There are some things Nigel Farage gets right. He has been a good campaigner highlighting the scandal of too much illegal migration. He is right to say Councillors should not ask the government to cancel elections they clearly do not want to hold for fear of bad outcomes. By the same logic Nigel Farage should say if an MP wants to switch from the party that helped elect him to a new party within the same Parliament they should request a by election. Voters should be given the chance to back their MP with his new beliefs and party allegiance, or to elect someone who will carry out their original intentions of supporting the party they voted for. Most people vote mainly for a party, with personal votes for individual MPs usually being a minor part of the candidate’s total vote.
As a Conservative MP who always stood whilst issuing a related personal pledge to work for an EU referendum and then exit I was under endless pressure to switch to the Referendum party, to UKIP, to the Brexit party. I always made clear I had promised my electors to usually support a Conservative government whilst using my position to urge them to the Eurosceptic answer. I correctly argued that only by being a Conservative MP could I help secure a referendum on leaving the EU, and after doing that I could help make a Conservative government get us out of the EU in line with the vote.
So it proved. I would have felt honour bound to resign and stand in a by election if I had changed my view on how to secure exit. As history showed, the Referendum, UKIP and Brexit parties only succeeded in getting one MP elected between them in the various general elections they fought.It was Conservative MP votes that secured the referendum and secured the eventual exit from the EU.It was a few Conservative MPs including myself who prevented the civil service/ Mrs May terms being imposed on us on exit.
A week ago Monday I bumped into Robert Jenrick in a corridor at Westminster when I was going to sort out arrangements for my new role. I congratulated him on the work he had been doing on law, order and migration issues as a Shadow Cabinet member. I said I thought Mr Zahawi had made a big mistake for himself by joining Reform and speculated on how he would get on with Richard Tice and Mr Yousef who both have wishes to be leading on economic policy for Reform. Mr Jenrick seemed to agree with my remarks and added an unsolicited unfavourable description of Mr Zahawi. Mr Zahawi had not taken a more Reform style line on issues like immigration when he was in government with some influence though now claims to support the full Reform approach. Both Mr Zahawi and Mr Jenrick now have to explain their recently discovered support for removing the two child cap, for proportional representation, for expensive pledges to nationalise big industries.
The public want their politicians to have principles, to say what they mean and do what they say. Whilst of course it can make sense to change a view on a particular policy or approach when the facts or circumstances change, it is more difficult to convincingly change views on things as fundamental as the desirability of large scale immigration or whether the UK should be an independent self governing country or not. Robert Jenrick was a Remain supporter.Mr Zahawi supported high rates of migration.
If we all agree Council elections must not be delayed for a year to let people decide, we should also agree if an elected MP wants to change parties he or she should seek a new endorsement from electors as 2 Conservatives going to UKIP did.(Clacton and Rochester). Only one of them survived the subsequent general election so he did not help us secure Brexit.
January 20, 2026
Worse still Zahawi was a strong supporter of Net Zero and his fastest roll out of the Covid “vaccines”. He still seems proud of this despite all the abundant evidence that it did no good and did vast net harms and anyway young people and those who had had Covid already had zero need of it even had it been safe and effective. The man even wanted it to be enforced in certain professions!
January 20, 2026
I feel you are being a little disingenuous, Sir John.
There has been a long established practice that MPs who switch party do not call for a by-election.
Equally, there is well established practice that local and national elections happen when due, except when there are significant national reasons to delay (essentially war).
Zahawi and Jenrick are simply following convention. As for sticking to principles….
January 20, 2026
So LL is SJR’s less inhibited alter ego? makes sense
January 20, 2026
It was worse than that. Even if the jabs had been ‘good for us’ the authoritarian instinct of Zahawi is alien to Britain. We reject it. We have a right to make our own mistakes – and recover from them all by ourselves.
January 20, 2026
Indeed but worse still he still does not admit his errors or perhaps still does not even realise the vast harms the Covid “vaccines” did – despite the vast overwhelming evidence!
January 20, 2026
Yes his acceptance in Reform was a finely balanced decision. Personally I’m sceptical that his and Jenrick’s moves are little more than career moves, and that they should be put on tea and biscuits duty for some time. The whole reason for Reform starting was to expunge Tory equivocation and to change the System top to bottom. There’s clearly a danger that having too many of those who quote know how the System works unquote will mean that the System continues untouched. At the same time, Reform needs those residual Tory voters who’ll end up Libdem and irrelevant or Reform.
January 20, 2026
The ‘system’ was not originally a party one but we vote for the person. It has become party first by hijacking the principle and then stating this is the way it should be as Sir John does here. I am not a fan of Jenrick, but I believe he is a very popular MP in his constituency so is quite likely to win anyway. Also, I doubt whether the majority of voters, especially in some constituencies follow the politics, but vote the way they always have and the way their parents always did – applies every bit as much to died in the wool conservatives as well as socialist ones. My own area is proof – you cannot even get on the local council unless you are a Tory – newcomers not welcome. This why it is so difficult for new parties to emerge and why they have all previously failed. This suits the political elite that no-one of a different view gets a look in, but it results in what we have got, stale politics, going nowhere and the country goin down the drain. We desperately need change, but will we actually be allowed to get it by the big parties who will endlessly attack any newcomers until time is served and they get what they comfortably want – the two party Uniparty. Not this time we can only hope.
January 20, 2026
Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.
Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage).
Let us hope so – please can he also get Starmer to ditch net zero on defence and economic grounds too. His war on free speech and most of his other mad/evil policies too please!
January 20, 2026
He hasn’t! He has just called it stupid and because the USA does not own it, their investment in Diego Garcia is at risk. He gave that as the reason the USA needs to own Greenland.
January 21, 2026
Trump needs to do so now, before Two Tier and the Lords finally push the Chagos/China disaster through. It seems he still intends to!
January 21, 2026
Starmer is rubbish, we all agree.
But let’s focus on how Trump is breeding socialism and pro EU sentiments here in the UK and elsewhere.
January 20, 2026
So our moronic government is digging in with idiotically giving the Chagos Islands to (in effect) the Chinese and giving the go ahead to their new vast spy base embassy near the city too.
I think Trump needs to explain to Starmer, in no uncertain terms, that they must drop this expensive and dangerous Chagos luancy now and drop Net Zero too – so we too can have energy costs of 25% of the current levels to rescure both the economy, jobs, industry, cut inflation and give any real hope of serious defence systems. We can have £30+ billion of tax cuts too!
January 21, 2026
We all agree with you over Chagos LL. But you’re very quiet on Trump over Greenland which is madness (Trump on Greenland – not you!).
And frankly I think Trump is breeding socialism and pro EU sentiment here in the UK (and elsewhere).
Yesterday my ultra Brexiter brother-in-law said Europe now needs to draw closer together so it’s not alone in the world against USA, China and others. And where he was once a strong supporter of Trump, now thinks Trump is nuts. If a strongly right-wing City-of-London boy like my b-in-law thinks this what does rest of population think?
Reply I set out a solution to the Greenland issues here and on GB News. It starts with a referendum for Greenlanders to end Danish colonial rule and to negotiate a decent trade, investment and defence deal with US.
January 21, 2026
No sir! That’s falling into Trump’s narrative.
Greenland belongs to Denmark. End of. And supporting Trump weakens support for Brexit and so risks us returning to EU (and also breeds socialism back here in UK giving a lifeline to Labour). I’m a fan of yours sir but not on this! Best
January 21, 2026
‘negotiate a decent trade, investment and defence deal with US’ – apologies, didn’t see that bit. But even so I don’t think Trump should be rewarded in any way for his aggression – Greenland. He’s over-stepped a boundary. Big red flag.
Reply I have deleted your other submissions. Personal abuse of leading figures and parallels to the Nazis are not welcome on this site which discusses government policies and impacts.
January 21, 2026
Apologies. But I’m not attacking Trump personally but his role in politics in which he is ultimately a threat to our country – not a friend nor an ally or even someone neutral. He is a not friend – nor an ally. And we need to stand up to threats like him to our country.
Lastly, the vast majority of Conservatives and Reform supporters I know think the same about Trump.
January 20, 2026
The problem with Robert Jenrick is was his Damascene conversion from lefty Cameronite, fan of net zero, expensive unreliable energy, a big state, tax to death, open door to immigration, pro red tape and pro EU views – to fairly sensible realist genuine? He did at least read history and not PPE I suppose which is a little better I suppose!
January 20, 2026
Your obsession with PPE is insulting, how does being a property developer qualify you any better looking at the interminable lists you churn out with no solutions?
January 20, 2026
My background is maths, physics, later electronics, aerospace, property, building materials… so a reasonably wide spectrum. Take a look at the list of PPE graduates in politics on wiki. I can only find about 5 that are sound in my view and even two of those are a bit borderline!
Reply Glad to see in your own case you learned things after your first degree. So why do you think everyone else is determined by 3 years at university?
January 20, 2026
To reply:-
They are obviously not fully deternined, but the A levels and degree they choose does tend to indicate different types of mind, thinking and interests. I was fairly hopeless at foreign languages and still am. Similarly if you are not any good at football or any sport by the age of about 9 you will almost certainly never be very good.
Many types of intelligence Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic… some are good at some and not at others some and ofter not remotely interested either.
Thus we get “intelligent” civil servante saying on government web sites that cycling and walking produces not CO2 per mile direct or indirect and some really do think that switching home heating to heatpumps driven by “renewables” and vast grid investment is a sane plan when others can see in a few minutes the policy is insane and the many reasons why!
Reply I studied history at university. I have spent all my adult years studying economic policy, business management,the UK public sector and investment. You can learn very different things and develop new skills afterleaving university.
January 20, 2026
Many people are rather proud of their ignorance and inability at maths and science and usually no intention of changing. Some even seem to end up high up in the climate change committee or UK energy.
January 20, 2026
Maths teachers were often like this in my experience. On the other hand, I was lucky enough to have a competent one, who knew his stuff(PhD) and could communicate it well enough that the class took the exams early.
The downside was he was highly opinionated and you have to concentrate during maths lessons. It is not a subject you can swot up on at the last minute. So we heard of his dislike of long hair, the boy scouts, cricket, architects and most foreigners – but particularly Germans( he was in bomber command and was shot down and spent time in a POW camp).
I could imagine Lifelogic as a maths teacher. I could imagine him regaling the class about arts degrees, COVID issues, Net Zero, financial waste and drains etc etc.
I could also imagine him in his local pub holding forth to visitors.
January 20, 2026
PPE has a track record of producing low quality people who think they know better than everyone else. At least if you study a proper science subject you get a good feel for your own limitations, and what good really looks like.
January 20, 2026
Perhaps the types of people drawn to the subject rather than the course itself?
January 20, 2026
@Nigl – me being sarcastic, how does the situation that some universities have now dropped the need for maths for those that want to study economics. Logic dictates if you cant add and subtract, i.e. balance the books you shouldn’t be working for the Treasury dept.
January 20, 2026
@Nigl
Insulting to whom?
January 20, 2026
Jenrick held daft Cameronite LibDim views even at age 40. At least for Truss she was only a PPE undergrad. when she foolishly held these views.
Trump cites UK’s ‘stupidity’ over Chagos Islands as reason to take over Greenland. US president says that Britain’s decision to cede islands to Mauritius is ‘act of total weakness’.
Hopefully this Starmer/Lammy total insanity can still be stopped? Why did Trump not react earlier?
January 20, 2026
This sounds like a uni grad, brainwashed with a particular ideology which forms your opinion. It still goes on especially with PPE except these days it is all lefty propaganda they come out of uni with and hence you don’t like it, but you were the same once on the other side and refuse to see any other. You are of course welcome to your views, but we get them endlessly, day after day, year after year. I don’t read many of your posts anymore for this reason.
January 20, 2026
Have you really not figured out Trump yet?
He’s the ultimate in untrustworthy politicians and a classic schoolyard bully. He’s your best buddy as long as you are flattering him, but the moment you disagree with him or stand up to him, he turns on you. He’s a classic narcissist. Look at the note that he sent to the Norwegian PM.
Meanwhile, he’s invited Putin to be on his Gaza “board of peace”. A $1 billion “joining fee” payable to an account controlled by Trump on a body that Putin will also be a part of. Could it look any more suspicious? Will it be the same account that the Venezuelan oil money is going in to? (I note that Greenland is proving to be a useful distraction for Trump from the US administration’s plundering of Venezuela’s natural resources.)
One can only hope that what he’s doing re. Greenland will prove to be his undoing at home. A sizeable majority of US voters, including a majority of Republicans are opposed to what he’s up to. He seems to be in a hurry to get certains things done ahead of the mid-terms. I wonder why.
January 20, 2026
Well his is right on the climate hoax, right on Chagos, right on free speech, right on cheap reliable energy, right on sensible border controls, entertaining – plus you do have to admire his general & self effacing modesty!
January 21, 2026
Which Trump position is right on Chagos? The current one or the one put out in Marco Rubio’s press release of May 22nd last year showing full support for the UK government position?
Trump is, like Boris Johnson was, a shopping trolley/weather vane whose direction changes like the wind. He has no principles beyond the personal enrichment of Donald Trump.
As for entertaining, no, he’s a scary liability and a threat to 80 years of western peace and is driving western allies into the hands of China while dancing to Putin’s tune. I can only hope that the western world survives his presidency without a major war (caused and/or enabled by Trump) breaking out.
He is also certainly no lover of free speech. To apply for a US visa, you are now required to provide the US authorities with full access to 5 years of social media history. This policy was introduced last summer.
Freedom in the US is under threat with masked ICE agents going round demanding “papers please”. People there are now scared to go out without carrying ID.
January 20, 2026
Andrew Rossindale? said today that the Foreign Office had been trying to hand Chagos to Mauritius under Conservative and Labour governments. This ministry seems to be full of people who think they are working for Foreign governments. It needs to be purged.
Reply Yes FCO officials were doing that. David Cameron put a stop to negotiations. Kemi Badenoch made it policy to oppose any give away.
January 20, 2026
Are they being bribed to do this deal on top of their large civil servant salaries and pensions or are they working for these Foreign Governments pro-bono for other reasons? If so what are these reasons?
January 20, 2026
Not really. He’s a careerist. Follows the main chance or he’d have jumped far sooner.
January 20, 2026
The biggest contradiction for Nigel Farage is that he cannot be sacked as leader of his party.
In this he is unique, so demanding elections for others, councillors etc., does not lie in his mouth.
Farage found a lot that he liked in the EU. No least the ‘job security’ of those who constitute the Commission.
January 20, 2026
Probably why they’ve been accepted. Can’t overrule the boss.
January 20, 2026
@Lynn Atkinson – is that really such a big deal when you look at the alternatives offered by other party’s? Dumb & dummer is not really much of a choice
January 20, 2026
Yes it’s HUGE!
Imagine if May owned the Tories. She would have sacked the Spartans and we would have been under the heel of the EU with no voice.
January 20, 2026
‘Job security in the EU and thing to like about the EU’.’ There can be no bigger example of this than the Kinnock family. They seemed to do pretty well out of it.
January 20, 2026
At least Glynis was elected and could be sacked. Imagine if Kinnock owned the Labour Party. He would sack anyone who disagreed with him, including whole Constituency Associations – as Farage does!
January 20, 2026
Some here don’t see much farther than the tip of their nose …
January 20, 2026
‘ The public want their politicians to have principles, to say what they mean and do what they say. ’
“These are my principles – and if you don’t like them I have others!” Groucho Marx.
Delaying council elections involves more politicians than single MPs not holding a by election. It also helps a failing government lessen the impact of a backlash from voters.
Both Zahawi and Jenrick are dodgy but personally ambitious types. I don’t know enough about the last chap to switch to Reform
January 20, 2026
@Peter – yup, the bulk of the 650 MPs keeping up the fight against the people and the nation. Yet tomorrow you will be expected to empower and pay them once more.
January 20, 2026
Rosindell is Brexity and right wing – so a good fit with Reform.
He is a local boy made good, but claimed big expenses (£125000) on a London property while saying he lived at his mother’s house in Romford. Romford is a very easy commute.
He also accepted multiple subsidised trips to Gibraltar.
At 59 he will be eligible for a Freedom pass this year and another term as an MP would bring him close to retirement age.
January 20, 2026
Actually a 60+ Oystercard rather than a Freedom pass. Rosindell will be able to get round London for free but will not qualify for the Elizabeth line to Reading.
January 20, 2026
@Peter – I guess Romford is a bit like Ilford presumed by some to be part of London. The rest of us lament the passing of Essex, Kent, Surrey and Middlesex. Another political choice that was about very personal ego and nothing constructive
January 21, 2026
IB,
Romford is in Zone 6. So Rosindell would be eligible from free travel at 60. I have a pal who lives there.
January 20, 2026
Winston Churchill switched parties twice without resigning for a by election.
‘Anyone can rat, but it takes a certain amount of ingenuity to re-rat.’
January 20, 2026
Tim Bale in the Telegraph:-
Churchill’s defection didn’t kill the Tories. Robert Jenrick’s certainly won’t
The Conservative Party is remarkably resilient. So long as departures for Reform remain a trickle, it will survive.
Well “survive” perhaps, but will it ever gain any power again? Why vote for a party that we know (after 14 years of total dishonesty never delivers as promised? Never even tries to deliver as promised? They are now just another irrelevant centre left party!
January 20, 2026
His ‘rat’ without a by election caused his deselection by the Oldham Conservative Constituency Party.
His ‘re-ran’ happened while he had no seat in the House.
January 20, 2026
My Lord,
There is some sense of rats deserting a sinking ship with the defections however, if I were the Reform Party leader, I would be very wary of accepting lots of members from other parties. The electorate soundly rejected The Conservative Party at the last election and I feel there is a danger of people being sceptical of those that jumped ship. Why would people vote for those they’ve already rejected?
I feel the current leader of the Conservatives is starting to find her feet and has started to be more impressive although, she is no Mrs T.
She has an uphill struggle though because, she is presiding over effectively a Conservative Party in name only, just as the Conservative government delivered a Brexit, in name only.
I don’t think I moved away from the Conservative Party, I think the Conservative Party moved away from me and many of it’s core voters.
Politics is at present, in a mess, but hopefully the move amongst the electorate away from the Uni party to Reform is the kick up the backside the PPE political clones needed.
January 20, 2026
Reform should certainly tell Zahawi to shut up about the net zero lunacy and his appalling record as a vast net harm vaccine Tzar!
January 20, 2026
All in reform should be Climate Realists and Vaccine realists (some vaccines do net good others net harm) plus this can be different for different ages, sexes, genetic types etc. Vaccines need to be very safe and effective to do net good overall. This especially when the chance of serious injury (from what you are vaccinating against) has a low risk for your group risk. This as you have then to vaccinate so many for each person saved.
What was the risk from Covid for a young person (who had already had Covid) of suffering any serious injury from another Covid attack? Surely virtually zero (virtually zero for a young person anyway) and yet I personally know of two such people given heart arrhythmias from the Covid Vaccines forced onto them after Covid? What the hell were the MHRA and the government experts playing at? In doing this were they moronic, corrupt or evil?
January 20, 2026
Certainly a lower risk than vaccinating say 5 million people to try to save just one life. This even if the vaccines are relatively safe and actually effective. The Covid vaccines were alas neither! When will they stop hiding the stats! Will a duty of candour perhaps get this released if we ever get this duty into law?
January 20, 2026
Perhaps Boris with his personal experience of hospital intensive care over Covid helped him evaluate his thinking of trying his best to help others avoiding the same fate.
He had to rely upon people far more qualified than himself, or you and me, about the Vaccine efficacy risks and suitability for use.
We can all be wise after the event, thousands have suffered the after affects of getting Covid with and without the injection, many have died, exactly how many have been saved by the vaccine we will never know.
January 20, 2026
My breathing was damaged directly after the AZ ‘vaccine’ was put into an artery by a badly trained nurse. It caused bleeding and I had to be bandaged. The government knew that the European health agency had banned the AZ product 3 months before because of blood clotting but did not inform patients and used up stocks. They have the data but are obfuscation.
January 20, 2026
It was clear before the event no hindsight needed. Young people we not at any significant risk and young people who had already had Covid without any serious effects surely even less at risk!
The problem was either compromised experts or grossly incompetent or corrupt ones. Vast sums of money involved so follow the money. Read the excellent book by Dr Clair Craig Spiked a shop in the dark! It is even fee on Kindle Unlimited trial!
The “safe and effective trials” were very dubious indeed too! Why was Boris “vaccinated” after he had already had it anyway?
January 20, 2026
@ Bershire
Evaluating the Boris thinking from his personal intensive care experience is not a sensible way to evauate the risk/reward or any course of action I blame the so called “experts” more than Boris!
January 20, 2026
@Stred indeed loads of early warning signs with the A/Z vaccines and blood clots but it took far too long to finally withdraw it in the UK. But the mRNA ones seem to be far worse. Perhaps indirectly the A/Z one saved lives by stopping some having an ever more dangerous “vaccine”.
January 20, 2026
The WEF has just published this:
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Sign in
1. COVID-19 was the test of social responsibility
– A huge number of unimaginable restrictions for public health were adopted by billions of citizens across the world. There were numerous examples globally of maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, mass vaccinations and acceptance of contact-tracing applications for public health, which demonstrated the core of individual social responsibility.
So it was a rest to see if they could impose their New World Order and whether we would be obedient.
January 20, 2026
@Cliff.. Wokingham. – correct. Those that called themselves Conservatives, Cameron onwards were anything but. They were embarrassed to be associated, with freedoms, responsibility and democracy, calling themselves ‘Wets’, One Nation – all alternative words for Socialists, Cameron was the son of Blair and all they have served up since is his ‘love children’
In trying to clone Labour that once great party disenfranchised all conservatives, the middle/centre ground of hardworking people have had their nation ripped from under them.
January 20, 2026
One Nation = anti-democratic no nation, big government, high tax socialism!
January 20, 2026
I have a letter from Nigel Farage signed ‘Leader of Brexit’.
Actually he was the leader of The Brexit Party, which as JR points out, made no contribution to obtaining a fair Referendum or resisting concerted efforts of Remainers to completely thwart Brexit.
This is exactly the sly use of words to convey a falsehood that causes normal people to loathe the political class who indulge in this form of deception.
I must point out that many politicians have never deviated from saying what they mean and meaning what they say, inviting constructive criticism and being prepared to change their minds if good argument overturn their initial idea, not least of whom is JR who daily puts his ideas in the public domaine and invites comment.
January 20, 2026
Lynn
Do you really and honestly think Nigel Farage had nothing to do with getting people the vote on Brexit.
No he was not in Government, but his influence and speeches in the European Parliament were viewed and heard over very many years.
Reply We got Brexit thanks to Conservative MPs demanding and voting for a referendum and thanks to the public voting Yes in that referendum. UKIP tried to split the vote in 2015 which could have stopped the Conservatives getting the majority we needed to get the referendum.
January 20, 2026
JR is correct and in addition it was the Leave Campaign that organized the Referendum, of which Farage was not a part. While Tories and Labour and DUP MPs were killing themselves fighting Leviathan, Farage commissioned ‘No Campaign’ merch which all had to be binned when the above named achieved the fair question was was not yes/no.
His speeches are very poor when compared to the speeches of the great anti-Common Market MPs and activists. Many are on the Tube – you should listen to Powell, Ridley, Shore, Castle etc.
January 20, 2026
Reply – Reply
Yes it was John, but many Mps’s were fuelled by their constituents actions after the constant listening and hearing Farage on TV for many years, especially when he was in the European Parliament.
January 20, 2026
Good morning.
Politics is changing and I am surprised that few are seeing it.
As I mentioned here on this here diary after the last GE, we have seen sectarian politics on the UK Mainland for the first time. People are less now likely to vote for a political movement closely aligned to their ways of life (eg Labour for workers) and vote for political parties that identify with their existential needs (eg MASS IMMIGRATION and the environment). We are also, as stated above, seeing those who have come to the UK in the last 50 or so years vote for parties along religious and / or ethnic lines (eg MP’s advocating for an airport in a foreign country). Then we come to Rupert Lowe MP and his more local, Yarmouth First Party which is more parochial and focused on those he represents.
What we are seeing is a fragmentation of British politics and the rise and fall of mainstream political parties much like those on the continent and as described here by our kind host.
These are interesting developments and will have, I believe, an impact going forward. Something to keep an eye on.
January 20, 2026
there’s a big problem in the UK. there is far too little diversity of thought amongst our elected representatives, compared to say the USA. there are lots of big mainstream issues discussed properly in US politics which are not discussed by UK politicians at all. such issues are discussed lots by real people, but politicians refuse to engage. the UK “blob” of senior public sector aparachicks decides way too much behind closed doors without public discussion, and is routinely rubber stamped by the politicians. the quality of UK politicians is way too low, and spectacularly fails to represent the white working classes. I want MP’s to be more independent, I want manifestos to be held to. the problem is not MP’s swapping parties.
January 20, 2026
whether a lot of the apparatchiks are chicks or not I could not possibly comment
January 20, 2026
ig,
‘ there are lots of big mainstream issues discussed properly in US politics which are not discussed by UK politicians at all. ’
No there is not. The big lobbies buy influence in the USA.
Israel is not ‘discussed properly’ at all. You find more discussion in ‘Haaretz’ about Israel than any American politicians.
It is similar in the UK. Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappe never get interviewed, never even get a mention. This despite being eminent Israeli academics now resident in this country. They just don’t fit in with our establishment narrative.
January 20, 2026
Here is why we trust Trump:
““Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ Nato ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US military base, to Mauritius,”
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.””
Etc Ed. quote from Truth Social
January 20, 2026
Sir John, I am sure I speak for many when I congratulate you on your principled stance regarding MPs who cross the floor being obliged to trigger a byelection, to test the support their move has in their constituency.
I also accept it was the Tory decision taken by David Cameron to hold a referendum was key to the UK leaving the EU.
His reasons for putting that referendum commitment in the 2015 election campaign, bearing in mind it was not something he wanted to do, was predicated on there being another hung parliament with the Tories/LibDems in power. That perception of another coalition Parliament enabled Cameron to promise something he never expected he would have to deliver, because the Libdems in coalition would have blocked his referendum promise.
The leaving the EU was not due to a Tory desire it was due to a Tory miscalculation of seats in the election of 2015. The people who voted made sure the LibDems were not going to influence the next parliament and were all but wiped out, giving Cameron his majority surprise and thus, having to deliver the referendum promise.
That outcome was thanks to the UKIP campaign. UKIP were able to influence the national outcome without having any MPs.
That was a serious Political lesson that shocked the establishment and continues to do so. The cancelling of elections for fear of the outcome happening now, is anti democratic at best and sinister at worst, The faux legitimacy of the blocking of democracy must be challenged at every turn.
The people must and will he heard even when the message is not one the political class want to hear.
Reply Wrong. The referendum pledge was secured by a group of Conservative MPs including myself and had nothing to do with UKIP. UKIP tried to stop us delivering it by standing against us.
January 20, 2026
Without UKIP’s huge likely vote I do not believe that the referendum
promise would have been in the Conservative 2015 manifesto Sir john.
Reply That is untrue. I was at the meeting with Cameron to secure the referendum. We Conservative MPs all there did nit demand it because of UKIP
January 21, 2026
You were there and have first hand experience Sir John, but given David Cameron’s u-turn on the Lisbon treaty when he came to power and his capitulation to the EU while PM (and later campaigning to stay in), from the outside it really seemed that the popularity of UKIP was the driving factor.
January 20, 2026
Not so, Sir John, I was part of the UKIP team. The 2015 result was the perfect outcome for UKIP no MPs and a majority for Cameron. That forced him to deliver our demand for a referendum. Forced the establishment to consult the wishes of the British people. UKIP were celebrating the day after the election because our policy was in place.
What ever the result of the referendum UKIP was happy to accept that result because to leave or to remain would have been the choice of a democratic vote by the people.
It was such a pity the remainers failed to accept the result to leave and almost destroyed Parliamentary democracy in their efforts to thwart the outcome. Theresa May will never be forgiven.
Reply UKIP tried to stop Conservatives getting elected by splitting the vote
January 21, 2026
Sorry Sir John, you missed the deeper strategy in play. The removal of the LibDems from any coalition by stimulating the Tory voters to get out and vote, returned a perfect 2015 election result for UKIP and for those of us demanding a referendum on the EU. Thank you and the few others supporting the return of sovereignty to the Nation and to Parliament. We still have some work to do but we are better off than we would have been had we remained locked into the EU.
January 21, 2026
Conservatives are trying to stop Reform get elected at the moment by splitting the vote
January 20, 2026
Does an MP’s commitment to serving their local constituency change if they switch parties? I don’t think so. They should help all constituents regardless of how they might have voted.
January 20, 2026
Constituents have a view on what helps them – higher or lower taxes for example, and express that at election time. So changing parties and being subject to a new Whip make a monumental difference.
January 20, 2026
Two things Sir JR.
“It was Conservative MP votes that secured the referendum and secured the eventual exit from the EU”
There wouldn’t have been enough Conservative MP’s to vote for a referendum, if Farage hadn’t agreed to stand his candidates down in constituences where he may have beaten the Conservative candidate. Cameron only offered the referendum to avoid UKIP/Brexit potential General election wins, creating a hung parliament.
“Trust in in politics and politicians”
All but evaporated now. It was dying under the last government but the shower nominally in charge now have taken lying and manipulating to a whole new level.
Reply No one stood down in the crucial 2015 election to secure the Conservative promise of a referendum. Thus was the key pledge and election result which Cameron rightly honoured.
January 20, 2026
Rightly honoured, but only eventually and under duress. Plus in an act of gross, surely criminal negligence he failed to prepare for a very likely leave vote. Then he (despite having promised not to) abandoned ship like a spoiled petulant child. The dope should have stayed neutral. Also he threw his first election with his lefty, green crap agenda this making us suffer Clegg – plus he ratted in Osborne IHT £1m each promise!
But credit where due he abolished HIP packs except the fool still kept the moronic EPC energy certificates.
January 20, 2026
We are OUT. A million times better position than before!
We fought for DECADES to achieve that, evidence as to the magnitude of the criminal surrender on a lie to Parliament, which should nullify the Parliamentary vote.
Lying to Parliament to get MPs to vote in a way they otherwise would not, is the equivalent of Biden’s ‘auto-pen’.
January 21, 2026
Not for long given the Starmer agenda of dynamic alignment combined with penal “Farage” exit clauses!
January 20, 2026
Do not overlook that Nigel standing down many of his candidates in 2019, which Boris subsequently largely trashed, is why we are where we are. It was then I realised that he was a person of integrity who put the country’s interest first.
Candidate MPs should be there because they support an ideal that they believe is for the good of the country. Parties as such only reflect who owns them at any given time. The conservative and labour movements have enjoyed some distinctly dubious owners for some decades. Which is why Reform carries so mhch credibilty and support.
You are correct in saying that party switchers in Parliament should subject themselves to re-election.
January 20, 2026
You might notice then, that this person of integrity did not stand down himself.
He went to extreme lengths to stop my husband winning the Leadership of UKiP in 1999 because Rodney would NOT have allowed UKIP MEPs to take up their seats. This is the standard that even the political wing of the IRA achieve. Farage wanted the EU money which he enjoyed for 17 years – plus very generous pension now of course.
January 20, 2026
Lynn
He got far more publicity being in place than outside, his speeches (attacks) widely broadcast, made people actually think he’s right, or I agree with that, rather than not just attend which rather defeats to point of standing for membership to be involved.
What is the point of voting for someone who does not turn up to argue their point at a place where the rules are made.
January 21, 2026
Alan he was chosen by the BBC because he was the WEAKEST of those fighting to get Britain out of the EU.
Rod Evans has said above that UKIP (under Farage) would have been happy to remain in the EU – all the6 wanted was a referendum.
That was NOT the UKIP policy under Sked or Holmes.
Farage has no politics, he is a narc and wants money and attention.
He is slap dash and get much wrong, yesterday it was claiming that Trump had vetoed the Chagos giveaway.
January 21, 2026
Ah! …now we see the vitriol writ large. Throw the toys out of the pram why don’t you?
January 20, 2026
Fair enough but what about parties like the Conservatives who stand and get elected on a manifesto and when in power do the exact opposite of what it says ? Using your logic shouldn’t any departure from an election manifesto trigger an automatic general election ?
January 20, 2026
+1
January 20, 2026
I agree on the point of a by election should an elected MP switch party.
Jenrick was a Remain supporter that’s true, but I have read from credible sources that once the Leave decision was made he acted in good faith to honour the decision of the vote. Many didn’t and did all they could to scupper it.
Given the very rapid change to the country and the free fall we are in, perhaps it has given many people in general as well as political circles food for thought, a scare, and they’ve come to realise we need to take drastic measures to avoid hitting the ground. Measures the Conservatives will not take.
I suspect without doubt some joining Reform will be purely making a career move, and some will be settling in ready to do damage to the party and individuals within it.
Someone not telling you their plans in a chance meeting doesn’t prove either of those.
To have politicians continue in a party just because of its long standing brand, when in reality it has morphed into a tribute act to its political rival, is perhaps not want the public wants either. I know I don’t.
A few lone voices just won’t be enough to counter those in the Conservative party who would be quite at home on the Labour front benches.
I think the drop in public trust in the party proves that.
For some it has taken a long while to come to terms with the fact that ‘their party’ isn’t really up to the job but they’ve realised eventually that voting for the brand isn’t going to save them.
January 20, 2026
Good points. I wonder if Jenrick discussed his defection with his own constituency party, perhaps they agree with him.
Defections start slowly and end in a flood; I think Ms Badenoch is going to be sitting with only a few elderly members in the not too long. Note the disdainful comments about Farage and Reform have dried up.
My observation is that he keeps hiring, and then firing, ‘alpha’ members, I hope the recent joiners have taken note.
Will Farage be a success, we don’t know but we do know that Labour, Tory and the dreamers certainly do not have the correct answers.
Reply Newark Conservatives do not agree with Mr Jenrick and gave been badly let down. The Conservatives are producing good well thought through policy to tackle the economy, migration, education and other key issues
January 20, 2026
If Jenrick was told to quit by his local office, then he should have.
It’s always surprising how parties can produce the needed answers – – when out of office….
January 20, 2026
Same old re calling for a by election. It has never happened. If we follow your logic, when an MP loses the Whip, one should be called as they no longer represent the Party.
Trust has gone irrevocably because of the shameless denials on u turns, blind eyes to misdemeanours until the optics get too difficult for the party, naked double standards, refusal ever to accept getting some things wrong, jobs gravy train for political support rather than talent, probably that’s lacking across the board, lack of accountability and reward for failure.
The Tories misrepresented who they were and what they stood for from Cameron and across the political spectrum smearing and looking down on ordinary voters classes as populists.
Smearing Jenrick ignoring the unpalatable truth that he finally realised that the Tories were irretrievably committed to the centre. Matthew Parris in the Times gave the game away,
Two examples in just the last week. Tories started Chagos negotiations, attacked Labour for doing the same and then ordered their Lords to support the Bill.
Steve Reed consistently confirmed local elections should proceed, look what Labour have now done.
Is anyone surprised that politicians are the subject of such enmity?
Reply Full of errors e,g. supported Chagos Bill. No, they tabled and passed a motion condemning the Chagos give away. They could nit have won a vote against 3 rd Reading so won a motion condemning the policy instead Conservatives oppose the give away.The Conservative leadership also opposes delaying Council elections.
January 20, 2026
Don’t know where to start, losing the whip does not mean that you no longer vote in the way you would have done under the whip.
It’s taking a different ship that is the issue.
January 20, 2026
Farage/Reform haven’t made The Rules under which our so-called democracy works (or in practice, doesn’t). They are operating within The Rules which have been made by the Establishment, to suit the Establishment with the intention of keeping one of the Establishment Parties (CON or Labour) in power.
When those Rules don’t suit the Establishment they change them on the hoof, as we are currently seeing with the Local Election cancellation (Labour and CONservative Councils) and as we saw with the imposition of the Covid Tyranny and the refusal to implement the clear result of the EU Referendum (LEAVE …. not to make us semi-detached).
We are told that The Rules mean we elect an individual to (supposedly) represent us, not the Party and definitely not the PM. So the Party in Government can change the PM whenever it suits with absolutely no need for an election. In the case of Jenrick and now Rosindell, the individuals were elected under The Rules which their former Party Leader supported, so why is she complaining?
It seems to me that Sir John is advocating a policy of “heads the Reform Party loses; tails the Establishment Parties win” which sounds suspiciously like sour grapes.
January 20, 2026
Well said. The PM job is far more important than a single MP and the new PM has endless powers once installed, even though it is self evident that when a change occurs they may not be wanted and certainly were not voted for by the electorate. This is an abuse of power and seems to be Buggins turn, just like Blair/Brown and the multiple changes by the Tories. Did Sir John ever object to this? Don’t recall such a thing. Smacks of ‘doesn’t matter if it is the Tories or Labour doing it.’ I know we don’t vote directly for PM, but know who it is going to be, not just a later edition musical chairs at the behest of a party.
Reply I did not try to oust Johnson as he had a clear mandate. I did help oust May as she was not implementing a proper Brexit clearly voted for in the referendum. Boris rightly held an early election to get his own mandate.
January 20, 2026
Truss and Sunak? Three PMs in a row and only one of them with a real mandate from the electorate …and HE destroyed his own Manifesto “promises.”
January 21, 2026
It’s the party that has the mandate on the manifesto it was elected on. If the Pm deviates the PPC has a right to change leader to keep on track.
January 21, 2026
Yes, because The Rules have been made to suit the Establishment and their Established Parties … until they don’t. Which is why Badenough and Sir John are complaining about defections of INDIVIDUALS who were elected to Parliament to represent their Constituents. They did not elect the Party.
Thank you for making my point for me 🙂
January 20, 2026
There are currently 393 political parties registered in the U.K.
it suits THE ELECTORATE to have two so that they can give power to one to implement their manifesto and sack them if they fail to achieve the stated objectives, by electing a different manifesto (generally to achieve the same stated objectives).
The system no longer works because we allowed the Party machines to say who will sit in Parliament by producing a list. Therefore Parliament is not the choice of the People but of the party machines which are in the business of controlling MPs.
Your proposals will dismantle any and all hope of the People retaining ultimate power.
January 21, 2026
I actually agree with you!
January 20, 2026
I agree that when their MP defects side, voters should have the last say on if the MP is to continue in his job. That byelection should happen before the MP can formally switch sides.
Very few people vote for their MP first, Party second. Most MPs who think this about themselves are completely deluded. How many times do we hear “many good MPs lost their jobs” when there’s a big electoral swing?
Of course we could switch completely, and abandon Parties. Then people would stand and fall as individuals. Or we could largely bypass both Parties and MPs by having a Swiss style referendum system. Power over big decisions could be give directly to the people, without the problems of having a “representative” to vote for them.
January 20, 2026
Maybe people vote for the manifesto first, MP second. So if the party that forms the government rolls back on its manifesto promises, are we entitled to have another general election? If a government that changes its mind can stay in power, why not an MP who changes his mind? What about an MP who stays loyal to the manifesto and defects because the party changes its mind. Does he have to submit to a by election?
Personally I vote for the person not the party every time. The manifesto and leader both have a bearing on my decision, but I hold the view a constituency should make its decision and live with it until the next election, just like the country has to when it votes as a whole for a government.
January 20, 2026
You say that ‘Nigel Farage should say if an MP wants to switch from the party that helped elect him to a new party within the same Parliament they should request a by election.’
Was this your view when Reg Prentice defected from Labour to the Tories in 1977?
Reply Yes
January 20, 2026
All good arguments. What can one say. If all MPs were as honest, principled and dedicated to the national interest as you we would not have any need to discuss these issues, Reform would probably not exist, no by-elections would have been cancelled, we would not have lost count of Starmers false promises and u-turns, Islam would not be taking over the UK, and we would not be under continuous invasion by people coming only to rip us off for whatever they can get by legal or illegal means, and there would be no potholes in Wokingham.
January 20, 2026
“Trust in politics and politicians”
The BBC
‘An act of GREAT STUPIDITY’ published at 06:56 Breaking
Here is the latest Truth Social from President Trump on the UK’s Chagos Islands deal:
“Shockingly, our “brilliant” NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.”
Great cost massive stupidity, weakening UK Defence and Security – and we have a ‘Parliament’ that is working for our enemies they are agree to this destruction and for what to weaken the UK and give a handful of UK Lawyers working for a Foreign Power a great pay day. UK taxpayer money that should be funding our defence has to be ‘given’ to enemies of the ‘State’ – you couldn’t make it up.
January 20, 2026
Mad but he, Reeves, Lammy… all clearly are.
January 20, 2026
Labour approves Chinese embassy and risks Trump’s wrath.
This added to the Spurious claims made by No10 and various other people said to be speaking on behalf of the PM that the ‘Law’ means they had to let Chagos Go, BUT what Law? There are no such Laws.
Its about trashing the UK in the next 3 + years to resets it in their own personal image, ensuring it can be wiped of the map, obscurity and poverty
January 20, 2026
I agree that an MP changing parties should then resign and fight for their seat as a member of their new party.
I think Reform have a problem when accepting conservatives who were part of the last unconservative government. It makes them a less attractive proposition.
I think Kemi Badenoch is growing into the job, and with proper conservative MPs behind her, could shock the lefty/liberals in and out of her party by winning the next GE.
January 20, 2026
Can the UK trust Keir Starmer when he claims to have a good relationship with Donald Trump?
Donald Trump has branded the Chagos Islands “surrender” deal an “act of great stupidity” and an “act of total weakness”. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
January 20, 2026
Trump rightly thinks everything Starmer is doing is mad as it is. Chagos, two tier, wide open borders, the war of free-speech, net zero, the wars on motorists, landlords, business…
January 20, 2026
And now Macron, wearing dark glasses because he seems to have walked into a door (we know his wife did not hit him because no woman could have cone such damage) is asking for more Chinese investment … like Carney.
January 20, 2026
The next act of stupidity will be the Chinese embassy approval.
Would not be surprised if Trump stops important and classified communication with the UK.
January 20, 2026
We need reform, we need proportional representation, we need an elected upper house with half the numbers so who’s going to give us that? so then what’s the point in talking?
January 20, 2026
We voted with a supermajority against some of what you propose.
I contest that we need the reverse of what you propose.
January 20, 2026
“The public want their politicians to have principles, to say what they mean and do what they say. Whilst of course it can make sense to change a view on a particular policy or approach when the facts or circumstances change, it is more difficult to convincingly change views on things as fundamental as the desirability of large scale immigration or whether the UK should be an independent self governing country or not.”
Whilst I too am somewhat unconvinced, it does beg the question of whether you would agree that this sentiment should extend to the Conservative party in general – Jenrick’s speech specifically called out the shadow cabinet as either not accepting mistakes were made, or that they did but would not admit it to the public.
January 20, 2026
Every CONservative MP was elected between 2010 – 2024 promising to reduce immigration. In 2019 the Manifesto specifically promised to significantly reduce legal immigration now that the Government actually had the ability to control it. They did the exact opposite.
“Say what they mean and do what they say” was utterly destroyed during the last 14 years … particularly the last 5 years.
January 20, 2026
If Jenrick hadn’t joined Reform but stayed as an independent MP after having the Conservative whip removed should that have also been reason for a by election?
Reply Not necessarily if he said he was sticking to his promises in the election and had been wrongly removed from the whip.
January 20, 2026
Historically, it seems that many MPs have crossed over to another party without the benefit of a by-election. Didn’t Churchill do this? So it seems the laws are not defined on this but from the point of morals and complete honesty perhaps it should be.
It seems that many Tory MPs fear for their seats, with good reason – I certainly would not vote Tory while it has so many wishy washy wets, those that dress on the left but pretend to be conservatives. In he USA they call them RINOs. I’d like to see the Tory party revitalised as a true right of centre party following Thatcher’s examples.
In the UK too many big parties lean too far left. We need to encourage more parties on the right. A little competition for REFORM can only be a good thing.
January 20, 2026
Kind of related to ‘Trust in politics and politicians’: Would you want to be part of the new-fangled Peace Council? Only $1bn entrance fee.
January 20, 2026
Yes I would and would be happy for my taxes to be put to that use. An alternative to the UN is required and fast.
January 20, 2026
I would say that Jenrick is the first Conservative MP of real substance who has gone to Reform, and his Remainer past is irrelevant: it is quite possible for someone to recognise that they made a mistake. I think Reform made one when they welcomed Zahawi.
I do agree with you that it would have been better for both to have submitted to re-election.
It is of course impossible to know what went on in Jenrick’s mind, but my guess from what I have read and heard, is that at the time of your corridor conversation with him, he had not finally made up his mind, and that Mrs Badenoch would have been much better advised to talk to him before she sacked him; at the least, she might have learned something that would have been of use to her.
I am not convinced by Mrs Badenoch. I cannot forget that before the Conservative Leadership Election, when both final candidates were asked for comment by Popular Conservatism, Jenrick took the time to give a full and considered response with his views, but Mrs Badenoch did not bother to reply.
January 20, 2026
I would be happier if Farage hadn’t accepted Zahawi or Johnson Fan-Girl, Dorries.
Whilst I can see some attraction re Zahawi (supported LEAVE; successful business background; competence in Ministerial delivery, the fact that it was competence organising the Covid jab delivery is a huge negative) …. I can’t see any real benefit Dorries brought with her.
January 20, 2026
I see Companies House is increasing its fees yet again.
More unavoidable cost for Companies.
January 20, 2026
Of course Mr. Jenrick should call a by-election but they almost never do. When Shaun Woodward defected from the Conservatives to Labour in 1999 he did not and he then even moved to a safer Labour constituency for the next GE. But would the constituents of Robert Jenrick’s constituency end up with the MP or party they wanted in what would be a highly unusual and toxic by-election? In theory, judging by the results of the last GE, this by-election should be won by a party considered to be on the right of the political spectrum as Conservative and Reform combined had a vote share of 54.7% at the last GE. But with FPTP we do not have an AV type electoral system and with tactical voting it is quite likely that the Labour candidate, who came second with 32.5% of the vote, could garner up all the votes from the Left and win as a result of a split vote on the Right. It is also feasible when hearing the recent views of senior Conservatives such as Parrish and Buckland, as well as knowing that the Conservatives have a history of supporting EU membership, Net Zero and mass immigration, that many Conservative voters themselves will switch to Labour to ensure these policies continue. Although Badenoch may now say that the Party will look to leave the ECHR and repeal Net Zero by 2050 I would expect that if Conservatives ever regained power then Badenoch
would be removed just as both Thatcher and Truss were removed.
Reply Thatcher was PM for more than a decade. Truss chose to resign when she did not have to.
January 20, 2026
Truss didn’t have the confidence of her party ….the knives were out and her back was in clear sight
January 20, 2026
Cancelling elections results in a breakdown in trust within the electorate. Any MP switching party must resign and thus trigger an by election. This requirement should be enshrined in law. The recent Conservative switches are clear examples of this flawed situation and I think it will rebound on Reform UK. It’s all far too cosy, underhand and unprincipled.
January 20, 2026
There are circumstances when an MP loses the whip BECAUSE he sticks to the manifesto promise which the party reneges on.
Maybe the whole party should be subject to by-elections excluding those to stick to their original manifesto?
January 21, 2026
How sensible … 😂
January 20, 2026
I could never understand why we have to alter county lines or merge councils …..just alter the number of politcians therein
January 20, 2026
People vote for an MP not for a party
January 20, 2026
@Kenneth
I’ve had no idea what my MP stands for pre-election other than him/her regurgitating their Party line. After election they have loyally followed their Parties. With one exception, no MP in my constituency over the past 55 years has showed any character and none have diverged from their Party line. They might as well have been sheep with blue or, once only, yellow rosettes. None except for that one exception ever took much interest in what local people wanted. The electorate voted according to rosette colour, they got the man/woman the Party chose, there was no primary in which to select the candidate.
People may mistakenly think they are voting for the candidate. They are voting for the Party aparatchnik.
January 21, 2026
Were you involved in selecting the candidate? If not, why not?
January 21, 2026
Most people have a life and see politics as a waste of time with close to no impact on what happens.
January 20, 2026
Some people vote for a MP, some for a party. ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’.
January 20, 2026
The great thing about Reform is that it identifies in the word the change the UK’s Political structures need to find a way back to being a representative democracy.
While Reform the party could be seen as a means to an end for change, it to has lost its way. Morphing into a home for rejects means they are no longer seen as ‘The Others’, instead are just another faction of the failed Uniparty. The Tories had an opportunity having lost one of the biggest majorities the country has seen by deserting conservative values and principles. Instead of bring forward new blood they pushed for more of the same the old and failed.
I guess at the next election, if there is one, there will be more failures at the helm for the UK Citizen to be punished by, more of the same clueless wits until another 5 years passes. The real question is will the UK ever be allowed to be come a democracy, a sovereign democracy?
We need fresh individuals, warts and all that will start to work with the people to achieve a way forward
January 20, 2026
Listening to Mark Carney Canadian PM is like a breath of fresh air – how did we let him get away – such down to earth well informed common sense.
January 20, 2026
275 ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK yesterday 19th Jan 2026 …
January 20, 2026
Changing party’s wouldn’t and shouldn’t have anything to do with anything if we lived in a Democracy. A party is just a religion, and as such no single party holds all the answers. In a ‘free’ country and democracy we would be permitted to challenges those sometimes tyrannical ideological beliefs. We would also be permitted the elections that become as the referenda of any direction being taken on a formal regular basis. Parliament and its incumbents should not able to make that (election) decision, their ego thwarts democracy
But then again if an MP represented a constituency first and not a religion, if they were selected and funded by those they wish to represent, this discussion would be totally benign. In a democracy the MP would be voting in support of their constituents and the country before considerations of the views of a political religion, they would be ‘who they are’ not someone else’s clone, puppet, plaything.
Political party’s’ are the death bell of democracy, they are just bully boy gangs using tyranny to impose personal views of a leader who is never fit for purpose. View the World, 197 Nations, how have many leaders are there not just working for themselves before the interest of their people and their Nation?
January 21, 2026
It is more akin to a cult, since most membership have no idea what the truth is, nor what lies in store for its supporters, blindly casting a vote because family always have.
January 20, 2026
Weirdly if Jenrick, was a Democrat, a good constituency MP he would call an election.
Judging by the interviews of his constituents shown in the media he would win by such a landside it would put the fear of……. up all those detractors on what is yet to come
January 20, 2026
The people who elect think differently.
January 20, 2026
I read with interest the view that MPs are voted for as individuals rather than political party representatives. Clearly not accurate as the voting papers denote the party they represent but don’t detail their CV.
If an MP changes their affiliation then it should be automatic that a by election is held.
January 21, 2026
People should be involved in selecting their candidate and ensuring they have a competent MP, because if you run into trouble and need support, the only person you can apply to is your own MP. You can’t appeal to the winning or losing Party.
I canvassed in a seat where ten traditional politics was going to lose nationally. My winning argument was that we needed THIS PERSON whether on the governing or opposition benches. We held the seat. The PERSON won even though his party was out of favour.
Perhaps this misunderstanding is the reason we return such poor parliaments?
January 20, 2026
I’d suggest that a government usually losers its trust and way circa year four/five ….but this government has managed to achieve it in just 18 months ….just watching the HoC debate tonight on the Chagos Islands; utterly shameful
January 20, 2026
The so called good and great of the World gather in Davos to secretly shape the future of the minions – ‘
The World Economic Forum (WEF), the Swiss think tank that hosts the summit, says a record 400 “top political leaders” are registered to attend – including 65 presidents and prime ministers.
There are also almost 850 chief executives or chairmen from the top drawer of multinational corporations. That ncluded Sir David Beckham, who was interviewed at the World Economic Forum in Davos
January 21, 2026
David Beckham…wow …so big-hitters do attend. It would be so informative to hear his views on reseting the world’s living standards, globalisation, and Climate Crisis.
January 22, 2026
I was an Independent (Residents) Borough Councillor for 4 years elected on my own merits. It is annoying to see people become elected for a specific political party who most people vote for and not the individual. When you stand as yourself with your own views it is difficult. You use your own money and have little support in volunteers even with people waving you on. No one is an Independent if they have not done it alone or with a few other minded individuals and people should stand for themselves if they want to change parties or be elected on their own merit. Once you are elected, if you get that far, you have to fight off the other politically elected people who all have it in for you for taking one of their seats. Politics is a vicious game which only those committed to their principles should enter if they are not going to go with the main parties. Not many of us about either.