According to The Telegraph this morning:
The Telegraph does, of course, reveal itself and its current political affiliation with a headline like this: it has gone full-on Reform.
What is also clear is the fact that it has lost touch with data and reality, because there is little evidence in the article to support its claims. That article relies upon a YouGov poll, a summary of which is as follows:
The whole article does, in fact, pivot on this sentence, which followed that chart:
Chances are, this fraction will grow among young men, and in particular those from working-class backgrounds.
In other words, there is absolutely no evidential support for what the Telegraph is saying. Instead, what is clear is that it is not young men who are delivering the critical support for Reform. They are, instead, more inclined to vote Green than they are Reform, and amongst young women this trend is incredibly strong. It is, instead, the embittered elderly who are providing the support for Reform, as all the evidence in society, and even amongst the protests that are taking place, suggests to be the case.
I am not blaming those people who have been failed over their lifetimes for looking for an alternative to the failures promoted by Labour and the Tories. They have been profoundly failed by the single transferable party which these two created so that they might have a perpetual hold on power without, in any way, seeking to provide a solution to any of the problems that face the majority of people in the British electorate who now form the precariat, which is a growing proportion of the population.
Those in that group have a right to believe that there should be social justice and inclusion for their interests within UK society, and I share that sentiment with them. The only point on which I differ is on whether Nigel Farage, the ultimate king of prejudice against the interests of the ordinary people of this country, and who promotes ideas on healthcare, education, social security, taxation, climate change, and so much else which will be profoundly harmful to almost everybody who is now lending him their electoral support, is the answer to the questions that these people are posing, quite appropriately.
Unlike the Telegraph, I do not see that young people are going to be delivering this country to Reform. Instead, I see hope in their voting intentions because they are looking for better ideas, and not acts of revenge. Again, I stress, I am not blaming those who seek revenge for what has been done to them: I just think there are better ways to do politics than that.
Who will prevail? I think that depends very much on what happens in the States. If that turns full-on fascist, which seems likely, then the question is whether people here will still vote for Reform given its close support for everything that Trump does. Will they realise that, as the American economy begins to collapse, as it already is, but which will become increasingly apparent over the next year or so, the doctrine that Reform promotes provides none of the answers to any of the questions that reasonable people have in the UK?
Time alone will tell.
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I find it really irritating that Reform seems to be ran by rich private individuals and those who have fallen for it seem to not have taken this into consideration, no doubt because Reform’s platform activates their inherent racism in some cases. That march in London – 110,000 people – really felt ugly.
My bigger concern is that it is not the Left that has been acting as some sort of fifth column in our country – it is fascism, always there, always waiting for its opportunity.
I was not surprised to see Musk’s video appearance at the march in London yesterday. His message was to “fight” ( reminds us of Jan 6th 2021 -the assault on the Capitol ) or we will die !
I also saw the media showing Charlie Kirk’s widow vowing revenge.
Yet it is supposed to be the Left which is inciting violence! Project 2025 was assembled with the knowledge of powerful and rich vested interests. The aim is to spread a story about the state of the West, not just this country or the US. On the basis of that propaganda a narrative is being assembled in front of us to try to justify a subversion of democracy and decency.
DARVO is out in force.
It stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.
This is what the right are doing, all the time.
Have the cynical, dishonest, self pitying far right ever done otherwise Richard?
Why was Musk trying to barge in to UK politics? He’s not a UK citizen.
Has that ever stopped the far-right?
Just think about its history.
Cracked record starts: There needs to be a narrative from other parties that goes beyond the usual: justice & fairness stuff & addresses the concrete: e.g. fairly paid jobs (not Mcjobs), a future that whilst not unicorns on sunlit uplands offers some hope/grounds for optimism, gov action expressed in a way that is believable on areas people care about (I’ve outlined these ad nauseum) & so on & so forth. This approach could drown out the nonesense coming from the USA and amplified by the Torygraph.
A side note: The current crew in Downing Dump are functionally incapable of doing this – indeed, the appointment of a quasi-pornographer (David Dinsmore – ex of The Scum) as chief communications advisor shows that McSwine is still in full control (Starmer is too dim to have even imagined this) and thinks better comms is the answer. Note Dinsmore has a conviction under the Sexual Offenses Act.
So Mandelson goes OUT because his “friendship” with Epstein became an embarrassment, but Dinsmore comes IN, despite an actual Sexual Offences Act conviction?
All in the name of “better Downing St. comms”?
That won’t age well…
To clarify
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/07/adam-johnson-former-sun-editor-david-dinsmore-convicted-victim-picture?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
To clarify
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/07/adam-johnson-former-sun-editor-david-dinsmore-convicted-victim-picture?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
“Time alone will tell”…
I like the analysis but don’t agree with the conclusion which feels a bit fatalistic – it’s up to all of us, to expose the lies, violence, chaos and hate that Reform peddle, and their commitment to their rich masters as well as the utter incompetence of Labour to mount any sort of challenge.
You, yourself are doing an enormous amount to this end, as are many here. Every single sane informed person can make a difference, countering the intellectual and moral collapse of our politics, whether in Whitehall, the City, the council chamber, the home, pub or country club or the humble omnibus.
Sorry…
Of course I will try to prevent this happening.
A new ten part short video series on Farage myths has been scripted.
Producing videos of that sort cannot make money. But that is not why I make them.
They won’t be seen as yet – we are testing the format with three trial ones first of all.
thank you.
This is exactly what we need. Light in the darkness.
I agree with your analysis, we need real action and response to the real need behind this mass communication.
Truly affordable living, large scale national homes building, affordable food, energy and a thriving NHS. That was the answer to facism after WW2 but it was stopped only 35 years into this social contract project by Neoliberal PM 1 st -Thatcher.
We are on Neoliberal PM X, Starmer, no surprise that ten neoliberal prime ministers later there’s a regrowth of fascism.
The purpose of neoliberalism is to hollow out a country and then fill it in with fascism. Cement it forever.
Good to hear. It needs to be done, and I’m pleased someone is doing it.
The telegraph article says white working class men.. the survey you talk about does not make that distinction. If you lived and mixed in a working class community you would know this to be the case.
Your point is what?
The survey does not even support the article, so what are you claiming?
But the survey is the very one the article is quoting. That isn’t Richard’s survey, it’s the one the Telegraph is relying on, for it’s unfounded unevidenced headline. Clearly the Telegraph sub-editor, as so often, made sure the facts didn’t get in the way of their pre-determined false conclusions. Any gaps between the Telegraph journalism and the poll is entirely down to bad journalism by the Telegraph.
It’s really extraordinary. The only thing that you can get from this poll is that the bulk of Reform support comes from the 50+ cohort. Although you can’t read it it from the poll I’d say with high degree of certainty that vast majority of about 35% per cent in this 50+ group who’d vote Reform are rentiers – and as such in complete opposition to young working-class people’s interests.
There are (at least for me) some surprises – LibDems doing really well among the 18-24 cohort and as I said earlier the percentage of 50+ female cohort who’d vote Reform. There is also this figure of 9 per cent other 25-49 women would vote for. Others are SNP and PC mostly. Why such a difference to other cohorts? Is this just a one-off anomaly?
Considering how low the support for Labour among 65+ is, Labour are probably on their way to arrest every one of their 65+ voters on the Gaza protests – talk about tough love.
I really don’t think rentiers are most of Reform’s support.
There is no evidence for that.
The young are looking to the future and realise that the current dispensation – student debt, minimum wage, zero hours, little progression, unaffordable housing, cost of living, little to no benefits, no prospect of a pension, the impossibility of the lifestyle shown on advertising or social media, Brexit, fractured geopolitics, and climate change looming like a horseman of the apocalypse – is not working for them. But they do hope for something better.
And older people, at or nearing retirement, many owning their own homes and with savings and private pensions. They want to keep what they have, and fear “the other” taking it away from them.
Good luck finding accessible and affordable healthcare and social care under Reform. Staffing shortages will increase markedly, and costs will increase substantially.
As noticed eslewhere, I plan to produce a YouTube, TikTok and Instagram shorts series on Farage policies to address these issues.
I agree that taking revenge in the way you vote is pointless. Yes I am sick and tired of this government getting it wrong and the last one for being part of Brexit. Sick and tired of the media not giving an unbiased view because of their ownership. The BBC for taking my money and delivering news with a bias.
Would I vote for Reform ? Nope not a chance. The leader spouts on about a deputy leader not paying enough stamp duty then it transpires that his partner brough the proprty and not him in Clacton. Now it would appear that if true her company has filed for bankrupcy and her family has little money to fund her purchase. Even if it is all untrue he has a facist view that has no favour with me.
It’s time those of an age stop listerning to the words and seek the facts.
Fascism often finds it’s roots in the middle class, which the majority of young white men are most certainly not in.
Looking at the data it is men over 50 that are most likely to vote Reform. Men under 50 are much ,ore likely to vote Labour than Reform. So whilst men are much more likely than women to vote Reform, I’m heartened that 34% of women under 25 would vote Green. Please let’s focus on the positive that after decades of young adults being really disengaged with politics, the tide is turning. Thankfully the Telegraph is no longer very significant and has a declining readership, given the poor journalism now being put out.
Unlike the Telegraph, I do not see that young people are going to be delivering this country to Reform. Instead, I see hope in their voting intentions because they are looking for better ideas, and not acts of revenge.
Absolutely. I was actually really (pleasantly) surprised that support for Reform among 18-24 men is so low and support for the Greens and LibDems so high.
Considering the 16-18 cohort will be voting at the next GE as well, pollsters should start including it into their polls and redo the 18-24 into 16-24 group. This will bring some movement, support for Reform would overall fall by probably one per cent.
I must say I am surprised by the high support for Reform among female 50+ cohort.
While Reform want to present themselves as the young people movement, they are voted by those who are most likely to want to preserve the status quo.
Agreed
Electing Polanski is probably the best Green move, along with his deputies. Already notionally popular in the under 50s, he’s a beacon for the 18-40 group, instantly identifiable. Although involved with organising a Your Party meeting (which includes some Greens), the tardiness and involvement of ex Labour machine admins is giving many a cause for concern.
Yes the new Green leadership team is great and I hope will start to cut through in a media that seems much keener on giving Reform and it’s ilk airtime.
Your Party is trying to unite a very disparate group of ex-Labour, Independents etc. and it’s not clear what their uniting feature is other than being left wing and not Labour. They will bring non of the canvassing data Labour and the Greens have and probably not many long term experienced activists. Without this it will be hard to hit the ground running. I personally think the Greens are much better placed to expand their target seat profile and win.
@Hazel Murphy : “They will bring non of the canvassing data Labour and the Greens have and probably not many long term experienced activists. ”
You think ? We’re potentially talking about the majority of the actavists who propelled the Corbyn Labour experiment , trade union actavists, Palestine actavists, climate change actavists, groups like TUSC … if ‘Your Party’ is intended to be a bottom-up grass roots party, then these are all the people who could make a big difference .
As for the Greens, well they’ve failed to capitalise on winning all those ex-Corbyn voters. Most people I know seem to regard them as too inoffensive, like they’d rather be the new Lib Dems – and thus remaining part of the problem, rather than offering an alternative.
Without cooperation we cannot defeat fascism.
John, can I refer you to Craig Murray’s comments ref Your Party: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2025/09/its-your-party-and-ill-cry-if-i-want-to/
He seems to concur with your view, too many people involved who were part of the Labour party non-democracy machine.
Thanks, I’d already read it as I follow Murrays blog. It ties in with a view I have discussed this weekend with a couple of interested parties. I think it has gone off in the wrong direction. The centre should’ve been in the Midlands (Sultana) or the North East (Driscoll), and initial money establishing a base and comms team. I fear it will dribble off into nothing, which would be sad as it has shown the massive support AND winkled out some of the ‘my way only’ suspects (Workers Party, SWP). My own area is a Reform hot-spot (Lichfield & Burntwood), but we have an open meeting in October in Lichfield. Not that hopeful though.
I am bemused as to why tey have no structure or anything to say as yet.
I cannot be alone.
I inadvertently had the misfortune to be staying in a hotel at the NEC, for a flight, on the Friday of their conference. I saw little evidence of youngsters apart from a small group of fanatics dressed in blue suits and brown brogues, matching the uniform of the leaders. I felt sick. The majority were white middle aged. They didn’t like me saying racist scum get out of Brum.
🙂
Ah, the Telegraph What happened to it? It used to be an unbiased, very readable paper with excellent journalists and editorials. That was many moons past. Now, it is nothing more than a right-wing propaganda rag as far as politics is concerned. I hope other sections are better- I wouldn’t know because no fair-minded individual would get that far. Lucky he or she who starts at the back page. Must be the ownership, fearful that their millions will be confiscated in the left wing takeover they fret about.
The Mail and the Express are also in the same death loop as printed newspapers, publishing unsubstantiated tosh in their political sections and front pages while being more readable from back to front.
I never remember its objectivity about the left.
I have the dubious pleasure of living in one of the county councils now controlled by Reform. There is much talk about their huge majority being a mandate to carry out what appear to be Trump-filtered-through-Farage policies.
But on closer inspection, although they have a large majority of seats, they only got the votes around 15% of the total electorate.
Tellingly, 65% of the possible electorate didn’t vote at all. While (after factoring out apathy, etc) it seems the majority have little faith in Lab/Con/Lib or even Green locally, it’s also pretty clear that they don’t see Reform as any kind of answer either.
Since they took control in May, there have been two by-elections. Reform lost their seat in one, and while holding the other their vote was dramatically reduced from only a couple of months earlier. All of which suggests that its far from as cut-and-dried as some of our media would seem to want us to believe.
Add in the possible entry of ‘Your Party’ to the fray, and who knows ?
What is encouraging about these statistics is that it shows that a substantial majority of the UK population would not vote for Reform. It is important to remember that we are not on the whole a society of racist misogynist bigots. It is that those kind of people are making a lot of noise and getting a lot of attention at the moment. But what is it with older white men? Can it be that this is the group that has always had power in the past, now feels it slipping away from them and is turning in desperation to someone who looks and talks like them in the hope that they might somehow get it back?
“What is it with older white men?”
(White Working Class Men)
For my neighbours – a sense of not being listened to (especially by Labour) – living for 40 years in left-behind neighbourhoods – having had a rough childhood and education – NHS/Social Care issues – housing costs – austerity.
As we saw at the weekend, the appeal of 5-bdr-gated-community-paid-for-by-s/o-else-Yaxley-Lennon goes further than the stereotypical EDL thugs. That was a significant turnout.
People are going for the “Unite the Kingdom” message, whether we approve or not. Some are my friends, and they are not racist bigots. But they are not easy to reach with counter arguments and do not want to be lectured to. The most effective way of decimating Y-L’s support base is rapid material improvement in housing, health and social care.
I think it may also be the case that people realise that Fa***e is a fraud, but do feel inspired by “Unite the Kingdom” message of Y-L (which is just as hypocritically grifting).
I am more worried by the weekend turnout for Y-L, along with local flag-rashes, than I am by Reform polling figures. I think Fa***e is in for a bit more challenge from the press, whereas I don’t think they have a clue how to handle the Y-L crowds, and his crowds will grow, as will fringe racist violence (arranged by Y-L thugs, not the crowds).
Sometimes, when older WWCM say, “I want my country back”, what they mean is, “When is someone going to listen to ME?”. (Eg: when the council/developers “consult” on the new housing development or road modification, and ignore everything that is said to them, until s/o organises a big demo, which has been the story round here quite often, eg: Western Slopes, or Broadwater Shopping Centre, or installing Liveable Neighbourhood traffic schemes.)
That’s my penn’orth, as an older white man living in a WWC neighbourhood.
What I want to know is how to ask the right questions of my neighbours, that will lead conversation towards something useful, that doesn’t involve “small boats” or identity politics.
I agree.
They want to be heard.
Labour and the single transferable party are not listening.
Thank you for an article, and its comments, which also provide some validations for the feeling/awareness that the main stream media, favours and forgrounds the activities and interests of right wing parties, and the like, and makes the “not right wing parties” and the like, banal and of little or no account?
Might our democracy and, indeed, our society, benefit from a new, better/effective “Leveson Report”, or some other vehicle for analysing main stream media objectivity and balance?
One of the first actions of the Dept of Culture and Media after last year’s GE was to cancel Leveson 2, which was intended to investigate possible collusion between the press and the Met.
I might appear cynical, but my own opinion is that this was the Labour right giving payback to those papers that supported their efforts to undermine the Corbyn leadership of the Labour party.
You are right, at least, I would say so.
Leveson 2 was essential to happen so we get a decent press… The press is part of the reason we are in the mess we are in.
I don’t believe in statistics; most of the people I know in their late teens, early 20’s despise farage – they don’t know where to turn mind, but it won’t be to him. But hey, we print a lie, people will believe it – because who is going to challenge it?
One thing I loath about TV news etc – people need to talk about their interactions and experience. Not debate from the head, no one can ever get anywhere that way.
Be interesting the mood of the country when ‘The Hack’ airs on ITV in a few weeks.
After the leader of Reform’s demonisation of Angela Rayner for occupying two houses at a time of housing shortage, shouldn’t he be known forthwith as “Five Pads Farage”?
Don’t forget that the anti Brexit rallies in London a few years ago had around 1 million peaceful people at them: 10 times yesterday’s rabble
Agreed
And the press hardly reported the events. It was a deliberate policy by them.
I’m not sure I would recognise the older Reform voter as someone failed by the two party system. Granted, some of them might be but I suspect quite of the few of the 25% of over 65s who live in millionnaire households are voting Reform too and they know exactly what they are voting for, which is a defence of the economic status quo that undertaxes them and pays them benefits that they don’t need and the prejudice they knew and liked from the “good old days.” Most of the Reform voters I know personally are older and much richer than me, not poorer.
What puzzles me though is how both types of voter can co-exist under the same banner. It can only be the prejudice holding things together?