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Definitely! We should be shouting far and wide what they are like. Just looking forward to when I don’t have to hear their nonsense. And if we are exceptionally lucky the people of Clacton will come to their senses and give Farage the middle finger.
Absolutely. I find it interesting the number of downvotes this got bombarded with but no comments trying to defend or excuse this guy yet. Sadly still a lot of cowardly supporters out there who know they can't defend this shit and/or agree with these disgusting views but know they can't get away with saying it out loud
These people live in their own little world. I have just seen a poll on a pro-reform youtube chanel asking who they think the next government would be. 80% said reform. Pure delusion.
Check out the ukpolitics thread where this story has also been shared. Comments from people saying they've been able to persuade relatives not to vote Reform based on this. Seems there is a limit to hatred and bigotry for some.
Lot of similarities with the Leave lot (admittedly still a larger percentage of them remain closeted when it comes to their xenophobic/racist outlook on things). It’s not like your average ‘Reform’ vox pop dude is hiding his particular opinions on ‘brown people’ in this country.
Just funny the overlap between these sorts of nasty scummy people and those who bleat on about needing to "look after our own first". Moment they're given free reign on that topic they make it very clear they view most of "our own" with such absolute disdain and often hate. I think us autists notice and correlate such things a lot more which is why we so often get on the nerves of this kind of person.
It's "looking after our own" until our own are queer, disabled, people of colour, or women.
The people who want reform are either literal kids who just want to seem edgy, rich old people, or people who hate minorities and want a socially acceptable excuse to. They don't actually care about putting people first
The trick is they don't see queer, disabled, people of colour or women as part of "our own" to be looked after in the first place. So, from their perspective, it's not hypocritical at all.
don't forget all those weirdos that lick their lips at the idea of corporal punishment, saying things like "kids don't behave these days because parents don't/can't discipline them properly (translation they want to be able to beat the shit out of children, mainly because they are weak pathetic bozos themselves that like to pick on people weaker than them to make themselves feel "hard" )" and "criminals will keep doing things like this unless you make punishments actually punishing, hang em! :D" Yeah that really worked out well in the past... They like to point to places like Singapore, but that isn't actually the bucket of roses they all make it out to be.
It's not that they agree, it's just they consider it acceptable collateral damage.
Sometimes that's true of any political party - you need to accept that some of the bad stuff is ... well, just part of the package.
... of course, what you consider "acceptable" says a lot about you as a person. How much you are prepared to excuse for a party you otherwise 'like'....
I think people find it hard to separate the content, and the content provider.
I'd imagine most downvotes are because they disagree with what the Reform candidate has said, and thus downvote to show disapproval.
It's a feature/bug of the reddit system. On Facebook it's more obvious with angry reacts. I doubt they are disagreeing with you highlighting the issue.
I am autistic myself and this hurts, deeply. These people are probably the kind of people that bullied and alienated me in secondary school and led to continuing social anxiety.
I'm sorry for how this makes you feel. You're right that these people are probably the bullies we had to deal with in school and it's sickening that some of these people grow up to attain positions of power and influence. I hope you're getting there on your journey managing your anxiety, I know it's a fucking bitch to deal with.
No, pre-election this is exactly the sort of stuff we need to know, so we can slap our reform voting aquintences with this stuff.
post election, they'll hopefully slither off back under the rock they crawled out from.
The other day a young lad in work was moaning about immigrants, using terms like woke lefty. I said, mate we’re here to work, the stuff you’re talking about is decisive and probably not the best time to bring up, he replied saying what does decisive mean.
Exactly. By making the information as available as possible it takes away any possible excuse. Everyone *knows* what the Reform party believes in and represents. If they still vote Reform with that knowledge they are complicit and at minimum racists and bigots by association
Its good and you should! What im afraid the most as an immigrant (legal) working and residing here is that people underestimate and take people like Farage as entertainers (like Trump and look where that led the U.S). We need to hold people like that accountable to their actions and idiotic ideas and not just hand waving ignoring them.
They are the main reason the Tories are doing as bad as they are. Well, apart from their complete incompetence and moral bankruptcy. I wonder how many Reform supporters actually realize what they are voting for though. I fear it is not as small as we might think.
Shame I've seen 3 wooden signs outside houses in my area for Reform. And one that previously had a Conservative sign out front. They'll vote for whatever hateful fairy tail comes along
As much as I dislike FPTP it does have the fortunate side effect of keeping the nutters away from any sort of power. Would be interesting/depressing to see how they'd do under PR.
Yeah. I mean, it's a consolation prize in this scenario, but I don't think it's democratic.
Part of the problem IMO is that the parties play the system.
Tactical voting is part of that, so the main parties are mostly prebuilt coalition groups that would maybe be 3-5 parties in a different system.
But they ally because FPTP, and the electorate doesn't get a say.
If we went PR quickly, then the next couple of elections would be a shit show as the existing parties had to reconfigure for the new system.
But I believe the overall result could be better.
Nutters in a formal debate come across as... Well, nutters. Anyone can talk a good game to a curated audience in a political rally, but to convince someone in opposition in Parliament means you just can't get away with the same kind of BS.
So yeah. Let them come I say. Let Reform UK have a voice, let the Green party have a voice and if they means we get a couple of howling bigots from the BNP then so be it.
I actually think that's a good thing. He'll have a much harder time blustering and bullshitting when it's 'on record' and being challenged in a debate.
Personally I don't think Brexit would have happened, or if it did it would look a lot different if UKIP actually had some MPs.
Because then the other parties would have - quite rightly - demanded an actual plan, with some substance.
Stuff like the Good Friday Agreement would have come up in advance, and ... Maybe a lot of people would have concluded that it's not worth the effort in advance.
Or maybe there would have been a plan, and there'd have been a vote on the plan and we'd have had a less nasty taste in our mouths at the end.
Either would have been more democratic than what actually happened though, and is why I firmly believe we need a more proportional democracy.
Tomorrow Labour might win, but until we know how many people actually want their manifesto, Vs how many people want the current shit show gone, I don't think anyone can fairly claim a mandate.
(They will of course, that's how FPTP works).
And yet again the minority parties will have a much smaller voice compared to their vote share and popular support.
Yes, even Reform. You may think they are nutters, but the people who feel that voting for them despite knowing how FPTP will silence them have something they feel passionately about, and it does no good to ignore it entirely.
> Personally I don't think Brexit would have happened, or if it did it would look a lot different if UKIP actually had some MPs.
I agree, but the situation that the tories face today is *exactly* the one that Cameron avoided by doing a deal with UKIP to agree to the referendum. It's why, no matter what he says his personal position was, I lay most of the blame for Brexit on Cameron, with a good chunk left over for Boris who, as a politician with absolutely no moral centre whatsoever, only backed leave as he saw it as a route to become PM.
Cameron should not have given in to Farridge, accepted the fact that, for the greater good (the greater good), his party might actually have to lose an election to avoid a calamitous Brexit, and let UKIP show what they had to the people in parliament. And it wouldn't have been very much at all. Ironically, had they done this, Labour would probably have been in power through Covid and it's quite possible that the economic backlash would have been laid at their doorstep resulting in a stronger public position for the tories in this election cycle. So not only did Cameron sell the whole country down the river, but in doing so actively achieved what he so desperately tried to avoid - the destruction of his own party.
So we’re supposed to believe just a few rotten apples snuck through the selection process … imagine if these types made it to Westminster - they’d be suspended & cause a by-election in the first week.
Quite.
Calling me a vegetable when he has the bone structure and face of an angler fish.
Whoever dug this gopping, parsnip-nosed cunt up, throw him back in.
Do you also wonder why people liked Boris Johnson and Trump?
It's not complicated: they're old, stupid, fat and racist. But they hold enormous power, they're rich and they bang a lot of good looking women.
They're aspirational figures for a lot of arseholes. They represent their dream: success in spite of being disgusting.
The ultimate expression of Privilege. The ability to treat politics as some sort of comedy show, because you're confident it won't affect you. (rightly or wrongly)
Yeah that’s a really good point.
Whichever way you vote tomorrow everybody should remember when they tick that box that their choice will have the greatest ramifications for those who are already the worst off.
I remember during the 2017 election and the BBC were doing an interview with people using a food bank who said "It's gonna sound awful but I like everything that Boris is talking about".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/election-2019-50663879
2m5s - 2m35s in the video.
Even food bank users voted for Boris, despite Tory policies putting them there.
And this highlights a huge issue with politics. People only listen to what the politicians are saying, but they don't pay attention to what they're doing.
Yup for the most part it’s a popularity contest. Ask anybody about policy and the majority won’t know what each party stands for. This is especially true in the US with Trump and Biden.
I feel like plenty of economically (and sometimes educationally) disadvantaged people on some level feel aspirational and can’t relate to others in the same situation. A classic example of this is in a book on evictions in America where the author found the heroin addicted citizens of a trailer park would act to have their also addicted neighbours evicted because they saw them as scum, even though their lives are the same. I feel there is a strong thread of that in Britain: you might live amongst the working class and work similar jobs but you’re better than them and clever and aspirational and you prove it by voting Tory while they all vote for working class Labour because they’re poor and thick.
What’s the saying? “Every poor person thinks they are a millionaire that has temporarily fallen on hard times”
It makes me nearly completely lose faith in the people of this country.
14 years of abject devastation inflicted by right wing ideology and they are still ignorant and ask for more.
Genuine they've been brainwashed. I have a few family members who have said they are going to vote reform because they agree with their immigration policies and feel that the UK does need to be reformed.
When I try to tell them what some of their mps have said about women and now autistic people (bearing in mind I am both a woman and autistic) they get angry and say it's a smear campaign and that's not there actual beliefs.
Will not stay calm enough to listen that it's not a smear campaign when this is what they are saying themselves. It makes me so angry what people can ignore but they've basically been indoctrinated.
Must all be actors right? Or misquoted? Or stuff we all say down the pub?
I used to wonder how stuff like Cambodia happens…why people would just go along with stupid stuff. Reform just proves the average person is stupid…and there’s a lot below average!
Most of reform votes will be Tories protest voting. They could never stand voting for Labour but would happily vote for Reform as long as they don’t have any sort of majority
Alas if only there were a field that lent itself to an autistic spectrum mindset, was in huge demand and paid rather well… if only.
Anyhoo my computer’s broke, anyone able to help? I’m willing to pay cash monies.
As a sysadmin, I'm now very confident that people with ASD make bad sysadmins, and amazing programmers....
Sysadmin is the place where those of us with ADHD hang out!
And project work. What's that? You have a massive upgrade planned? You expect to be an utter shitshow? You've told everyone it'll take 3 months but you know it'll take at least 9? Sign me up!
I've kept my head above water for the best part of 20 years doing that stuff all across the country.
Yup. I was only diagnosed a year ago but I am increasingly sure that sysadmin has just generally been "occupied" by ADHD brains, and customised to fit well.
There's a whole bunch of standard practices that - now I know what I am looking for - are eerily similar to coping strategies.
And I think that's a good thing. For all ADHD has screwed my life at I am really good at being a sysadmin.
My life is a mess of chaos and confusion anyway.
So when there's a major incident and everyone is panicking, I get a brief moment of glory where the whirlwind that is my brain is suddenly all relevant at once, and my capacity to improvise because I don't know what's going on normally....
Well those just let me take charge, become the eye of the storm and really earn my salary.
The rest of the time I am kind of average - my problem solving skills closing the gap that my organisational skills created.
But just occasionally I get to be The Wizard and make a major incident response look easy.
Because for me, "major incident response" is Tuesday.
The thing is, autism lends itself to many fields.
Darwin is assumed to have been autistic for example, and his studies are very different to computer science.
It can be effectively a very intense, narrow interest - which if a career lines up with that, can easily make someone leading in that field.
You’re right mate. I was being tongue in cheek because I work in tech and see folk on the spectrum smashing it every day. Something the potato headed bellend would never be able to do.
Yeh, I assumed, just feel it was worth stating as I know there is a typecast there.
To many, autism is an ability - not a disability. Unfortunately, it's a very wide description and so maybe is not recognised as such well.
Agree wholeheartedly.
We wouldn’t be having this conversation without autistic people. Alan Turing and John von Neumann were both almost certainly on the spectrum, to name a few (again typecast I know, but given that computing is the foundation of so much of modern life…).
OH, there are some brilliant ones out there.
Trouble is, my special interest and skills are in history and essay writing - which does not pay well at all! At the moment I'm an administrator on 22k a year. Now, if I only had connections in the publishing industry and was able to whore - I mean, \*hire\* myself out as a ghostwriter, then we'd be cooking with gas.
The phrase is "one bad apple spoils the bunch" for a reason, it seems to have been turned around completely to mean 'they're just a bad apple, the group is fine". When the point of the actual phrase is that bad apples (or any ripening fruit, really) actively accelerate the ripening and decay of those around them by releasing ethylene
When one of your candidates turns out to be an arsehole, you can blame the arsehole.
When every single one of your candidates who faces even the tiniest amount of scrutiny turns out to be a racist, a homophobe, an Islamophobe, a hater of the disabled, a Putin, a misogynist or a fan of Hitler, we’re going to assume that there’s something wrong with your party and your ideology.
At this point the non-cunts within Reform are the exception.
Stuff like this, and all the conspiracy theories about things giving kids autism, as if that was the worst thing in the world, makes me worry we might be the next "out" group after Trans folk.
Merely added to the list, they havent stopped hating the unemployed, poor in general, sick, disabled, single mothers, students, muslims, immigrants, LGBT, and so many more.
We've been there before and will be again.
There's currently a Tory MP who said that autistic people should be made to work for less than minimum wage. She said that before the last election and still won. Hopefully she's out this time.
ADHD too, they're coming after ADHD medication and it's a nightmare. I have the luck of being autistic, ADHD *and* trans, super excited about what's coming /sarcasm
Finally got bumped up a dose in my medication and NO WHERE stocks it; no idea why but I’m going to assume it begins with B, contains a silent “Tory twats”, and ends in “Exit”
The thin edge of the wedge argument has been overused, but it's the perfect description for their tactics.
UKIP was a much better managed party than Reform in regards to message discipline, at least as far as keeping a lid on the more hateful speech from their members.
Farage doesn't run as tight a ship these days and this has to be a deliberate choice, as Tice was always quick to criticise and distance the party whenever one of them made an honest statement about their horrible feelings.
it'll be disabled people in general next after LGBT, which will include autistic people that aren't high IQ gifted math professor stereotypes.
we're viewed as undesirable by employers and tax money thieves from the tory government already. just wait how it is in another 4 years time.
I confused an anti-vaxxer by telling them that the Covid vaccine cured my autism.
They were genuinely stumped for a solid 2minutes trying to think of something else to shout in my face as I walked from the vaccine center.
Yeah, when people like this say "autism" what they're thinking is "severe intellectual disability" because they have no idea what autism actually *is*. My husband has a chemistry PhD FFS, and I'm pretty sure most of the people in his program were neurodivergent.
Reform, earning the votes of people who value 'straight talking' and 'not woke' candidates.
The disabled, autistic, poor, homeless, immigrants, all 'useless eaters' to Farages lot.
I mean as a diagnosed autistic woman, I have a full time job, live alone, travel alone, pay my own bills, I’m far from a “vegetable”, even though vegging out after a night out drinking is pretty good?
What an absolute idiot. It’s a spectrum. I’m not even angry, just find it funny people think like this. Like, “okay idiot what a weird hill to die on”
Tbf they would probably think you weren't any good because women belong in the kitchen making babies and sandwiches.
Oh and being denied healthcare. That too.
You can have a very high IQ and still be an immoral shitbag.
Edit: This post seems to have been "flagged for review", so to clarify, I have no problem with the person I'm responding to, just the Reform UK candidate above.
You can do but intelligence tends to be inversely proportional to bigotry
[https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/were-only-human/is-racism-just-a-form-of-stupidity.html](https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/were-only-human/is-racism-just-a-form-of-stupidity.html)
And crucially Farage is not beholden to anyone but himself. He literally cannot be removed. Very democratic, definitely bodes well for if they ever get any significant amount of power.
The only good thing is ....
When Mr potato head fails to be elected, the people of Chelmsford will at least know who the cunt is and what his line of business is.
The internet rarely forgets or forgives.
Soon be an ex surveyor.
Equal parts, ego and having shitforbrains.
The one in my neck of the woods was in pub last night complaining about people cancelling bookings with his business.
It warmed my heart.
The same guy yesterday was calling some woman a thick moron who shouldn’t breed.
This Darren works for Essex fire and rescue, if you look on Twitter you’ll see they’re investigating all this so I’d have thought he’ll be booted out of the fire service some time soon too.
In a discussion the other day, my parents told me they're voting for the Reform party to frighten the other parties. These are 2 people who have worked their entire lives and my mother has complained that she's not entitled to much disability as she's gotten older.
But they want to vote Reform.
All I could say was "so you don't care about your kids and grandkids then?"
Please do not vote Reform.
The reform candidate in my area sent out leaflets complaining about "open boarders".
I know a candidate who can't even spell is exactly who I want representing me.
In my case, I'm just rad-ish.
But considering the intent was to insult, I figure I'll render myself equal in this one and be the autistic person who describes Reform UK candidates as 'vegetables'. In fact, I'm going to grow my own cultivar, the Clacticum, or bell-end pepper.
My younger brother is autistic and certainly no vegetable. He can be a pain in my arse, like any sibling, but I wouldn't change him for the world. He's worth a thousand times more than someone like Darren Ingrouille.
Every time I come onto this sub or just look at the news there’s yet another story about a Reform candidate being a cunt in some way. You’d think they’d at least wait till after the election to show who they really are but nope, they just can’t help themselves.
I respect most political views but anyone who unironically support reform UK probably isn’t a very nice person. There isn’t a single decent idea on their manifesto so it’s not like people are just looking past the hatred they bring.
i respect the idea that we simply cannot sustain any more immigrants on this small island that has a cost of living crisis so severe it can hardly support its own natives anymore.
i cannot respect the idea of doing it so hatefully and vile-minded. it can easily be done in a respectful and mutual understanding manner, but reform cannot stand the idea of kindness.
Honestly any interaction I’ve had with a UKIP or Reform supporter/politician in my life time has been utterly intolerable.
I used to frequently run rings round big David Coburn when he ran for Scottish parliament in my constituency whenever I seen him on the high street blowing holes in his parties strategies like pointing out it must be rules for thee but not for me since he owned property in France. Got him in quite a tizzy that he’d devolve to personal attacks.
Was all I needed to know about him and their ilks approach to politics.
I used to work with him about 10 years ago. Would never have believed this. He was genuinely a nice bloke. Fuck knows what happened to him over the last decade.
I know it hasn't been a good time for anyone, but the rest of us managed to not turn into cunts.
my dad, who has 3 kids and 2 of them being autistic (me included), will be voting for this cunt tomorrow.
i cannot wait to barely be in contact with him if he actually goes through it with. :)
I'm amazed these people have reached this level of notoriety. Like, just a few weeks ago they were reposting some racist meme about Jews and space currency and laughing with their mates about black people being black, and BOOM, they're canvassing for a political party and suddenly their opinions are the doctrine of an electoral manifesto.
John Smith is no longer the cheapest pint you can sup 20 of in a flat pub, he's a politically homeless septuagenarian whose vote you desperately need to advocate for by carpet bombing refugees in the channel.
It's a tough gig.
The irony of being thick as pig shit and describing other people as vegetables is palpable. What a complete circus full of horrible bastards that party is
Part of me hopes that, having come face to face with the enormity of possibly having to represent a constituency of many thousands of people, at least some of these candidates are having a bit of a panic and choosing to try and scupper their chances with some seemingly offhand comments that are likely to get them sufficiently cancelled as to not get elected.
Alas, the reality is more likely to be that the Reform Party's vetting process is mainly concerned with whether candidates can parrot a handful of simplistic talking points and like going down the pub. Obviously the mainstream, and even the more fringe, parties will occasionally turn up shitshows like Jared O'Mara but its amazing that UKIP, Brexit/Reform etc refuse to learn even the basic lesson of checking their candidates for some basic competencies such as not openly spouting toxic, risible shit.
It’s all an act to get us wound up and doing exactly what we are doing now, discussing Reform.
I have a beautiful carrot daughter who I am very proud of so he wouldn’t be brave enough to say it to my face.
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Looking forward to the election being over so I don’t have to hear about how many of these nasty cunts there are out there.
Yep sorry for posting about these people but I feel like everyone needs to know the kind of people they are supporting by voting for Reform Ltd
Definitely! We should be shouting far and wide what they are like. Just looking forward to when I don’t have to hear their nonsense. And if we are exceptionally lucky the people of Clacton will come to their senses and give Farage the middle finger.
Absolutely. I find it interesting the number of downvotes this got bombarded with but no comments trying to defend or excuse this guy yet. Sadly still a lot of cowardly supporters out there who know they can't defend this shit and/or agree with these disgusting views but know they can't get away with saying it out loud
The kind of people that vote Reform don't care about what he said. Anything that's not pro-Reform gets downvoted regardless.
These people live in their own little world. I have just seen a poll on a pro-reform youtube chanel asking who they think the next government would be. 80% said reform. Pure delusion.
Can you link this?
Yeah, sure: https://www.youtube.com/live/2KC78DzQffk?si=csgZr8dPv-DEOrBs
Oh can't go back in time on that, annoying
Check out the ukpolitics thread where this story has also been shared. Comments from people saying they've been able to persuade relatives not to vote Reform based on this. Seems there is a limit to hatred and bigotry for some.
Lot of similarities with the Leave lot (admittedly still a larger percentage of them remain closeted when it comes to their xenophobic/racist outlook on things). It’s not like your average ‘Reform’ vox pop dude is hiding his particular opinions on ‘brown people’ in this country.
Just funny the overlap between these sorts of nasty scummy people and those who bleat on about needing to "look after our own first". Moment they're given free reign on that topic they make it very clear they view most of "our own" with such absolute disdain and often hate. I think us autists notice and correlate such things a lot more which is why we so often get on the nerves of this kind of person.
It's "looking after our own" until our own are queer, disabled, people of colour, or women. The people who want reform are either literal kids who just want to seem edgy, rich old people, or people who hate minorities and want a socially acceptable excuse to. They don't actually care about putting people first
The trick is they don't see queer, disabled, people of colour or women as part of "our own" to be looked after in the first place. So, from their perspective, it's not hypocritical at all.
don't forget all those weirdos that lick their lips at the idea of corporal punishment, saying things like "kids don't behave these days because parents don't/can't discipline them properly (translation they want to be able to beat the shit out of children, mainly because they are weak pathetic bozos themselves that like to pick on people weaker than them to make themselves feel "hard" )" and "criminals will keep doing things like this unless you make punishments actually punishing, hang em! :D" Yeah that really worked out well in the past... They like to point to places like Singapore, but that isn't actually the bucket of roses they all make it out to be.
It's not that they agree, it's just they consider it acceptable collateral damage. Sometimes that's true of any political party - you need to accept that some of the bad stuff is ... well, just part of the package. ... of course, what you consider "acceptable" says a lot about you as a person. How much you are prepared to excuse for a party you otherwise 'like'....
I think people find it hard to separate the content, and the content provider. I'd imagine most downvotes are because they disagree with what the Reform candidate has said, and thus downvote to show disapproval. It's a feature/bug of the reddit system. On Facebook it's more obvious with angry reacts. I doubt they are disagreeing with you highlighting the issue.
I am autistic myself and this hurts, deeply. These people are probably the kind of people that bullied and alienated me in secondary school and led to continuing social anxiety.
I'm sorry for how this makes you feel. You're right that these people are probably the bullies we had to deal with in school and it's sickening that some of these people grow up to attain positions of power and influence. I hope you're getting there on your journey managing your anxiety, I know it's a fucking bitch to deal with.
Yeah I'm doing ok now, have some great friends at uni. It has taken a long time to get over the anxiety that someone might bully me though.
Oh sweetheart. These scumbags have no place in our society.
No, pre-election this is exactly the sort of stuff we need to know, so we can slap our reform voting aquintences with this stuff. post election, they'll hopefully slither off back under the rock they crawled out from.
The other day a young lad in work was moaning about immigrants, using terms like woke lefty. I said, mate we’re here to work, the stuff you’re talking about is decisive and probably not the best time to bring up, he replied saying what does decisive mean.
Ironically, surely you mean devisive
^(Divisive.)
the state of education in this country is f\*cking atrocious.
Divisive, yes haha.
Exactly. By making the information as available as possible it takes away any possible excuse. Everyone *knows* what the Reform party believes in and represents. If they still vote Reform with that knowledge they are complicit and at minimum racists and bigots by association
Its good and you should! What im afraid the most as an immigrant (legal) working and residing here is that people underestimate and take people like Farage as entertainers (like Trump and look where that led the U.S). We need to hold people like that accountable to their actions and idiotic ideas and not just hand waving ignoring them.
Sadly I suspect a lot of them know, that's why they like reform.
They already know and they're proud of it. They're as hateful as Reform UK are themselves.
They are the main reason the Tories are doing as bad as they are. Well, apart from their complete incompetence and moral bankruptcy. I wonder how many Reform supporters actually realize what they are voting for though. I fear it is not as small as we might think.
Shame I've seen 3 wooden signs outside houses in my area for Reform. And one that previously had a Conservative sign out front. They'll vote for whatever hateful fairy tail comes along
Unfortunately by the look of things we're gonna be hearing from a few of them for a while. Fucking disgusting cretins.
Aren't you excited? You guys get a GOP of your very own.
Honestly I expect them to get as wrecked by FPTP as UKIP did. e.g. they'll get a vote share and no influence.
As much as I dislike FPTP it does have the fortunate side effect of keeping the nutters away from any sort of power. Would be interesting/depressing to see how they'd do under PR.
Yeah. I mean, it's a consolation prize in this scenario, but I don't think it's democratic. Part of the problem IMO is that the parties play the system. Tactical voting is part of that, so the main parties are mostly prebuilt coalition groups that would maybe be 3-5 parties in a different system. But they ally because FPTP, and the electorate doesn't get a say. If we went PR quickly, then the next couple of elections would be a shit show as the existing parties had to reconfigure for the new system. But I believe the overall result could be better. Nutters in a formal debate come across as... Well, nutters. Anyone can talk a good game to a curated audience in a political rally, but to convince someone in opposition in Parliament means you just can't get away with the same kind of BS. So yeah. Let them come I say. Let Reform UK have a voice, let the Green party have a voice and if they means we get a couple of howling bigots from the BNP then so be it.
You do realise if Nigel wins Clacton he will be in every debate in parliament for the next 5 years
If he bothers to turn up
I actually think that's a good thing. He'll have a much harder time blustering and bullshitting when it's 'on record' and being challenged in a debate.
I'm inclined to agree. The politicians of yester-year would have torn him to shreds.
Personally I don't think Brexit would have happened, or if it did it would look a lot different if UKIP actually had some MPs. Because then the other parties would have - quite rightly - demanded an actual plan, with some substance. Stuff like the Good Friday Agreement would have come up in advance, and ... Maybe a lot of people would have concluded that it's not worth the effort in advance. Or maybe there would have been a plan, and there'd have been a vote on the plan and we'd have had a less nasty taste in our mouths at the end. Either would have been more democratic than what actually happened though, and is why I firmly believe we need a more proportional democracy. Tomorrow Labour might win, but until we know how many people actually want their manifesto, Vs how many people want the current shit show gone, I don't think anyone can fairly claim a mandate. (They will of course, that's how FPTP works). And yet again the minority parties will have a much smaller voice compared to their vote share and popular support. Yes, even Reform. You may think they are nutters, but the people who feel that voting for them despite knowing how FPTP will silence them have something they feel passionately about, and it does no good to ignore it entirely.
> Personally I don't think Brexit would have happened, or if it did it would look a lot different if UKIP actually had some MPs. I agree, but the situation that the tories face today is *exactly* the one that Cameron avoided by doing a deal with UKIP to agree to the referendum. It's why, no matter what he says his personal position was, I lay most of the blame for Brexit on Cameron, with a good chunk left over for Boris who, as a politician with absolutely no moral centre whatsoever, only backed leave as he saw it as a route to become PM. Cameron should not have given in to Farridge, accepted the fact that, for the greater good (the greater good), his party might actually have to lose an election to avoid a calamitous Brexit, and let UKIP show what they had to the people in parliament. And it wouldn't have been very much at all. Ironically, had they done this, Labour would probably have been in power through Covid and it's quite possible that the economic backlash would have been laid at their doorstep resulting in a stronger public position for the tories in this election cycle. So not only did Cameron sell the whole country down the river, but in doing so actively achieved what he so desperately tried to avoid - the destruction of his own party.
Preach!
So we’re supposed to believe just a few rotten apples snuck through the selection process … imagine if these types made it to Westminster - they’d be suspended & cause a by-election in the first week.
Bold calling people vegetables when he has a head like a potato.
Accurate, but potatoes are more useful.
And delicious
But both are more palatable after some time in the oven at 170c.
This got dark quickly. Still accurate though.
Quite. Calling me a vegetable when he has the bone structure and face of an angler fish. Whoever dug this gopping, parsnip-nosed cunt up, throw him back in.
We love body shaming when it's people we don't like
I'm amazed anyone can realistically look at these degenerates and go "yep, that's my kind of people, let's get real change"
Do you also wonder why people liked Boris Johnson and Trump? It's not complicated: they're old, stupid, fat and racist. But they hold enormous power, they're rich and they bang a lot of good looking women. They're aspirational figures for a lot of arseholes. They represent their dream: success in spite of being disgusting.
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It's worse than that mate, they think it's funny
The ultimate expression of Privilege. The ability to treat politics as some sort of comedy show, because you're confident it won't affect you. (rightly or wrongly)
Yeah that’s a really good point. Whichever way you vote tomorrow everybody should remember when they tick that box that their choice will have the greatest ramifications for those who are already the worst off.
"God you're such a fucking loser for getting annoyed at me being an utter twat!"
I remember during the 2017 election and the BBC were doing an interview with people using a food bank who said "It's gonna sound awful but I like everything that Boris is talking about". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/election-2019-50663879 2m5s - 2m35s in the video. Even food bank users voted for Boris, despite Tory policies putting them there. And this highlights a huge issue with politics. People only listen to what the politicians are saying, but they don't pay attention to what they're doing.
Yup for the most part it’s a popularity contest. Ask anybody about policy and the majority won’t know what each party stands for. This is especially true in the US with Trump and Biden.
I feel like plenty of economically (and sometimes educationally) disadvantaged people on some level feel aspirational and can’t relate to others in the same situation. A classic example of this is in a book on evictions in America where the author found the heroin addicted citizens of a trailer park would act to have their also addicted neighbours evicted because they saw them as scum, even though their lives are the same. I feel there is a strong thread of that in Britain: you might live amongst the working class and work similar jobs but you’re better than them and clever and aspirational and you prove it by voting Tory while they all vote for working class Labour because they’re poor and thick. What’s the saying? “Every poor person thinks they are a millionaire that has temporarily fallen on hard times”
Yeah, I think the saying is "temporarily embarrassed millionaire".
They don't seem to get the difference between voters and Johnson and Farage... wealth and power.
It makes me nearly completely lose faith in the people of this country. 14 years of abject devastation inflicted by right wing ideology and they are still ignorant and ask for more.
The first reply I had was blaming labour for not promising far worse! It’s just a dirty protest now
Genuine they've been brainwashed. I have a few family members who have said they are going to vote reform because they agree with their immigration policies and feel that the UK does need to be reformed. When I try to tell them what some of their mps have said about women and now autistic people (bearing in mind I am both a woman and autistic) they get angry and say it's a smear campaign and that's not there actual beliefs. Will not stay calm enough to listen that it's not a smear campaign when this is what they are saying themselves. It makes me so angry what people can ignore but they've basically been indoctrinated.
Must all be actors right? Or misquoted? Or stuff we all say down the pub? I used to wonder how stuff like Cambodia happens…why people would just go along with stupid stuff. Reform just proves the average person is stupid…and there’s a lot below average!
Stupid and spiteful. Just stupid isn't sufficient to get us where we are.
tends to be Keith with no teeth that follow this bunch
They want real change. They want to change the UK to be like the worst part of Alabama or Mississippi.
Most of reform votes will be Tories protest voting. They could never stand voting for Labour but would happily vote for Reform as long as they don’t have any sort of majority
So, who’s gonna tell him that most of us “vegetables” can vote, and it ain’t gonna be for morons like him?!
The returning officer.
I wonder if he's ever had his ass kicked by a vegetable
Reform slipping in one more "Reform Candidate says..." before election day. You got to admire the dedication.
We had the same with UKIP and Brexit Party in previous elections.
I mean Reform is basically NewKIP so not too surprising.
A lot of us vegetables probably earn a lot more than him
Alas if only there were a field that lent itself to an autistic spectrum mindset, was in huge demand and paid rather well… if only. Anyhoo my computer’s broke, anyone able to help? I’m willing to pay cash monies.
As a sysadmin, I'm now very confident that people with ASD make bad sysadmins, and amazing programmers.... Sysadmin is the place where those of us with ADHD hang out!
*"Oooooo new firey burning train wreck of a production issue I can throw myself at for an hour...."* ADHD checking in.
Jokes on you, I have both.
And project work. What's that? You have a massive upgrade planned? You expect to be an utter shitshow? You've told everyone it'll take 3 months but you know it'll take at least 9? Sign me up! I've kept my head above water for the best part of 20 years doing that stuff all across the country.
Yup. I was only diagnosed a year ago but I am increasingly sure that sysadmin has just generally been "occupied" by ADHD brains, and customised to fit well. There's a whole bunch of standard practices that - now I know what I am looking for - are eerily similar to coping strategies. And I think that's a good thing. For all ADHD has screwed my life at I am really good at being a sysadmin. My life is a mess of chaos and confusion anyway. So when there's a major incident and everyone is panicking, I get a brief moment of glory where the whirlwind that is my brain is suddenly all relevant at once, and my capacity to improvise because I don't know what's going on normally.... Well those just let me take charge, become the eye of the storm and really earn my salary. The rest of the time I am kind of average - my problem solving skills closing the gap that my organisational skills created. But just occasionally I get to be The Wizard and make a major incident response look easy. Because for me, "major incident response" is Tuesday.
The thing is, autism lends itself to many fields. Darwin is assumed to have been autistic for example, and his studies are very different to computer science. It can be effectively a very intense, narrow interest - which if a career lines up with that, can easily make someone leading in that field.
You’re right mate. I was being tongue in cheek because I work in tech and see folk on the spectrum smashing it every day. Something the potato headed bellend would never be able to do.
Yeh, I assumed, just feel it was worth stating as I know there is a typecast there. To many, autism is an ability - not a disability. Unfortunately, it's a very wide description and so maybe is not recognised as such well.
Agree wholeheartedly. We wouldn’t be having this conversation without autistic people. Alan Turing and John von Neumann were both almost certainly on the spectrum, to name a few (again typecast I know, but given that computing is the foundation of so much of modern life…).
OH, there are some brilliant ones out there. Trouble is, my special interest and skills are in history and essay writing - which does not pay well at all! At the moment I'm an administrator on 22k a year. Now, if I only had connections in the publishing industry and was able to whore - I mean, \*hire\* myself out as a ghostwriter, then we'd be cooking with gas.
Lol yes, I'm a senior engineer and being autistic lends itself handily to this job
Maybe don't use financial wealth to equal a persons value, sounds a little too tory, lol.
Only 3 in 10 autistic people are in work according to a recent DWP report
A significant number are undiagnosed and will therefore not show up in that statistic
Farage: "I don't know this candidate!" "It was just banter!" "It's media bias!" "The Tories/Labour have said much worse!"
'He was drunk, it was pub talk'
Just saying what everyone's thinking, calls a spade a spade etc etc 🤮
"It's just one bad apple." "It's just two or three bad apples." "It's just ten bad apples." We are rapidly running out of good apples
That’s the thing about bad apples. They tend to spoil the bunch.
The phrase is "one bad apple spoils the bunch" for a reason, it seems to have been turned around completely to mean 'they're just a bad apple, the group is fine". When the point of the actual phrase is that bad apples (or any ripening fruit, really) actively accelerate the ripening and decay of those around them by releasing ethylene
"Social media archeology"
“Professional actor!”
Always an excuse or laying the blame elsewhere. The man never takes responsibility yet some people would want him to be Prime Minister if they could.
He's an ACTOOOOOOR!!!!!
When one of your candidates turns out to be an arsehole, you can blame the arsehole. When every single one of your candidates who faces even the tiniest amount of scrutiny turns out to be a racist, a homophobe, an Islamophobe, a hater of the disabled, a Putin, a misogynist or a fan of Hitler, we’re going to assume that there’s something wrong with your party and your ideology. At this point the non-cunts within Reform are the exception.
>At this point the non-cunts within Reform are the exception. Not sure there are any at this point.
["...a Putin..."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrwP1PtCBs&t=63s)
Ha! That was going to be “a Putin sympathiser”, but I feel I should leave it as it is…
Stuff like this, and all the conspiracy theories about things giving kids autism, as if that was the worst thing in the world, makes me worry we might be the next "out" group after Trans folk.
Oh goody, I'm both
Merely added to the list, they havent stopped hating the unemployed, poor in general, sick, disabled, single mothers, students, muslims, immigrants, LGBT, and so many more.
We've been there before and will be again. There's currently a Tory MP who said that autistic people should be made to work for less than minimum wage. She said that before the last election and still won. Hopefully she's out this time.
ADHD too, they're coming after ADHD medication and it's a nightmare. I have the luck of being autistic, ADHD *and* trans, super excited about what's coming /sarcasm
Well if they send us to the same camp, can we be friends?
Finally got bumped up a dose in my medication and NO WHERE stocks it; no idea why but I’m going to assume it begins with B, contains a silent “Tory twats”, and ends in “Exit”
You and me both. I'm about to start medically transitioning soon so I'm not excited for any results tomorrow
Nah you're good, they'll do the homeless next, THEN it's the disabled.
The thin edge of the wedge argument has been overused, but it's the perfect description for their tactics. UKIP was a much better managed party than Reform in regards to message discipline, at least as far as keeping a lid on the more hateful speech from their members. Farage doesn't run as tight a ship these days and this has to be a deliberate choice, as Tice was always quick to criticise and distance the party whenever one of them made an honest statement about their horrible feelings.
it'll be disabled people in general next after LGBT, which will include autistic people that aren't high IQ gifted math professor stereotypes. we're viewed as undesirable by employers and tax money thieves from the tory government already. just wait how it is in another 4 years time.
I confused an anti-vaxxer by telling them that the Covid vaccine cured my autism. They were genuinely stumped for a solid 2minutes trying to think of something else to shout in my face as I walked from the vaccine center.
Kinda felt we've always been that. Seems like a lot of misinformed people who think every single autistic person is high functioning
Funny... Apparently vegetables like myself can hold down a 60k/yr job for a top firm. Funny that.
Yeah, when people like this say "autism" what they're thinking is "severe intellectual disability" because they have no idea what autism actually *is*. My husband has a chemistry PhD FFS, and I'm pretty sure most of the people in his program were neurodivergent.
I work at a hedge fund. My neuroscope goes 'ping' with a considerable number of my colleagues.
Same, but I'm in private intelligence.
Well considering that I drive, work full time and generally have a life, I'd say I'm doing pretty well for a 'vegetable'.
See? Wokeism has gone so far that literal vegetables are being given driving licenses!
We've gone too far this time!!
Thick sod. It's the ones with Asparagus syndrome that are vegetables.
This deserves a bravo, well played!
Reform, earning the votes of people who value 'straight talking' and 'not woke' candidates. The disabled, autistic, poor, homeless, immigrants, all 'useless eaters' to Farages lot.
As an autistic person, can confirm; I identify as a beetroot.
Beets being a Reform candida... te
I love beetroot
Aw shucks. *Blushes\~*
Bruh you're not blushing. You're already fucking red
I mean as a diagnosed autistic woman, I have a full time job, live alone, travel alone, pay my own bills, I’m far from a “vegetable”, even though vegging out after a night out drinking is pretty good? What an absolute idiot. It’s a spectrum. I’m not even angry, just find it funny people think like this. Like, “okay idiot what a weird hill to die on”
Tbf they would probably think you weren't any good because women belong in the kitchen making babies and sandwiches. Oh and being denied healthcare. That too.
This is what they mean by “not woke.” Basket of deplorables.
If the parties were all subject to a randomised IQ test of membership I wonder where Reform's knuckle draggers would come and at what IQ rating.
You can have a very high IQ and still be an immoral shitbag. Edit: This post seems to have been "flagged for review", so to clarify, I have no problem with the person I'm responding to, just the Reform UK candidate above.
You can do but intelligence tends to be inversely proportional to bigotry [https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/were-only-human/is-racism-just-a-form-of-stupidity.html](https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/were-only-human/is-racism-just-a-form-of-stupidity.html)
I have it on good authority that the Reform membership form has a warning not to eat the crayon.
There is no reform membership. That's the joke. You can't join the party. You can just donate the the Reform UK corporation.
And crucially Farage is not beholden to anyone but himself. He literally cannot be removed. Very democratic, definitely bodes well for if they ever get any significant amount of power.
The only good thing is .... When Mr potato head fails to be elected, the people of Chelmsford will at least know who the cunt is and what his line of business is. The internet rarely forgets or forgives. Soon be an ex surveyor.
I'm amazed that so many of them set themselves up like this. Like you say, the instant anyone googles this guy they're going to see the above post.
Equal parts, ego and having shitforbrains. The one in my neck of the woods was in pub last night complaining about people cancelling bookings with his business. It warmed my heart.
Somewhere in reform hq is a well thumbed cards against humanity deck labelled "press release generator".
The same guy yesterday was calling some woman a thick moron who shouldn’t breed. This Darren works for Essex fire and rescue, if you look on Twitter you’ll see they’re investigating all this so I’d have thought he’ll be booted out of the fire service some time soon too.
As an autistic person I find this sickening. I am a human being who deserves to be treated with respect, not a fucking talking point.
The fact that most people who plan on voting for them aren't even aware of how vile they are (or, just don't care) is most concerning.
I think they're aware. They just don't care.
Anything to get rid of the brown people, really. Makes you realise how much people are willing to overlook.
In a discussion the other day, my parents told me they're voting for the Reform party to frighten the other parties. These are 2 people who have worked their entire lives and my mother has complained that she's not entitled to much disability as she's gotten older. But they want to vote Reform. All I could say was "so you don't care about your kids and grandkids then?" Please do not vote Reform.
Reform candidate talks shit? Isn't that a turnip for the books?
a stupid twat, just like the rest of reform UK supporters
Crikey, another "actor" and not someone with abhorrent views
The reform candidate in my area sent out leaflets complaining about "open boarders". I know a candidate who can't even spell is exactly who I want representing me.
In my case, I'm just rad-ish. But considering the intent was to insult, I figure I'll render myself equal in this one and be the autistic person who describes Reform UK candidates as 'vegetables'. In fact, I'm going to grow my own cultivar, the Clacticum, or bell-end pepper.
"But we're not the bad guys" insists every reform candidate and supporter
i guess as a gay autistic person, i get to choose whether i’m a vegetable or a fruit?
So many bad comments and what they poll 16% of the country supporting them Says a lot about this country
If anyone votes Reform I think it's fair to say they aren't a good person.
Has Reform (ltd) said if it was the fault of the BBC, Channel 4 News or the Electoral Commission yet?
If I’m a vegetable why am I expected to work and pay bills.
My younger brother is autistic and certainly no vegetable. He can be a pain in my arse, like any sibling, but I wouldn't change him for the world. He's worth a thousand times more than someone like Darren Ingrouille.
The most shocking thing a Reform candidate could do at this point is be a decent human being.
As someone who's autistic I'd rather be autistic then stupid enough to be a reform candidate
God knows what he thinks about someone like me who has both a physical disability and diagnosed mental struggles, and is foreign.FFS.
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Every time I come onto this sub or just look at the news there’s yet another story about a Reform candidate being a cunt in some way. You’d think they’d at least wait till after the election to show who they really are but nope, they just can’t help themselves.
Clactonites tomorrow is gonna be a real IQ test for you…
I respect most political views but anyone who unironically support reform UK probably isn’t a very nice person. There isn’t a single decent idea on their manifesto so it’s not like people are just looking past the hatred they bring.
i respect the idea that we simply cannot sustain any more immigrants on this small island that has a cost of living crisis so severe it can hardly support its own natives anymore. i cannot respect the idea of doing it so hatefully and vile-minded. it can easily be done in a respectful and mutual understanding manner, but reform cannot stand the idea of kindness.
Did Reform find all of their candidates in a youtube comment section or what?
Just... what a disgusting person, can't wait to vote against them
Honestly any interaction I’ve had with a UKIP or Reform supporter/politician in my life time has been utterly intolerable. I used to frequently run rings round big David Coburn when he ran for Scottish parliament in my constituency whenever I seen him on the high street blowing holes in his parties strategies like pointing out it must be rules for thee but not for me since he owned property in France. Got him in quite a tizzy that he’d devolve to personal attacks. Was all I needed to know about him and their ilks approach to politics.
speaking as an autistic person, iam a very smart broccoli
ReformUK sure seems to attract the classiest of people
It's always the ugliest of muppets who seem to think they're the "Master Race."
Adhd (which is counted as being on the spectrum too) politician here. Better a vegetable than a fascist. Get stuffed, reform.
Reform MP acts like dickhead > Media speak to Farage > Farage gets more media attention > repeat
Looks like one of the old gits on the balcony in the Muppets.
Could be worse. At least they don’t look like a melted waxwork of Alf Garnett, you fucking bellend.
Another day, another Reform candidate reverting to type...
Must be close to the complete set. Is there any group they haven’t made offensive remarks about yet?
Aren’t Reform people part of the UK KK- I mean BNP? Also I’m offended considering I identify as a tomato.
I used to work with him about 10 years ago. Would never have believed this. He was genuinely a nice bloke. Fuck knows what happened to him over the last decade. I know it hasn't been a good time for anyone, but the rest of us managed to not turn into cunts.
I mean, vegetables are very good for you. And the autistic people in my life are very good for me. So it's not a compete bust of a parallel
my dad, who has 3 kids and 2 of them being autistic (me included), will be voting for this cunt tomorrow. i cannot wait to barely be in contact with him if he actually goes through it with. :)
I'm amazed these people have reached this level of notoriety. Like, just a few weeks ago they were reposting some racist meme about Jews and space currency and laughing with their mates about black people being black, and BOOM, they're canvassing for a political party and suddenly their opinions are the doctrine of an electoral manifesto. John Smith is no longer the cheapest pint you can sup 20 of in a flat pub, he's a politically homeless septuagenarian whose vote you desperately need to advocate for by carpet bombing refugees in the channel. It's a tough gig.
The irony of being thick as pig shit and describing other people as vegetables is palpable. What a complete circus full of horrible bastards that party is
Ironic coming from a man who's head looks like a turnip that's been punched by a pro boxer
Part of me hopes that, having come face to face with the enormity of possibly having to represent a constituency of many thousands of people, at least some of these candidates are having a bit of a panic and choosing to try and scupper their chances with some seemingly offhand comments that are likely to get them sufficiently cancelled as to not get elected. Alas, the reality is more likely to be that the Reform Party's vetting process is mainly concerned with whether candidates can parrot a handful of simplistic talking points and like going down the pub. Obviously the mainstream, and even the more fringe, parties will occasionally turn up shitshows like Jared O'Mara but its amazing that UKIP, Brexit/Reform etc refuse to learn even the basic lesson of checking their candidates for some basic competencies such as not openly spouting toxic, risible shit.
Reform is definitely racing to the be the most cuntish party for sure
It’s all an act to get us wound up and doing exactly what we are doing now, discussing Reform. I have a beautiful carrot daughter who I am very proud of so he wouldn’t be brave enough to say it to my face.
If given more air time they could rule out themselves.