As I write this, the Reform UK conference is in full swing, and the crowd are lapping up Nigel’s jokes as usual (he opened by hilariously trolling Keir Starmer about his free glasses).
Jenrick has the immediate and significant disadvantage of having been part of the most left wing, liberal progressive bunch of fake conservatives for the past 14 years. A party that repeatedly lied about bringing immigration down to the 'tens of thousands' and to have a points based immigration system to attract 'the brightest and best'. They lied about doing that in 2015, 2016 (Brexit) 2017, 2019 and did the exact opposite.
Jenrick has spent his life as a Tory wet and was a remain voter, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere he opportunistically delivered a tough sounding speech about immigration in early 2024.
Yes, Steven Edginton is a good journalist and can ask tough questions to challenge how serious Farage is about tackling every last problem about immigration, but to suggest that Jenrick could, in any way credibly challenge Farage from the right is for the birds (to borrow a popular Farage-ism).
Farage as you say is a skilled political operator. It's completely outside of the Overton window to discuss mass deportations and why would that even need to be on the table at a time when we can't even protect our borders from 30,000 arriving illegally each year as well as 1.2m arriving legally.
It's so far fetched and so ridiculous to even contemplate mass deportations (even if one thought they were needed). It's just not a priority, not a sensible discussion, not a sensible policy when so much else is broken.
No discussion of mass deportations needs to take place until we've solved a few of the more minor problems. How about starting with the 10,000 foreign born criminals who reside in our jails and cost us £1.5bn a year? Then 'stop the boats' of the 30,000 who arrive illegally on dinghies. Then reduce the 1.2m legal migrants to ~100,000 of the 'brightest and best'.
Once all those very simple problems are solved....how about we reassess then?
Nick, you are being tough on Farage who is doing as much as he can, knowing that the establishment will destroy him and his party if it can. He is right anyway to talk about culture, cohesion, resources etc as these issues affect more than just the one colour. Political capital has to be applied where it can be effective. As for Jenrick, why should anything, however sensible, be believed?
As a Reform member, we will not allow Farage to deviate from the policy of getting our country back, espousing English values and history, protecting our borders and shipping back all those who should not be here.
To answer your question, Nick, no. Good read btw. I agree there are difficult times ahead for Farage & the media will hang on his every word. But Jenrick?? He's infected by being part of a former Govt who did nothing about immigration which is far too high on both legal & illegal front. Any declaration, now, he will act, is meaningless. Tbh I think the Tories are on a path to nowhere. They seem totally irrelevant. Hearing Kemi recently say she could "win back" Tory voters who have "defected" to Reform is arrogant in the extreme. They just don't get it!
We attended the Reform Conference. First ever. Full of energy & optimism. The same can hardly be said of Labour's, although I was pleased to see Starmer is rooting for repatriation of the Bratwurst. 😀. I think the elections next May will be devastating for Labour. The Tories seem irrelevant. The establishment will be in overdrive to trip Farage up at every opportunity. Interesting times ahead.
Jenrick has the immediate and significant disadvantage of having been part of the most left wing, liberal progressive bunch of fake conservatives for the past 14 years. A party that repeatedly lied about bringing immigration down to the 'tens of thousands' and to have a points based immigration system to attract 'the brightest and best'. They lied about doing that in 2015, 2016 (Brexit) 2017, 2019 and did the exact opposite.
Jenrick has spent his life as a Tory wet and was a remain voter, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere he opportunistically delivered a tough sounding speech about immigration in early 2024.
Yes, Steven Edginton is a good journalist and can ask tough questions to challenge how serious Farage is about tackling every last problem about immigration, but to suggest that Jenrick could, in any way credibly challenge Farage from the right is for the birds (to borrow a popular Farage-ism).
Farage as you say is a skilled political operator. It's completely outside of the Overton window to discuss mass deportations and why would that even need to be on the table at a time when we can't even protect our borders from 30,000 arriving illegally each year as well as 1.2m arriving legally.
It's so far fetched and so ridiculous to even contemplate mass deportations (even if one thought they were needed). It's just not a priority, not a sensible discussion, not a sensible policy when so much else is broken.
No discussion of mass deportations needs to take place until we've solved a few of the more minor problems. How about starting with the 10,000 foreign born criminals who reside in our jails and cost us £1.5bn a year? Then 'stop the boats' of the 30,000 who arrive illegally on dinghies. Then reduce the 1.2m legal migrants to ~100,000 of the 'brightest and best'.
Once all those very simple problems are solved....how about we reassess then?
Yes fair enough. If those things you mentioned really did get tackled then it would be a reasonable approach.
Nick, you are being tough on Farage who is doing as much as he can, knowing that the establishment will destroy him and his party if it can. He is right anyway to talk about culture, cohesion, resources etc as these issues affect more than just the one colour. Political capital has to be applied where it can be effective. As for Jenrick, why should anything, however sensible, be believed?
As a Reform member, we will not allow Farage to deviate from the policy of getting our country back, espousing English values and history, protecting our borders and shipping back all those who should not be here.
To answer your question, Nick, no. Good read btw. I agree there are difficult times ahead for Farage & the media will hang on his every word. But Jenrick?? He's infected by being part of a former Govt who did nothing about immigration which is far too high on both legal & illegal front. Any declaration, now, he will act, is meaningless. Tbh I think the Tories are on a path to nowhere. They seem totally irrelevant. Hearing Kemi recently say she could "win back" Tory voters who have "defected" to Reform is arrogant in the extreme. They just don't get it!
We attended the Reform Conference. First ever. Full of energy & optimism. The same can hardly be said of Labour's, although I was pleased to see Starmer is rooting for repatriation of the Bratwurst. 😀. I think the elections next May will be devastating for Labour. The Tories seem irrelevant. The establishment will be in overdrive to trip Farage up at every opportunity. Interesting times ahead.