The Politics of Fear: How disenfranchisement fuels support for Reform UK in south Wales

Unfortunately, all of the accurate facts you mention above just aren't known by the majority of reform voters. It will always be easier to react with grossly uninformed hatred, than informed discussion. Unfortunately, the main demographic of reform voters seem to be the uneducated and hard done by. These people will always vote according to what their favourite media outlet tells them, rather than what their own thinking tells them.

I agree with much of the article, gross inequality inevitably leads to a breakdown of social order and the rise of the far right such as Reform. Unfortunately neither the tories or Labour will fix this, they are too absorbed in the neo liberal, monetarist ideology to even recognise the problem. Having said that it is clear that those arriving here without permission does worry many. It has allowed Albanian drug gangs to flourish for example. That has to be stopped

Yeah, reform, the party that treads a very fine line to avoid censure but I know what they are. I know the people they want to attract and people they will try to fool to attract. Its leader is fond of US ex pres 45 that admitted to being a sex pest (and adjudicated in the US courts) and tried to burn a nation and will try again and looks to be unhinged. That UK party leader would see the same fire burn in the UK and repeated without checking the hate that led to the UK riots recently. Certainly as an elected PM he should show some capability and not repeat unfounded race hate. He has also got everything wrong on brexit and despite his promise, remains in the UK. Labour needs to shine a light on them, the Tory party (when not defecting to them) need to shine a light on them but the latter are a fag papers distance from reform at the moment. Voting reform at the moment is like saying that in the 70's the top shelf mags had a good article on passport covers and that is why you bought them.

There's a lot to agree with here. Because the political class is now completely polarised – if you're not a pukka progressive, fully on board with every facet of the intersectional Omnicause, then you must be an out-and-out raving Trumpist – they tend to assume that everyone else must be the same. In reality, most people are civilians in the culture wars, and are inclined to roll their eyes and sigh at the excesses of both sides. Until something precious to them becomes a battlefield, forcing them to pick a side or get mown down. The difficulty is, fixing the real causes of our current discontents will take time, money, and hard, creative thought. So much easier just to blame it all on misinformation, or to point at bad people and condemn them for having bad values.

"Reform" is not a party it is a Private Limited Company, 60% of which is owned by Farage and called the Reform UK Party Ltd.

Have you seen the demographic changes in Rural Cymru over the last few decades. Local people can no longer afford to buy houses, Social services under pressure from an ageing population and Europes oldest language rapidly disappearing as a community language. The above isn't happening because of immigration from outside the UK.

I see little hope as these same South Walians were easily persuaded by Farage to shoot themselves in the foot by leaving the EU.

To me there are two basic issues. Ultimately, the problems of the valleys are about economic opportunity. Economic development has been the responsibility of the Labour controlled Senedd since 1999. Endless inept ministers and no coherent policy his has led to abject failure. Would it be over cynical of me to suggest that keeping the valleys poor suits Labour - blame everyone and anyone, but please, not us... And where's the 'Party of Wales?' Asleep, as ever.

Neither of the two main parties are willing to take drastic measures to cut down on immigration. Reform claim they will freeze non-essential immigration. People are going to be voting for them. I don't think that being a nation of sanctuary is a priority for struggling families.

If people need an enemy, then Labour are the enemy. They've abused 100 years of voter loyalty while pursuing policies which do nothing to help people in Wales, especially not the poorest. It's increasingly obvious that the people in whose interest they govern are professional middle-class public-sector workers, of whom very few live in the areas where Reform are doing well. People are looking for an alternative, but options have been few. The Conservatives have been anathema since well before Thatcher's time, and it's hard to see a day when they'll ever overcome their toxic legacy in industrial Wales. Plaid's strategy of cosying up to Labour has destroyed their credibility, such that they've lost a third of their vote since their high point in 1999. History shows that it takes 30-40 years to build a grass roots political movement. Reform, if we count the UKIP years as well, have been going 33 years so they're just beginning to reach the mainstream. People are voting for them because they can't see anyone else to vote for. Gwlad is a genuine alternative with policies for regenerating the industrial areas of Wales, but still very young - it was founded six years ago, so there's still a lot of building to do. But it's a much better choice than Reform for people looking for a real alternative to Labour.

If you'd read what Johnny Gamble actually wrote you would have seen that he does not refer to the 'mass immigration' you refer to. Wales is little impacted by immigration from outside the UK.

Ok let's make it simple mathematics. Just 6% of the population of Cymru were born outside the UK compared to 21% who were born in England.

Hmm. Too many can not see that voting for populist parties may be a positive thing of voting for traditional values which have been overlooked for too long. Politicians believe they know best and impose their views on others. When many people get a chance they vote against the imposed (left /woke) values and for tradition.

Plaid Cymru needs to be active and campaigning in the Valleys over the next 2 years in order to put a positive alternative to the people of these deprived communities, a vision of putting Wales first and ending the pillaging of Wales by the British state. Countering the right-wing populism of Farage and his henchmen with left-wing populism and a clear vision of how we can end poverty in Wales by taking control of our natural resources, crown estates etc.

Ah, the "Reform Absolutist", Nigel's well and truly suckered you.

Tata isn't closing in Europe. We didn't need hotels in 2016. Are you really saying the policies of the former Brexit Party are pushing people towards it's reincarnation?

One of the major opinion pollster businesses has recently published its latest 'state of political public opinion' estimates in which they project that were an election to take place right now, Llanelli would return a Reform UK MP. Not exactly the first place in Wales where I'd have anticipated such an outcome. I think that election results during the next few years might sometimes throw up some surprises.

I dislike this article because of the asumption that only disaffected people vote for Reform. That may be true for some but not all. Some Reform policies have some appeal across the nation such as scrap the net zero target (why go for net zero as the UK only contributes 1% to global warming so bakrupting the country to go to net zero is pointless as what the UK does will have no worldwide impact), banning transgender issues in schools (many will consider transgender issues have no role in schools especially in primary schools), tax relief on independent school fees (one can argue against private schools on ideological grounds but every child in such school saves the government £6,000 - £8,000 so the economic case for helping more students stay in private schools is obvious - Australia has for many, many years paid some money to such schools from the federal government in Canberra and this idea is supported by both the Labor Party and Conservative parties there), more money for the NHS, scrapping HS2, lifting stamp duty threshold to £750,000, leaving the ECHR, scrapping the TV licence fee and so on. Again, one can argue whether Reform policies are rationally economically possible but that is true for all parties. Point? To view Reform votes as merely alienation of the poorest from the current workings of society is incredibly patronising and wrong - Reform voters can be said to represent mainstream opinion not currently represented by the main politcial groups. The policies above are certainly ones many people can positively vote for.. Note the polling gives Reform about 17% - 20% of the voting intention at this stage comfortably more than the Greens and LD.

It is not true that Deutschland (Germany) has taken act against EU (Schengen) rules. Schengen rules applies to freedom of movement throughout Europe for CITIZENS OF EUROPEAN members ONLY. Schengen rules of freedom of movement does not apply to non-EU members. The people in the UK nations don't have those same rights as Schengen gives to its citizens thanks to UK regime's Brexit and the Welsh government refusing to leave the UK & leave UK to their brexit and for Cymru to remain EU members.