Conservatives failed, Labour are failing. The "common problem" appears to be the Civil Servants. Reform will have to address the "common problem" before it can move forward.
Reform will certainly have to address the civil service. As someone with experience of the public sector, the failings of the Home Office come as no surprise. The office-based public sector is riddled with inefficiency and deadwood. A compete clear out would be a good start and only re-employing those who are effective and committed to actually enacting policy (of which there will be a good number). The unions will call for strikes and try to cause hell - let them. It would do the country some good to have the striking types absent.
Political failure is true. They make the big decisions and too many of the small ones. Civil servants? Let’s have a closer look at the situation. Problem one: the law and what it requires to be done. Problem two: administrative processes are what they are - procedures involving checking here, there and everywhere which takes time. Problem three: the bombardment rate. How many incoming cases are there, compared with the number of staff available to deal with them?
I nearly wrote problem four: staff. But just a minute - what do we know about the people, their skills and abilities, the social attitudes they bring with them? Professional development? Are they all that different to those I remember from two short years in the service over fifty years ago - conscientious, honest, intelligent, deferential to authority?
I agree that people are policy: if you want to change the policy you may need to change the people - the policy makers. Provide the right leadership and the poor bloody infantry will follow behind.
I’m not sure that the system is the problem, but the people in the system are. It is the same in all the institutions. But, this is missing the point in my opinion.
To me, it is now pointless wasting time coming up with solutions, when we have to wait four years to carry them out. ALL our effort should be going in to removing this government from power. They may say they want to solve the problems but it’s obvious by now that they want to break the system.
Every word out of the governments mouthpieces are lies, every thing they try and do is a total disaster, they all appear neck deep in one scandal after another, the people in positions of high office are not fit to run the local boy scouts - it is a catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen before.
The government must be removed. That’s where our focus must lie.
Correct, it must be the system. What has basically happened across the West is that a new semi-global 'class' has emerged, that of the educated upper middle class who have infiltrated the Civil Service, the BBC, most of the media and the universities and schools. This self-styled elite has imposed globalist economics over national sovereignty and independence, it is the dominance of talkers over makers and producers of wealth. The same people inhabit the upper echelons of both the main parties which is why the politics doesn't change much, and both parties have acted against the known wishes of not only the old 'working class', inasmuch as it still exists, and the majority of the ordinary people who are concerned above all with immigration and rising crime -- things which concern the upper middle class ideologues much less since they don't live in the run-down areas and often have assured jobs with state pensions. This new class believes in increasing the power of the state at all costs and its economic programme is the redistribution of wealth, not its creation. As soon as it runs out of cash to spend, it goes begging to the IMF which this time round probably won't listen. Spending is fine if there's the money to spend, but everyone knows there isn't any more. You can create fiat money so long as there is trust but as the bond markets show this trust is flagging.
But how ? A no confidence vote would never pass given the size of Labours majority and they won’t go if we ask nicely . Am not even sure they would step down in the event of economic collapse, which leaves civil disorder ? Or what ?
I believe Mark that it only takes 4 million people to write to the king on a specific subject for him to have to deal with it. How about we try to convince at least that number to write and request he dissolves Parliament and then a new election can be called. How about, Matt, that you put together a template letter that can be used and get it onto Substack. Is it not at least worth a try? We know C111 is drawn to Islam and is part of the WEF ‘reset’ plans……but maybe we can at least embarrass him into action. What do you say Matt……we, the British people, need help and guidance - as well as the superb information you pass on. We need to avoid civil war - this could be a peaceful way to bring back our country from the brink.
Agreed but also various government departments need to be closed and replaced with new British ones with staff who will follow what the electorate have voted for
I had assumed for some time that immigration was a minor issue, after the economy and NHS. Going on about it marked you out as weird. Sadly it is now the omni-issue that affects the social contract between people and government at a visceral level. If the safety valve of democratic debate, of contentious issues argued openly, all that is left is either disengagement or violence. More worrying too is the direction of travel. There is no sign of anything changing and more and more and more pressure on every pressure point. If things are bad now, how will things be when the numbers have doubled? As Truman says, how’s it going to end?
You were brilliant on dewbs and co last night Matt, thank you. If it wasn’t for you and others like you I’d be in total despair. As Ayaan Hirsi Ali has stated, the fall of Europe is her worst nightmare and the UK is very near the tipping point.
People vote to put councils and governments in charge to manage things . It is a voluntary transfer of power . When they fail spectacularly and progressively to manage , people will start to take their power back . What is often described as taking the law into their own hands . We are seeing this in Ireland , and the seeds of it over here . Without a turnaround on immigration and the economy, both of which I believe are beyond the ability of this government , it’s a question of which will come first . A Reform government where people take pause to see what they can do, or progressive violence and civil disobedience . Can’t predict which way it will go , but with every child we hear of bring assaulted, and more economic injustice served up in the budget , the latter is looking more likely . Can’t see us getting through four years of more of this
We can all feel it, things are falling apart. For years our governments have been moribund and self serving. The Labour government excels only at ineptitude and ineffectiveness. The current debacle over the utter mismanagement of the Grooming Gangs Inquiry is their crowning glory. What are they thinking? Their total inability to read the room is incredible! One in one out is a sick joke. It is no wonder people have completely lost patience with the Uniparty.
They're thinking that they - Labour - will be shown to be at massive fault if the truth about the gangs comes out. It's no surprise they are acting as they are!
Thanks Matt. Instead of protesting individual issues, we need the country to come together as one and begin mass protests against this hideous government.
The British state has long been noted for its secrecy as many historians have pointed out. Getting information is like getting blood out of a stone. But, enough information is now established for Reform to seriously embarrass and expose Labour at the next election. Let's hope they do that and with some skill.
A previous article celebrated that the Met will no longer investigate non crime hate but missed the point. Reports will still be recorded and there is now even less chance of anyone knowing they have been reported and recorded thus increasing secrecy. Non Hate Crime recording has not been abolished. It just goes underground like much of the rest of the state's activity.
True but it is in the run up to general election when they will get the most attention, when they will be subject to more media interviews and appear in televised debates. That's when they must be ready to hit with honed argument, prpeped sound bites and have a full manifesto. It is not until then that the electorate as whole wil pay attention to politics.
Nooo, Matt, my Labour MP blames Lucy Connolly and Mr Coskun.
They lie to our faces, they laugh in our faces, they hunker down in their only safe space, the House of Commons, where under the protection of Mr Speaker the cowards are allowed to abuse and malign Reform UK knowing there will be no comeback permitted.
Hopefully the good folk of Caerphilly will wipe the smiles off their smug and complacent faces today.
That the Home Office is not fit for for purpose is not a new revelation. One of Tony Blair's Home Secretarys said it wasn't fit for purpose back in the noughties. It didn't take a report to find out it has got worse.
Do they want to control the border? The recent attack on Brexit being the cause of economic woes and black holes are part of a plan. Starmer tried to overthrow democracy and certainly wants to re-join the EU. The 4% lie is accompanied by a "This proves the need for close alignment" policy. They claim that if we were in the EU illegals could have been returned - except we were never in Schengen. This is bigger than Immigration.
Many people I speak to no longer believe in democracy. They no longer believe that turning out to vote makes any difference to their lives. Matt, you talk about the social contract being at risk of breaking down. As I see it, it is already broken and many of those of us wealthy enough to be paying significant taxes appear to be literally walking away from the UK. I would class myself as a moderate Thatcherite but even I am now wondering how long it will be before civil war erupts on our streets; I fear it may be the only way to bring about change. I have serious doubts about Reform and their ability to turn any of this round - they are still a part of the establishment, simply a 'radical' (what we would have thought of as Tories in the 1980's) wing of it!
Even more concerning is the possibility the Elite know exactly what they're doing, and the only problem they see is that we've started to recognise what they're doing (deliberately destroying "Britain" as a concept) and are starting to push back. We are perhaps reaching the point where they will only be able to continue by ending their deception and openly ending democracy. They're already cancelling elections to retain power in some places.
I fear this is only half the problem, Matt. What you might call the 'elite' or 'the chattering classes', mostly people who are over-educated but not terribly intelligent, seem actively to dislike their own country - oikophobia. Their relative prosperity insulates them from the worst effects of these policies, and that allows them to look down on people who do not share their world view. A real divide seems to have opened up between the 'somewheres' and the 'anywheres' and we have no-one offering leadership on a unifying theme. Hence nothing ever gets done. Electing Reform may be necessary, but it will certainly not be sufficient until we change this.
I agree Reform may not be enough. They need someone with the balls to do what ever it takes. I nominate Rupert Lowe. I was dismayed when reform decided to ditch him on some spurious charge , my thoughts on this are that he was getting too far ahead and they didnt want him to frighten the horses too soon. Since then what he is and has been saying is becoming less 'extreme' and more common sense. In some ways it was a good thing he became independent because it has allowed him to say what Reform were afraid to say. Please support him at Restore Britain and lets get this done. https://www.restorebritain.org.uk/join_us
There was clear roars of support for Lowe's statements in Reform. So he wasn't ahead. The public were ready, Farage wasn't. He doesn't believe in the nation state, a people a country a heritage and place to call their home, to defend and preserve.
Farage seems more interested in practical matters such as the economy rather than the fundamental importance of culture and values. I keep hoping that he’s holding fire so that he doesn’t give the opposition even more reason to attack him. I’d be happy to see Matt in charge.
I always respect your comments because i know how much you keep up where some areas i don't. I have a growing respect for Matt, he would be better than Farage and i respect that he reads the comments. But we can't vote Farage out. Yusuf will be shoved in.
This is where Farage is just thick. The two are vitally connected surely.
How much would we save if we were not paying for millions of benefit dependant third world immigrants, DEI racist twaddle causing incompetence, and the crimes of recent imports? Prison costs, court time, police time, translation NHS delays, road traffic slowing businesses etc
It is precisely the culture and Christian morality that created the ethic for economic success in the first place. Anglo saxon Catholic (end to tribalism, rise of high trust connectedness, universities and hospitals), then Protestant, personal responsibility, property rights, capitalist model, small state. You can't create economic prosperity without a cohesive society. A low trust high crime tribalist multi cultural morally and spiritually relativistic mess is the problem.
Every day children are getting raped. I'm so incensed if there was a vote to hang the rapists i'd say yes. Those poor girls are the mothers of the future..
Thanks Natasha and very well said, I agree with all that. The more I study Islam, the more puzzled I am that anyone decent follows it. You’re right, the success of the West is built on Christian values which were turbo charged when the pope banned cousin marriage in the 6th century. Sounds a small point but it destroyed the tribal mentality which puts blood ties above the good of the nation state. Islam is built on tribal lines with the ideology mimicking blood ties and with anyone outside the tribe being the enemy….us.
I am so very relieved for your positive reception. Honestly I wonder if i have any sanity left!! Rafe HM is good on those points. He calls it Western exceptionalism.
I am simple minded, look at the root and the fruits. I am not convinced Islam has a place in the west, the numbers should be severely restricted. Integration is a waste of time. 70 years on and it's got worse. By all accounts it seems violently expansionist and imperialistic, antithetical to democracy and free speech and hostile to non believers.
And of course the ban on inbreeding raised the IQ of the west. I read the other day a little muslim child was raped by father 2 brothers and grandfather. In Heaven's name what have we come to.
'Doormat' Christianity is partly to blame for where we are , loving everyone despite their barbarous natures and cultures was plain stupid. We might all bleed red but that is where it ends .England and later the UK became 'civilised 'centuries ago , thats why we have been such a soft touch , we had been taught that all humans were equals. That clearly is not so it depends on the culture which bore them.
Am not sure that Christianity is as much the problem as progressive liberalism which for many has become the new religion . Certainly the Christianity I was brought up with was very strict about how people behaved and not very forgiving
Well Christianity was pretty strict until say the 70's. Some say the rot set in with luther, Was his church built on sand and Peter's built on rock? Arguably the feminisation of society has rotted the centre. I am slowly persuaded the Church should have stayed masculine. No women bishops etc. The balance of male-female energies, God the Father not God the Mother, God the son, not God the daughter. It makes a difference as the Church is the bride.
We no longer take the soul seriously, nor heaven or hell, we no longer seek "virtue". It's quite recent. Richard the Lion heart wasn't a doormat. We still had the death penalty for murder until the 1960's. I think we simply abandoned the teachings as left wing progressivism took over, stopped assemblies and started feeling sorry for the criminals.
and we do desperately need to have some clear and different path about the economy. Did anyone listen to the Daily T who were interviewing Prof. Arthur Laffer ?. What a brain , I was amazed when he said he was 85. He is inspirational.
Well, to be fair, we can hardly ever begin to dismiss the absolutely crucial significance of "practical matters such as the economy". If you have no idea about managing the economy you haven't got a hope of running a country. How would you make properly informed decisions in the interests of the population? How would you do anything about inflation, unemployment, running any administration or legal and policy matters, or public well-being generally? If you don't ensure you have the money, you don't get to have people working for you because you end up not paying them! I'm certainly not dismissing your point about the "culture and values", which in Western civilization are virtually on life support, so I do appreciate you have to be able to breathe and survive before you worry about the contents of your purse or wallet. But no efficient economic governance means quick collapse and chaos, and anyone heading for the position of Prime Minister has got to pay attention to a lot of important things. Unless his name is Starmer, of course, but hopefully he's heading away from it rather than towards it!
I was not minimising the economy but economies can be fixed, our culture, values and identity can’t be restored once they’ve been destroyed. And as a female I’m extremely concerned that a Muslim takeover would mean the destruction of our rights. This country is predicted to be Muslim majority in thirty or so years when Sharia law would operate. I don’t think the economy will be the prime consideration at that point,
You are correct. I would rather live in a decent British society and be poor than the Muslim sharia alternative. The economy is important but secondary to the problems brought by immigration. The economy cannot be fixed until immigration is fixed, the latter is a huge drain on the former
Understood! One can only agree that if it ever descended to anything like a Civil War, managing inflation and unemployment statistics would hardly be a priority either! (God, a Muslim majority Great Britain! It hardly bears even considering! Think of the people "rolling in their graves", all the monarchs of the last thousand years for a start - not counting Charles III here, as I couldn't rely on him - and all those writers and statesmen and philosophers and military leaders! Imagine Admiral Nelson coming back and saying "OK I understand you more or less get on with the French these days, but what the hell do you think I fought all those battles for, a flag with the star and crescent on it held aloft by an English citizen clutching a Koran!! Jesus!!")
agreed Farage was behind , whether genuinely or as I said earlier afraid to go too far too soon or bad advice from Yusuf , who knows but there was a real and obvious 'rowing' back.
I agree - which will also reveal whether any politician in any party will be willing to answer a simple question - albeit then confront a hugely difficult topic.
Just a random thought. If many think that “Islam and immigration” are at the heart of the U.K.’s challenges, should one be better to focus criticism on (1) Islam and immigration or (2) just Islam or (3) just immigration? The simplicity of just one avoids some blurring and gives more focus on both sides of the debate.
I think they’re inextricably linked although if asked to choose I’d say that Islamism was by far the greater and more immediate threat. Mass immigration needs to come down hugely but at least the damage from excessive numbers can be repaired. The damage from the loss of our culture, values and democracy may never be repaired. It took the Spanish 800 years to take back Spain. So to answer your question, we should focus on Islamism first and that will help reduce the numbers anyway.
yes, I'm with you, if we do not sort the rise of Islam particularly in government then everything else is unimportant. I see that Starmer has pledged another £10,000,000 to help protect Muslims. I suggest Mr. Starmer it is not they who need protecting.
I saw a hamas wedding video somewhere which was like the kardashians on steroids. Apparently they’re all billionaires who’ve spent a ton of aid money on building tunnels rather than building a country. And now the taxpayer will have to fork out to build Gaza which they’ll destroy again. 🤬
I do think their needs to be a total halt on immigration until this massive backlog has been processed. Islam specifically is a problem also in The Home Office has its own 'Muslim Network' according to GB news which seeks to recruit more muslims. I find it difficult to believe that they can be impartial when dealing with asylum processing.
I reckon it is more complicated than that. As a country we have champagne tastes and a brown ale income. Very little works as it should, we have favoured a larger state and a bloated welfare bill over industry and business- friendly policies that would help regenerate those (large) areas of the country where unemployment is now endemic. Education fails a huge number of our youngsters from the outset, even before they get pushed towards a thoroughly devalued and very expensive degree course or a life on the dole with PIP. Illegal immigration hits the headlines, but the legal immigration dwarfs those numbers. As for Islam, it is what it has always been; if we decline to celebrate our own culture we should not be surprised when they see the opportunity to import theirs. I wish I had some easy answers to offer.
This is such a complete reply and could be a reply to most topics and most posts on Matt’s Substack. How ironic that we will probably be able to say the same in 3 years’ time albeit from an even more depressing base.
The desperation is rising. This is an excellent article, but Pew research figure is from 2017. The illegals are more likely 2 million plus. Farage is not the strong leader we need. He won't deport all of them.
The first duty of the state is to look after women and children and national security.
We know the laws that need to go. As far as i'm concerned i now want mass immigration reversed, not ended, reversed, not indiscriminately but under clear parameters. Only Ben Habib has talked about this. I want to be safe.
I want to live in the decent civilised courteous law abiding prosperous society we had before Blair. We need food and energy security and there is a limit to the population these islands can sustain.
Basic common sense. Lowe is courageous and tough with a clear vision, Farage isn't. Stupid to get rid of Lowe and Habib, they were both tougher than him and could have done the heavy lifting for him. Reform will bring in managed decline only.
Farage is weak sauce.. I wish he'd never come back and stayed in America.
that is a chance we will have to take , we cannot vote for any of the others, even the ones who agree with our sentiments, it is too late for another party. Rupert Lowe has said this , he understands that to divide the vote is to let labour in again. He has started a movement and not a party, if that Movement is strong enough it can influence Reform or even take it over . It may be tenuous Natasha but I see no other way.
Know Farage personally do you. I don't think you can say any of those things with truth, you are constantly on here demonising Farage, are you a Guardian Troll, it sometimes seems so!
That's funny. Never been called a Guardian troll. You think the Guardian are fans of Lowe and Habib. Have a rethink. I lost trust in Farage, and Yusuf, by his own actions. Now i'm sorry if i seem overly negative, of course i want him to succeed. I want this country rescued and i don't care how or who. But i trust Habib. Will Reform deliver real systemic recovery under Farage/Yusuf. Because this is the last chance.
I think some are in the Ben Habib camp , I like the man and I think he too was ditched because he was talking too tough at this point ....but there is no room or time to build another party . I dont knock Farage because he is an excellent campaigner, speaker , I even understand him being a bit careful about the speed of policy concerning migration but Reform would not be where it is now if not for him. It was there before he brought it out into main stream but who had noticed ?
Thank you for your thoughts. Substantially I agree and of course they are very valid. Farage is a great extempore speaker but as Starkey pointed out a great leader (like Thatcher) and which we urgently need, needs to be equally obsessed with detail. Time will tell if there is time or not for a new party. Farage is not centre right, the space is open. Lowe knows we cannot wait til the next election for action, hence his Restore movement but hasn't ruled out a party at all. Restore might become a party or merge with Advance. Certainly won't touch Reform with a barge pole. Things are moving very fast. Japan wants remigration, Jenrick calls for net negative. No one is willing yet to tackle the Islam problem. If Habib does who knows. Certainly if Jenrick Braverman (farage slammed the door on her) Katie Lam and a few others joined, anything is possible. Habib will be iron clad on policy detail, that's for sure..
I'm not convinced the Farage brand name was essential for a new party, the space was wide open, even if it would have taken a few months longer to reach public awareness. Of course it is still a company owned by F and now with Y, which is how he could return and push people out.
Restore and Advance only exist because F mismanaged the situation. He should have apologised to Lowe and brought him back then sacked Yusuf. I would be more positive in that case.
Chaos is the right word to describe our Home Office and borders. Boris got nearly everything wrong but he was right about calling Starmer “Captain Chaos”.
Conservatives failed, Labour are failing. The "common problem" appears to be the Civil Servants. Reform will have to address the "common problem" before it can move forward.
Reform will certainly have to address the civil service. As someone with experience of the public sector, the failings of the Home Office come as no surprise. The office-based public sector is riddled with inefficiency and deadwood. A compete clear out would be a good start and only re-employing those who are effective and committed to actually enacting policy (of which there will be a good number). The unions will call for strikes and try to cause hell - let them. It would do the country some good to have the striking types absent.
Well said.
Political failure is true. They make the big decisions and too many of the small ones. Civil servants? Let’s have a closer look at the situation. Problem one: the law and what it requires to be done. Problem two: administrative processes are what they are - procedures involving checking here, there and everywhere which takes time. Problem three: the bombardment rate. How many incoming cases are there, compared with the number of staff available to deal with them?
I nearly wrote problem four: staff. But just a minute - what do we know about the people, their skills and abilities, the social attitudes they bring with them? Professional development? Are they all that different to those I remember from two short years in the service over fifty years ago - conscientious, honest, intelligent, deferential to authority?
I agree that people are policy: if you want to change the policy you may need to change the people - the policy makers. Provide the right leadership and the poor bloody infantry will follow behind.
There's nobody in charge of the Civil Service. The head and his immediate subordinates must be sacked at once.
In other words, 'the blob'. Quite right.
I’m not sure that the system is the problem, but the people in the system are. It is the same in all the institutions. But, this is missing the point in my opinion.
To me, it is now pointless wasting time coming up with solutions, when we have to wait four years to carry them out. ALL our effort should be going in to removing this government from power. They may say they want to solve the problems but it’s obvious by now that they want to break the system.
Every word out of the governments mouthpieces are lies, every thing they try and do is a total disaster, they all appear neck deep in one scandal after another, the people in positions of high office are not fit to run the local boy scouts - it is a catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen before.
The government must be removed. That’s where our focus must lie.
It's clearly the system because its happening in ALL Western Countries ( across all of the Global American Empire) and whoever the Governments are.
Correct, it must be the system. What has basically happened across the West is that a new semi-global 'class' has emerged, that of the educated upper middle class who have infiltrated the Civil Service, the BBC, most of the media and the universities and schools. This self-styled elite has imposed globalist economics over national sovereignty and independence, it is the dominance of talkers over makers and producers of wealth. The same people inhabit the upper echelons of both the main parties which is why the politics doesn't change much, and both parties have acted against the known wishes of not only the old 'working class', inasmuch as it still exists, and the majority of the ordinary people who are concerned above all with immigration and rising crime -- things which concern the upper middle class ideologues much less since they don't live in the run-down areas and often have assured jobs with state pensions. This new class believes in increasing the power of the state at all costs and its economic programme is the redistribution of wealth, not its creation. As soon as it runs out of cash to spend, it goes begging to the IMF which this time round probably won't listen. Spending is fine if there's the money to spend, but everyone knows there isn't any more. You can create fiat money so long as there is trust but as the bond markets show this trust is flagging.
But how ? A no confidence vote would never pass given the size of Labours majority and they won’t go if we ask nicely . Am not even sure they would step down in the event of economic collapse, which leaves civil disorder ? Or what ?
Not sure, that’s my point - 10 million letters to the king;
Mass refusal to pay council tax;
Mass sit in at parliament? I genuinely don’t know, but we must think about it. We have a rogue government, intent on destroying our nation.
Our pathetic, inbred King doesn't give a hoot.
I believe Mark that it only takes 4 million people to write to the king on a specific subject for him to have to deal with it. How about we try to convince at least that number to write and request he dissolves Parliament and then a new election can be called. How about, Matt, that you put together a template letter that can be used and get it onto Substack. Is it not at least worth a try? We know C111 is drawn to Islam and is part of the WEF ‘reset’ plans……but maybe we can at least embarrass him into action. What do you say Matt……we, the British people, need help and guidance - as well as the superb information you pass on. We need to avoid civil war - this could be a peaceful way to bring back our country from the brink.
Liberal Democracy is just rule by international finance capitalism and the Merchant Class.
Wasn't it Cicero who ended every speech with (well, roughly) "Starmer regimen delendum est"?
Cato the Elder said it “Carthago delenda est
Carthage Must be destroyed just before the 3rd Punic War
Agreed but also various government departments need to be closed and replaced with new British ones with staff who will follow what the electorate have voted for
I had assumed for some time that immigration was a minor issue, after the economy and NHS. Going on about it marked you out as weird. Sadly it is now the omni-issue that affects the social contract between people and government at a visceral level. If the safety valve of democratic debate, of contentious issues argued openly, all that is left is either disengagement or violence. More worrying too is the direction of travel. There is no sign of anything changing and more and more and more pressure on every pressure point. If things are bad now, how will things be when the numbers have doubled? As Truman says, how’s it going to end?
Read the Managerial Revolution by James Burnham
You were brilliant on dewbs and co last night Matt, thank you. If it wasn’t for you and others like you I’d be in total despair. As Ayaan Hirsi Ali has stated, the fall of Europe is her worst nightmare and the UK is very near the tipping point.
I am in despair
I am really, I’m just clutching at straws.
People vote to put councils and governments in charge to manage things . It is a voluntary transfer of power . When they fail spectacularly and progressively to manage , people will start to take their power back . What is often described as taking the law into their own hands . We are seeing this in Ireland , and the seeds of it over here . Without a turnaround on immigration and the economy, both of which I believe are beyond the ability of this government , it’s a question of which will come first . A Reform government where people take pause to see what they can do, or progressive violence and civil disobedience . Can’t predict which way it will go , but with every child we hear of bring assaulted, and more economic injustice served up in the budget , the latter is looking more likely . Can’t see us getting through four years of more of this
We can all feel it, things are falling apart. For years our governments have been moribund and self serving. The Labour government excels only at ineptitude and ineffectiveness. The current debacle over the utter mismanagement of the Grooming Gangs Inquiry is their crowning glory. What are they thinking? Their total inability to read the room is incredible! One in one out is a sick joke. It is no wonder people have completely lost patience with the Uniparty.
They're thinking that they - Labour - will be shown to be at massive fault if the truth about the gangs comes out. It's no surprise they are acting as they are!
Thanks Matt. Instead of protesting individual issues, we need the country to come together as one and begin mass protests against this hideous government.
The British state has long been noted for its secrecy as many historians have pointed out. Getting information is like getting blood out of a stone. But, enough information is now established for Reform to seriously embarrass and expose Labour at the next election. Let's hope they do that and with some skill.
A previous article celebrated that the Met will no longer investigate non crime hate but missed the point. Reports will still be recorded and there is now even less chance of anyone knowing they have been reported and recorded thus increasing secrecy. Non Hate Crime recording has not been abolished. It just goes underground like much of the rest of the state's activity.
Why should Reform wait till the next election "to seriously embarrass and expose Labour"?
Surely they have ample ammunition already?
True but it is in the run up to general election when they will get the most attention, when they will be subject to more media interviews and appear in televised debates. That's when they must be ready to hit with honed argument, prpeped sound bites and have a full manifesto. It is not until then that the electorate as whole wil pay attention to politics.
Nooo, Matt, my Labour MP blames Lucy Connolly and Mr Coskun.
They lie to our faces, they laugh in our faces, they hunker down in their only safe space, the House of Commons, where under the protection of Mr Speaker the cowards are allowed to abuse and malign Reform UK knowing there will be no comeback permitted.
Hopefully the good folk of Caerphilly will wipe the smiles off their smug and complacent faces today.
That the Home Office is not fit for for purpose is not a new revelation. One of Tony Blair's Home Secretarys said it wasn't fit for purpose back in the noughties. It didn't take a report to find out it has got worse.
Pots do tend to call kettles black, don’t they.
Do they want to control the border? The recent attack on Brexit being the cause of economic woes and black holes are part of a plan. Starmer tried to overthrow democracy and certainly wants to re-join the EU. The 4% lie is accompanied by a "This proves the need for close alignment" policy. They claim that if we were in the EU illegals could have been returned - except we were never in Schengen. This is bigger than Immigration.
https://www.brugesgroup.com/blog/rachel-stop-digging
The Labour Rejoin EU plan was due to happen in their second term. That’s now been blown up.
Many people I speak to no longer believe in democracy. They no longer believe that turning out to vote makes any difference to their lives. Matt, you talk about the social contract being at risk of breaking down. As I see it, it is already broken and many of those of us wealthy enough to be paying significant taxes appear to be literally walking away from the UK. I would class myself as a moderate Thatcherite but even I am now wondering how long it will be before civil war erupts on our streets; I fear it may be the only way to bring about change. I have serious doubts about Reform and their ability to turn any of this round - they are still a part of the establishment, simply a 'radical' (what we would have thought of as Tories in the 1980's) wing of it!
The fundamental principles at stage are so obvious that I am deeply concerned that our Elite cannot comprehend or refuse to accept them.
We are close to a watershed moment in political history.
Even more concerning is the possibility the Elite know exactly what they're doing, and the only problem they see is that we've started to recognise what they're doing (deliberately destroying "Britain" as a concept) and are starting to push back. We are perhaps reaching the point where they will only be able to continue by ending their deception and openly ending democracy. They're already cancelling elections to retain power in some places.
There are three main reasons for all of our country's governance failures in the past 20 years:
1. A ruling class with the attitude, rules are made to be broken by me but not by thee.
2. A total lack of accountability for failures and illegality (especially on immigration/horizon/covid, etc.) throughout government and judiciary.
3. A strain of collective-cowardice in government never seen nor tolerated before in UK history.
The taste of disgust in the mouths of the majority for these traitors is becoming increasingly sickening.
Great points.
Ultimately our nation has been captured by international finance capitalism and the forces of open borders Globalisation.
Liberalism is the ideology.
I fear this is only half the problem, Matt. What you might call the 'elite' or 'the chattering classes', mostly people who are over-educated but not terribly intelligent, seem actively to dislike their own country - oikophobia. Their relative prosperity insulates them from the worst effects of these policies, and that allows them to look down on people who do not share their world view. A real divide seems to have opened up between the 'somewheres' and the 'anywheres' and we have no-one offering leadership on a unifying theme. Hence nothing ever gets done. Electing Reform may be necessary, but it will certainly not be sufficient until we change this.
I agree Reform may not be enough. They need someone with the balls to do what ever it takes. I nominate Rupert Lowe. I was dismayed when reform decided to ditch him on some spurious charge , my thoughts on this are that he was getting too far ahead and they didnt want him to frighten the horses too soon. Since then what he is and has been saying is becoming less 'extreme' and more common sense. In some ways it was a good thing he became independent because it has allowed him to say what Reform were afraid to say. Please support him at Restore Britain and lets get this done. https://www.restorebritain.org.uk/join_us
There was clear roars of support for Lowe's statements in Reform. So he wasn't ahead. The public were ready, Farage wasn't. He doesn't believe in the nation state, a people a country a heritage and place to call their home, to defend and preserve.
Farage seems more interested in practical matters such as the economy rather than the fundamental importance of culture and values. I keep hoping that he’s holding fire so that he doesn’t give the opposition even more reason to attack him. I’d be happy to see Matt in charge.
I always respect your comments because i know how much you keep up where some areas i don't. I have a growing respect for Matt, he would be better than Farage and i respect that he reads the comments. But we can't vote Farage out. Yusuf will be shoved in.
This is where Farage is just thick. The two are vitally connected surely.
How much would we save if we were not paying for millions of benefit dependant third world immigrants, DEI racist twaddle causing incompetence, and the crimes of recent imports? Prison costs, court time, police time, translation NHS delays, road traffic slowing businesses etc
It is precisely the culture and Christian morality that created the ethic for economic success in the first place. Anglo saxon Catholic (end to tribalism, rise of high trust connectedness, universities and hospitals), then Protestant, personal responsibility, property rights, capitalist model, small state. You can't create economic prosperity without a cohesive society. A low trust high crime tribalist multi cultural morally and spiritually relativistic mess is the problem.
Every day children are getting raped. I'm so incensed if there was a vote to hang the rapists i'd say yes. Those poor girls are the mothers of the future..
Thanks Natasha and very well said, I agree with all that. The more I study Islam, the more puzzled I am that anyone decent follows it. You’re right, the success of the West is built on Christian values which were turbo charged when the pope banned cousin marriage in the 6th century. Sounds a small point but it destroyed the tribal mentality which puts blood ties above the good of the nation state. Islam is built on tribal lines with the ideology mimicking blood ties and with anyone outside the tribe being the enemy….us.
I am so very relieved for your positive reception. Honestly I wonder if i have any sanity left!! Rafe HM is good on those points. He calls it Western exceptionalism.
I am simple minded, look at the root and the fruits. I am not convinced Islam has a place in the west, the numbers should be severely restricted. Integration is a waste of time. 70 years on and it's got worse. By all accounts it seems violently expansionist and imperialistic, antithetical to democracy and free speech and hostile to non believers.
And of course the ban on inbreeding raised the IQ of the west. I read the other day a little muslim child was raped by father 2 brothers and grandfather. In Heaven's name what have we come to.
'Doormat' Christianity is partly to blame for where we are , loving everyone despite their barbarous natures and cultures was plain stupid. We might all bleed red but that is where it ends .England and later the UK became 'civilised 'centuries ago , thats why we have been such a soft touch , we had been taught that all humans were equals. That clearly is not so it depends on the culture which bore them.
Am not sure that Christianity is as much the problem as progressive liberalism which for many has become the new religion . Certainly the Christianity I was brought up with was very strict about how people behaved and not very forgiving
Well Christianity was pretty strict until say the 70's. Some say the rot set in with luther, Was his church built on sand and Peter's built on rock? Arguably the feminisation of society has rotted the centre. I am slowly persuaded the Church should have stayed masculine. No women bishops etc. The balance of male-female energies, God the Father not God the Mother, God the son, not God the daughter. It makes a difference as the Church is the bride.
We no longer take the soul seriously, nor heaven or hell, we no longer seek "virtue". It's quite recent. Richard the Lion heart wasn't a doormat. We still had the death penalty for murder until the 1960's. I think we simply abandoned the teachings as left wing progressivism took over, stopped assemblies and started feeling sorry for the criminals.
and we do desperately need to have some clear and different path about the economy. Did anyone listen to the Daily T who were interviewing Prof. Arthur Laffer ?. What a brain , I was amazed when he said he was 85. He is inspirational.
Well, to be fair, we can hardly ever begin to dismiss the absolutely crucial significance of "practical matters such as the economy". If you have no idea about managing the economy you haven't got a hope of running a country. How would you make properly informed decisions in the interests of the population? How would you do anything about inflation, unemployment, running any administration or legal and policy matters, or public well-being generally? If you don't ensure you have the money, you don't get to have people working for you because you end up not paying them! I'm certainly not dismissing your point about the "culture and values", which in Western civilization are virtually on life support, so I do appreciate you have to be able to breathe and survive before you worry about the contents of your purse or wallet. But no efficient economic governance means quick collapse and chaos, and anyone heading for the position of Prime Minister has got to pay attention to a lot of important things. Unless his name is Starmer, of course, but hopefully he's heading away from it rather than towards it!
I was not minimising the economy but economies can be fixed, our culture, values and identity can’t be restored once they’ve been destroyed. And as a female I’m extremely concerned that a Muslim takeover would mean the destruction of our rights. This country is predicted to be Muslim majority in thirty or so years when Sharia law would operate. I don’t think the economy will be the prime consideration at that point,
You are correct. I would rather live in a decent British society and be poor than the Muslim sharia alternative. The economy is important but secondary to the problems brought by immigration. The economy cannot be fixed until immigration is fixed, the latter is a huge drain on the former
Understood! One can only agree that if it ever descended to anything like a Civil War, managing inflation and unemployment statistics would hardly be a priority either! (God, a Muslim majority Great Britain! It hardly bears even considering! Think of the people "rolling in their graves", all the monarchs of the last thousand years for a start - not counting Charles III here, as I couldn't rely on him - and all those writers and statesmen and philosophers and military leaders! Imagine Admiral Nelson coming back and saying "OK I understand you more or less get on with the French these days, but what the hell do you think I fought all those battles for, a flag with the star and crescent on it held aloft by an English citizen clutching a Koran!! Jesus!!")
agreed Farage was behind , whether genuinely or as I said earlier afraid to go too far too soon or bad advice from Yusuf , who knows but there was a real and obvious 'rowing' back.
Anyone with good intentions would have sacked Yusuf. This party is compromised.
I agree - which will also reveal whether any politician in any party will be willing to answer a simple question - albeit then confront a hugely difficult topic.
Just a random thought. If many think that “Islam and immigration” are at the heart of the U.K.’s challenges, should one be better to focus criticism on (1) Islam and immigration or (2) just Islam or (3) just immigration? The simplicity of just one avoids some blurring and gives more focus on both sides of the debate.
I think they’re inextricably linked although if asked to choose I’d say that Islamism was by far the greater and more immediate threat. Mass immigration needs to come down hugely but at least the damage from excessive numbers can be repaired. The damage from the loss of our culture, values and democracy may never be repaired. It took the Spanish 800 years to take back Spain. So to answer your question, we should focus on Islamism first and that will help reduce the numbers anyway.
yes, I'm with you, if we do not sort the rise of Islam particularly in government then everything else is unimportant. I see that Starmer has pledged another £10,000,000 to help protect Muslims. I suggest Mr. Starmer it is not they who need protecting.
FFS.
I saw a hamas wedding video somewhere which was like the kardashians on steroids. Apparently they’re all billionaires who’ve spent a ton of aid money on building tunnels rather than building a country. And now the taxpayer will have to fork out to build Gaza which they’ll destroy again. 🤬
I do think their needs to be a total halt on immigration until this massive backlog has been processed. Islam specifically is a problem also in The Home Office has its own 'Muslim Network' according to GB news which seeks to recruit more muslims. I find it difficult to believe that they can be impartial when dealing with asylum processing.
Exactly
Have a look at Connor Tomlinson articles for Courage Media, Courage Media in general and he has a you tube channel.
I reckon it is more complicated than that. As a country we have champagne tastes and a brown ale income. Very little works as it should, we have favoured a larger state and a bloated welfare bill over industry and business- friendly policies that would help regenerate those (large) areas of the country where unemployment is now endemic. Education fails a huge number of our youngsters from the outset, even before they get pushed towards a thoroughly devalued and very expensive degree course or a life on the dole with PIP. Illegal immigration hits the headlines, but the legal immigration dwarfs those numbers. As for Islam, it is what it has always been; if we decline to celebrate our own culture we should not be surprised when they see the opportunity to import theirs. I wish I had some easy answers to offer.
This is such a complete reply and could be a reply to most topics and most posts on Matt’s Substack. How ironic that we will probably be able to say the same in 3 years’ time albeit from an even more depressing base.
The desperation is rising. This is an excellent article, but Pew research figure is from 2017. The illegals are more likely 2 million plus. Farage is not the strong leader we need. He won't deport all of them.
The first duty of the state is to look after women and children and national security.
We know the laws that need to go. As far as i'm concerned i now want mass immigration reversed, not ended, reversed, not indiscriminately but under clear parameters. Only Ben Habib has talked about this. I want to be safe.
I want to live in the decent civilised courteous law abiding prosperous society we had before Blair. We need food and energy security and there is a limit to the population these islands can sustain.
Rupert Lowe too is saying these things.
Basic common sense. Lowe is courageous and tough with a clear vision, Farage isn't. Stupid to get rid of Lowe and Habib, they were both tougher than him and could have done the heavy lifting for him. Reform will bring in managed decline only.
Farage is weak sauce.. I wish he'd never come back and stayed in America.
that is a chance we will have to take , we cannot vote for any of the others, even the ones who agree with our sentiments, it is too late for another party. Rupert Lowe has said this , he understands that to divide the vote is to let labour in again. He has started a movement and not a party, if that Movement is strong enough it can influence Reform or even take it over . It may be tenuous Natasha but I see no other way.
Know Farage personally do you. I don't think you can say any of those things with truth, you are constantly on here demonising Farage, are you a Guardian Troll, it sometimes seems so!
That's funny. Never been called a Guardian troll. You think the Guardian are fans of Lowe and Habib. Have a rethink. I lost trust in Farage, and Yusuf, by his own actions. Now i'm sorry if i seem overly negative, of course i want him to succeed. I want this country rescued and i don't care how or who. But i trust Habib. Will Reform deliver real systemic recovery under Farage/Yusuf. Because this is the last chance.
I think some are in the Ben Habib camp , I like the man and I think he too was ditched because he was talking too tough at this point ....but there is no room or time to build another party . I dont knock Farage because he is an excellent campaigner, speaker , I even understand him being a bit careful about the speed of policy concerning migration but Reform would not be where it is now if not for him. It was there before he brought it out into main stream but who had noticed ?
Thank you for your thoughts. Substantially I agree and of course they are very valid. Farage is a great extempore speaker but as Starkey pointed out a great leader (like Thatcher) and which we urgently need, needs to be equally obsessed with detail. Time will tell if there is time or not for a new party. Farage is not centre right, the space is open. Lowe knows we cannot wait til the next election for action, hence his Restore movement but hasn't ruled out a party at all. Restore might become a party or merge with Advance. Certainly won't touch Reform with a barge pole. Things are moving very fast. Japan wants remigration, Jenrick calls for net negative. No one is willing yet to tackle the Islam problem. If Habib does who knows. Certainly if Jenrick Braverman (farage slammed the door on her) Katie Lam and a few others joined, anything is possible. Habib will be iron clad on policy detail, that's for sure..
I'm not convinced the Farage brand name was essential for a new party, the space was wide open, even if it would have taken a few months longer to reach public awareness. Of course it is still a company owned by F and now with Y, which is how he could return and push people out.
Restore and Advance only exist because F mismanaged the situation. He should have apologised to Lowe and brought him back then sacked Yusuf. I would be more positive in that case.
Chaos is the right word to describe our Home Office and borders. Boris got nearly everything wrong but he was right about calling Starmer “Captain Chaos”.