This feels like an odd story to write. Some of my friends are big fans of Reform, and don’t understand why there is so much fuss about them. Other friends regard Reform with horror, the modern equivalent of Oswald Moseley’s British Union of Fascists. No other political party is so polarising.
Like it or not Reform are here to stay. UKIP got nearly the same vote share as Reform, but never got more than one seat in the House of Commons. Reform have 5, 6 if you include the Traditional Unionist Voice MP who campaigned with them. They aren’t growing particularly fast, and may be close to their ceiling, but they have MPs and are now part of the British political landscape.
The supporters they have are determined and aren’t going back to the Tories any time soon. They are loyal to Farage, and often to Tommy Robinson too. Switching to more and more reactionary policies won’t win back these voters to the Conservatives.
The obvious comparison is with Trump fans in the US, who I have written about extensively, including their love of terrible fan art. There are some obvious similarities, including suspicion of “mainstream media” coupled with a willingness to believe stories shared with them on social media. They are mostly non-digital-natives who grew up before the internet, some of whom sadly are easily manipulated by emotive button pushing on-line content.
But you will be glad to know that Reform fans on line are years, if not decades behind MAGA/QAnon in madness. In fact, they are trapped in an imaginary past while MAGA fans are hurtling towards a dystopian future. The biggest crossover on line with Reform supporters on-line are Facebook nostalgia groups. As soon as I joined Reform groups on Facebook I was prompted to join nostalgia groups too:
There are some weird conspiracy theories being shared on-line among Reform voters, but they are tame compared to MAGA/QAnon. Mostly these are the shallow end of anti-vax, and a strange conspiracy theory about using cash not credit cards. “Green” is a conspiracy to do something bad that they can’t quite put their finger on, and 15 minute cities are a threat to their freedom to drive to an out of town shopping centre or a garden centre cafe every day. 20 mile an hour zones around schools are another cause of anger.
These are nothing compared to MAGA global paedophile conspiracies, and violent racial animus of Trump fans. No-one in Reform is stock piling guns for a racial holy war.
So if they aren’t mad like Trumpers what do they believe in?
I found 3 distinctive aspect of their shared politics
Social Conservatism
The obsession with woke is short hand for an obsession with turning the clock back on British society; LGBT back in the closet, traditional gender roles, and an end to any kind of multiculturalism.
Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1959.
But as well as that I found lots of people who want to return to a hierarchical society in which everyone knows their place, and their own position in the social hierarchy is protected. They are mostly older voters who grew up in a world where people looked up to your “elders and betters”.
There were loads of people like that in the former mining villages in East Durham where I grew up. The worst sins you could commit were “getting ideas above your station” or “forgetting where you came from”. Anyone like that needed “taking down a peg or 2”.
Rapid social change has challenged all of that. People who were before looked down on are rising up the social scale, and respect for social hierarchy is declining. The Reform voters I encountered believed that some people have got too big for their boots and need firmly putting back in their place.
There was a huge sense of betrayal that despite voting for socially conservative politicians and rigid social hierarchies Britain was becoming more socially liberal and meritocratic. Even Brexit failed to turn the clock back.
Most of the members of Reform forums and social media groups are older, and their interests dominated – there was fury that junior doctors were being given a pay rise when that money should have gone to pensioners instead. Young people should be stopped from going to University to do “mickey mouse” degrees because it gives them liberal values and ideas above their station.
Authoritarianism
They are strongly authoritarian and want Martial Law and/or a Police State. They want a fundamental change in how Britain is policed, from the traditional British consensual model to extreme authoritarianism. Even the slightest incident or infraction is met with demands for the army on the streets shooting people.
I think the last chap meant batons.
There is a profound belief that they represent the majority of real Brits, and that despite Labour winning the General Election they are not a legitimate government. There is lots of enthusiasm for a campaign to get rid of the Government and install Farage as PM by any means.
Nativism
They want an immediate halt to all immigration. Any discussion of small boat crossings is met by demands to shoot them or drown them. The death of a foreigner in the channel, no matter how tragic, is good news.
Their views on race are odd – Braverman is great, Sadiq Khan should be hung for treason, and moderators on-line are keen to clamp down on any sign of racism or violence – there is a pervasive believe that they are being watched on line, but without any idea who. David Lammy riles them hugely.
But whatever their views on race they are united in their desire to take their country back and restore the British way of life. It is hard to pin down what this means, other than a country which is less multicultural and more conformist. Even though it is hard to define it is seen as an urgent and immediate crisis. Something must be done soon before it is too late, and that something often involves immigrants and Muslims. Only a minority want to start deporting people, but they do want conformity from minorities to a white, straight, social hierarchy. An imminent threat to children is often the quoted as the reason for the urgency.
I expect that lots of people who read this will feel that this blog reinforces their own prejudices.
People who already support Reform will feel that this is more evidence of a liberal elite who look down on them, and who need taking down a peg or two. The hostility towards elites among Reform voters exists side by side with admiration for the elitist clique of posh boys who run and fund the party.
Those who see parallels between Reform and various far right groups from the BUF to the BNP will find lots to support their views.
If there are Reform voters who feel they have been badly treated by this blog let me know. I would be happy to do another blog with your side of the story.
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