the West and The Frank Report, which you should probably subscribe to.
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A concise overview Mr H….your conclusion that Reform need to have the votes of the disaffected (with the Uniparty, politics/ politicians in general) to show that the ‘ordinary man/woman in the street’ are angry that they are a) being ignored b) being milked for absurdities like ‘climate breakdown/emergency/ whatever’ c) being daily bombarded with hoax stories via msm, soaps, ‘talking (clown) heads’ to ramp up fear and/or elicit sympathy ( our government, our salvation -not!)…is the way to show these charlatans we are the many, we do not consent. The Reform Party has to decide who it travels on with….the people or the Establishment.
Sorry but Reform are not the answer, I wish they were. I’d rather spoil my voting paper, or not vote at all, than vote for something I don’t believe in, to do otherwise isn’t acceptable to me – but I have no objection to others thinking and acting differently.
It’s easy to have some sympathy with your view especially if you are one of those who Farage marched up the hill and back down again….twice! But if there is no fightback from the public now then 2029 GE may be too late to start from scratch with a new Rightwing party. Reform is the only viable party to back to reject the continued treachery of the British establishment.
I strongly suspect Reform wants and aims to be part of the treacherous British establishment. That is its Achillies heel, so no thank you I’ll pass and take the consequences.
VOTE FOR PAUL GOLDING (BRITAIN FIRST) you are wasting time voting for Farage he is tories team2.
The luxury of choice isn’t available everywhere unfortunately, with the result being more of the same, victory for the most well organised local mainstream candidate or a half hearted attempt to stick it to ’em by voting Reform without any enthusiasm or conviction. Letting Reform get their feet under the table will only hasten their evolution into Conservatives and respectability.
There is a Reform candidate where I live. Unfortunately they couldn’t be bothered to let me know anything at all about them, what they stand for or what they’ll do if I vote for them.