Liberal Democrats gain Meon Valley council seat from Greens

CG in retirement63

As the US has proved, there is evidently no limit to human stupidity, irresponsibility and ignorance.

Grateful Dad50

Same old same old. I've given up having sympathy for the wilfully ignorant after Brexit and Boris Johnson. May they get what they voted for.

Carol Hedges47

Most of them. For which the media and esp the BBC must take a huge part of the blame.

Kev39

The blame for this lies squarely at the feet of the media and their total lack of scrutiny

Tracy Watt32

All they hear is we’ll stop the boats, without thinking that the council has no control over immigration.

Craig Grävling32

The Thatcherite politics of toxic individualism and privatisation of public services have destroyed the country. Over the past 4 decades they have completely hollowed out my community, sold it for quick foreign cash. ...so lets vote for the party that more than any other is more of the same.

Jonny Main20

Most of them would be my guess. Old Nige is a card, he's a "straight-talker" (except when asked to explain who funds him) and he'll stick it to the "establishment". Its remarkable that the grift has survived Brexit, which he was largely responsible for and not a single voter can name a benefit of

Ian H 💚🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈🇪🇺18

our democracy, voting system, & right-wing press are a deliberate disaster

BornToBark17

Welcome to the world of gullible and ignorant Trump voters, electing someone who will diligently work to screw them over while claiming to be saving them from…something.

Llanc17

Not to mention the loss of the NHS.

Karen16

This is my big concern that many have just voted due to immigration stance… do they realise how many things they would reverse and send us backwards on?!

Lorna the Sloven15

They're talking of stopping the triple lock for pensions, too. Turkeys/Christmas.

Sir Murray Harrold of Dun Leven13

Reform voters are educationally and intellectually challenged..... What did you expect? For what happens now, see 1930's Germany.

DW12

That's the problem, to many voters Reform just = 'change' which is what many voters ironically want. They're not into examining exactly what that change means & the media isn't interested in informing them

Lily Bomb 💣 🇸🇪 🎉11

Out of curiosity. Did they tell you what they thought they WERE voting for?

susiepeacecora.bsky.social11

Most of them I should think. Fixated on immigration and blaming them for the state of things.

Grahame Walker 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿11

Spoke to a guy the other week who was going to be voting for them and I mentioned the NHS, workers rights minimum wage etc. He didn’t have a clue about their policies… it’s scary

Avril Jones 📷9

What policies do they imagine they’re voting for? Or is racism enough to invoke their lemming-like stupidity?

star69-06.bsky.social9

Same people who voted Brexit .. thick morons

Rouleur8

They don't care as long as 'forrins' are targeted. That is their mindset.

djkenthenoo.bsky.social7

Every Reform voter! They’ve been hood-winked by the corporate media which includes your BBC.

naffdoodaa.bsky.social7

This is what Labour still won't accept. They won the GE because people were voting against the Tories. Labour promised to be "Change". But Labour decided to be a continuity government so they're voting against the Tories 🤷🏼‍♀️

johnsamuel58.bsky.social7

Sir, I'm sure you already know. I assume most of them are unaware, or simply don't care. They see the headlines from the right wing media about small boats, they see the flag waving, all of this. They will realise, maybe, when their council services collapse and when their tax continues to rise.

Harry McNally7

If only there was a Labour government with a huge majority that could crack down on the lies told by GB , Foreign owned social media and the State ran BBC?

gpthakkar.bsky.social6

They heard the anti immigrant message they wanted to hear and that was enough. “Uninformed racist” is an oxymoron. Proof the

Moley𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕄𝕠𝕝𝕖6

So many literally haven’t got beyond agreeing with the word Reform. “Oooh yes, the country needs reform” they’ll say. When you point out that means no NHS or employment rights they say “What? Not our Nigel, surely?”. It’s weird.

magnetron216

The future is about a 'green' Labour party taking on the Reform/Tory party for the next three years.

Anne Roberts6

What is staggering is the number of people who vote for a party - in this case Reform - without having asked a single question about their policies. All this does is highlight the pitfalls of democracy.

J Green5

At a rough guess, I'd say something like 60:40, people who ignorantly project their wants:people who vote to do harm to others

Dave5

Idiot Reform voter now rambling on at @mrjamesob.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk. He's nuts. #LBC

Carole Bruce5

The majority I would imagine. The BBC have given Reform maximum coverage and non of the MSM have held them to account.

Lucy Abbotts 5

Their pet leopard purred approvingly all the while.

DebT4

90% of them. The media is to blame for not talking about it.

tsoprano.bsky.social4

Because the media gaslighted them.

Martin Robertson4

But you have to ask what they did vote for? Farage is an openly violent racist.

mrsddp.bsky.social4

Most of them, I think. They read the Sun/Express/Telegraph and watch BBC and believe what they read/see on TV. The Ruling Class is tightening its grip.

Monika FBPE4

All of them, apart from actual owners of Reform.

Rachel Kirsopp4

It's about scratching under the surface to see the real plan, also Media bias knowledge is key...

Dennis Patton4

There are a lot of thick people out there.

Fiona Andrews 3

Beginning to think you should have to show some level of engagement with the real world to be allowed to vote Forget voter ID, how about - can you name a single policy each main party supports!

Graham Jones3

The same ignorance that delivered Brexit. The same man driving the bus and the same billionaires paying for his fuel.

Jenny R3

Just wait until they find out about the NHS

Mike3

People are lazy though. It doesn't take more than a few minutes research to check what Reform stand for.

LilacLiz 🇪🇺🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦🇬🇱3

Approximately 100% of Reform voters.

djcaress.bsky.social3

It speaks volumes, that in times of engineered decline and runaway costs leaving people desperately searching for answers, many can’t even do the most basic levels of research before voting. And far too many people allow their views to be cultivated almost entirely by the billionaire owned press.

Maluwa3

They won’t realise it until their democratic system has been completely dismantled and the oligarchs have seized power, but by then it will be too late, just like in the US!

Rotorbabe Recordings3

They get their information from the media.

Sag3

They're all very very stupid...one can see a Deform supporter a mile away.

Harry Campbell3

Reform voters are not about policies or ideas. It's almost the opposite of that, a refusal to engage with systems or realities. It's about feelings.

Paula Lovemore3

Farage feeds their racism and all other ism’s…I live on a huge council housing estate and the majority are unemployed or on benefits but he feeds their hatred without them knowing they are first in line to be shat on.

Sweet Teasel3

All of them - there was one just on the radio who believes Farage will tax the billionaires and help the working classes.

Dexter Crisp3

To be honest, I hope this happens, a lot. It's only the realisation that voting for the Leopards Eating Faces party will result in the leopards actually eating your face that will change things. By which time Farage and his ripping chums are over the hills and far away with their ill gotten gains.

Stevie3

1000s I blame the Main news channels with their propaganda.

peterthemeter.bsky.social2

No Reform voter actually knows what they are voting for except the stop the boats phrase.

Pat Tonge2

The same as those who believed his speeches about leaving the EU and voted for Brexit.

Brainwashing and media indoctrination works.

migginsoldepieshop.bsky.social2

Most of the Reform voting people I know don't appreciate how much some of Farage's proposals will hurt them directly. It's the MAGA voters all over again...

Activists & Agitators2

We live in the era of people want to be told what to think & learning for themselves is embarassing. It's astounding how many people go uninformed to the voting booth. Dangerous idiots run the world.

Viscount Pontypandy2

I give up. If Reform win a General Election: - if you’re ill & need medical help you’ll have to pay for it - if you’re off work you’re employment rights will be taken away from you & you can be sacked - without a job there’ll be no social security to fall back on How THICK are these people?

Chidi Ejimofo2

Bet they loved the racism and xenophobia though. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

HenoriusBooticus #FBPE 🇪🇺2

Shhh its not the sort of thing any right minded news outlet would say.......the truth is out there somewhere

Sarah B 🇺🇦2

The party of grievance & hatred. My town is practically Reform now. My new councillor is Reform- I’ve never been represented by someone where I have absolutely no respect for their party. I think their voters believe they’ll be able to stop the boats and the ‘illegals’ from our local Town hall🧐

MalcBow2

Racism is their only mantra. They are oblivious to everything else 🤬

BethU2

Same as Brexit. Some people just never learn.

grandpabof.bsky.social2

Time for the better informed and emotionally stable tolerant folk to come together to vote tactically in the next GE. Like Brexit, Reform will be a disaster for everyone apart from the small number of extremely wealthy people. Time to act.

Ger D2

The old ‘everything’s shit, let’s give them a try’ logic. You haven’t seen shit yet; strap in.

John Berry he/him2

I just know you meant to say 'How many others voted irresponsibly without bothering to find out'. If you don't know what you're voting for, the problem is you. Not the media, not education. You wouldn't make excuses for drink driving would you?

clairecricket79.bsky.social2

The vast majority of them, including those who don't know the difference between local council elections and a General Election.

neeeeeek.bsky.social2

Political education in this country is a joke. Also Farage is working to change the seat of power- in the same way Trump used X and mar-a-lago as official channels, Farage is doing the same by not taking part in Westminster, but using GB news and other press opportunities- where he’s unchallenged.

Llanc2

Although I suppose if they learn from these local elections, that will bring some sanity to the next general election?

ÓLiatháin ☘️💚2

Yes, but I'm sure they'll enjoy their jam and biscuits served with lefty tears. What better way to "own the libs" than shoot yourself in the foot?

Lenny2

That's because of the billionaire owners of the right-wing media

John Henderson17

Bexley is close enough to Kent for people there to have seen that a Reform "flagship" council is as successful as the Mary Rose.

Alasdair Cameron12

Crumbs though look at that split. Remind me never to move to Bexley.

Martandelus (Cheez)10

You've gotta figure something is seriously fucked up when it is that the self-same posse the voters wanted out in the last GE, became the unlikely tactical vote against the backdrop of them running the same political outfit as Reform. I can't make it make sense tbh. 🤪

Five Jabs Janet6

Might this be because the good folk of Bexley have a clear line of sight to Kent? #AskingForAFriend #LocalElections2026

Bernie Baldwin 4

I don't know how much of a target my local council, Merton, was for Reform, but it's pleasing to wake up and find that it does not have a single Reform councillor. We must NOT, however, become complacent.

Helen #FBPE #NHS #ClimateCrisis 🇪🇺🇬🇧🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈💙4

Well some good news at last!😔

StuPC3

Third time Green candidate in Bexley here. The Tory councillors in my ward, to their credit, canvassed quite a lot, but their pitch was almost exclusively "Vote for us or get Reform" and to me that was no choice at all. 🙁

evie1104.bsky.social3

Am a Labour supporter living in bexley. I voted Tory to keep out reform.

Daniel15

Also i mean I'm fairly sure there's parts of Essex they just lost that are on the Central Line? Like you don't need to drive all the way up to Hartlepool to chat to them?

Colin Elves5

Royal Tunbridge Wells is Lib Dem. How do you get more aspirational middle class than Royal Tunbridge Wells?

Ourkid5

The split Lib Dem sw London between Richmond/ sutton/ Kingston to Tory Wandsworth /wimbledon is funny , same demographic

Colin Elves2

Yeah, that’s ‘cos the Lib Dems is just 3 parties in a trench coat.

Lee Thumwood2

Tories > Years of crushing ideological austerity that reportedly attributed to over 300,000 excess deaths, foodbanks becoming a societal norm' & the UN investigating in the UK. Tories > change to a slightly different shade of blue & rebrand as "reform". UK public > votes for new shade of blue 🤦

Wayne5

These ill-informed Reform voters will learn the lessons that other Reform run councils have. Hatred and misinformation can only get you so far

GinGoddess2

That's not looking great for the Conservatives, is it? People are picking a different shade of blue