Click here for information on ReformUK Watford 2024 General Election Campaign
We Can’t Go On Like This...
The UK’s two-party system is broken and has become unworkable. The Tory Party is too broad a church and has become ungovernable. How can one party accommodate the Liberal Democrat politics of Theresa May and the Libertarian policies of Liz Truss?
How can another main party accommodate the revolutionary socialist politics of supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and the corporatist politics of Kier Starmer? The behind locked doors ructions in the Conservative Government and the Labour Party should be out in the open, as part of transparent coalition talks, with parliamentarians elected under proportional representation.
We are over-governed. Key UK institutions need reform. Undemocratic House of Lords, too many Members of Parliament, too many local councillors and Regional QUANGOS and a civil service too woke to be operational effective and not fit for purpose.
Legal migration is essential to UK economic growth, and we should delight in our communities’ differences. But our ineffectual Home Office civil service and Border Force is failing to control illegal immigration at UK ports of entry. We need to push boats back in the English Channel, deport those claiming asylum immediately where they are from members of EU or EU applicant states.
We should immediately be processing non-European migrants with a view to a 30-day decision on accepting asylum cases.
The UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights and return illegals to either their country of origin or the safe country they left to come here.
To beat inflation, we must become a low tax, smartly regulated, high growth economy. Faster growth is the only way to better wages and more tax revenues to invest in better healthcare and other public services. ReformUK's bold economic vision frees up over 6 million people from paying income tax and frees up over 1.2 million small businesses/self-employed from paying corporation tax.
JOIN REFORMUK WATFORD TODAY
The UK’s two-party system is broken and has become unworkable. The Tory Party is too broad a church and has become ungovernable. How can one party accommodate the Liberal Democrat politics of Theresa May and the Libertarian policies of Liz Truss?
How can another main party accommodate the revolutionary socialist politics of supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and the corporatist politics of Kier Starmer? The behind locked doors ructions in the Conservative Government and the Labour Party should be out in the open, as part of transparent coalition talks, with parliamentarians elected under proportional representation.
We are over-governed. Key UK institutions need reform. Undemocratic House of Lords, too many Members of Parliament, too many local councillors and Regional QUANGOS and a civil service too woke to be operational effective and not fit for purpose.
Legal migration is essential to UK economic growth, and we should delight in our communities’ differences. But our ineffectual Home Office civil service and Border Force is failing to control illegal immigration at UK ports of entry. We need to push boats back in the English Channel, deport those claiming asylum immediately where they are from members of EU or EU applicant states.
We should immediately be processing non-European migrants with a view to a 30-day decision on accepting asylum cases.
The UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights and return illegals to either their country of origin or the safe country they left to come here.
To beat inflation, we must become a low tax, smartly regulated, high growth economy. Faster growth is the only way to better wages and more tax revenues to invest in better healthcare and other public services. ReformUK's bold economic vision frees up over 6 million people from paying income tax and frees up over 1.2 million small businesses/self-employed from paying corporation tax.
JOIN REFORMUK WATFORD TODAY
ReformUK Watford has Political Momentum
February 2024 Newsletter. How do you measure political momentum? I can't say I know for sure and I've been in this politics business for 45 years. Political opinion polling is one way. And on this measure, ReformUK is doing pretty well as a start-up party. We recently hit 14% nationally in one recent poll. Pretty amazing since we didn't exist at the last election.
The three upcoming by-elections in Kingswood, Wellingborough (15 February) and Rochdale (29 February) will also be an important test. We have candidates with considerable political experience (two former MEPs and ex-MP) and a lot of energy in all of these seats. Wellingborough is within striking distance of Watford and a few of us from the Town have been campaigning for Ben Habib (photo).
Our Leader Richard Tice has bootstrapped ReformUK since 2019 putting in his money, time and energy to keep us afloat and grow. I can't express how much I admire the man. Is he as polished a politician as, say, Nigel Farage? Of course not. But Nigel has been honing his campaigning skills for 25 years. Many of these as a party leader under siege.
One sure way I've found to understand political momentum is to hit the streets campaigning. As one of the leaders of Watford Leave during #EURef2016, I observed the ebbs and flows of the Brexit campaign in our constituency. From having Sunderland away fans come to our Brexit street stalls on a football visit and say that Leave had massive majority support in their City, to the depressing effects of the terrible political assassination of Jo Cox MP on Leave's momentum. As a result of the time campaigning, a few people close to me decided I was a political guru when I penned a blog piece predicting the Watford result 48 hours in advance. Click here.
When they put bets on my prediction for the 2016 US Election they lost their money. What's the moral of the story? You have to be in it to win it. I was closely attuned to the streets of Watford for the Referendum, but a useless far away observer of US presidential politics in 2016.
The three upcoming by-elections in Kingswood, Wellingborough (15 February) and Rochdale (29 February) will also be an important test. We have candidates with considerable political experience (two former MEPs and ex-MP) and a lot of energy in all of these seats. Wellingborough is within striking distance of Watford and a few of us from the Town have been campaigning for Ben Habib (photo).
Our Leader Richard Tice has bootstrapped ReformUK since 2019 putting in his money, time and energy to keep us afloat and grow. I can't express how much I admire the man. Is he as polished a politician as, say, Nigel Farage? Of course not. But Nigel has been honing his campaigning skills for 25 years. Many of these as a party leader under siege.
One sure way I've found to understand political momentum is to hit the streets campaigning. As one of the leaders of Watford Leave during #EURef2016, I observed the ebbs and flows of the Brexit campaign in our constituency. From having Sunderland away fans come to our Brexit street stalls on a football visit and say that Leave had massive majority support in their City, to the depressing effects of the terrible political assassination of Jo Cox MP on Leave's momentum. As a result of the time campaigning, a few people close to me decided I was a political guru when I penned a blog piece predicting the Watford result 48 hours in advance. Click here.
When they put bets on my prediction for the 2016 US Election they lost their money. What's the moral of the story? You have to be in it to win it. I was closely attuned to the streets of Watford for the Referendum, but a useless far away observer of US presidential politics in 2016.
So when I say that my political antennae are telling me that the national opinion polls showing ReformUK on a burst have merit, it's because I put myself about in Watford. Maybe not 14% here yet. But certainly on our way.
It's not just me either. My colleague John Dowdle, ReformUK's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in St Albans has been working to uncover the true cost of almost-bankrupt Hertfordshire County Council's policy to roll out 20-mile-an-hour traffic zones across the county.
They're literally going for broke....it's £2.3 million! If you think this is a waste of money sign John's petition here: Stop 20 mph zones roll-out in Herts https://democracy.hertfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay...
Please contact me if you wish to help ReformUK win Watford at #GE2024. Money, legs and council candidates are what we require most.
Yours-in-struggle
Gary Ling
Prospective Parliamentary candidate
ReformUK Watford
It's not just me either. My colleague John Dowdle, ReformUK's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in St Albans has been working to uncover the true cost of almost-bankrupt Hertfordshire County Council's policy to roll out 20-mile-an-hour traffic zones across the county.
They're literally going for broke....it's £2.3 million! If you think this is a waste of money sign John's petition here: Stop 20 mph zones roll-out in Herts https://democracy.hertfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay...
Please contact me if you wish to help ReformUK win Watford at #GE2024. Money, legs and council candidates are what we require most.
Yours-in-struggle
Gary Ling
Prospective Parliamentary candidate
ReformUK Watford
2024 - Momentous Political Year for ReformUK
4 January 2024 - What a great start to the Year for ReformUK. Some of you may have seen Party Leader Richard Tice’s London press conference yesterday (See here: https://t.ly/UltR7 ) where he announced that our Party’s candidate in the upcoming Wellingborough By-election will be Ben Habib, one of Reform’s most effective Front Benchers.
Talking of political candidates, I have recently been upgraded by Party HQ from Watford ReformUK ‘Spokesman’ (or ‘Spokey’ for those offended by the male identification bit) to ‘Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Watford Parliamentary constituency’. So it’s Game on for #GE2024 which the Prime Minister has just announced will be in the Autumn. The Telegraph recently had a ‘scoop’ from its sources in Conservative Central Office (CCO) that the PM had pencilled in Thursday 14 November 2024.
Having been at the butt end of the 1997 CCO campaign (See here: https://t.ly/mrNs4 ), I would take that with a pinch of salt. Disinformation (or ‘Fake News’ in today’s parlance) around the next general election date is to be expected. No matter, I will be ready. Will you?
Talking of political candidates, I have recently been upgraded by Party HQ from Watford ReformUK ‘Spokesman’ (or ‘Spokey’ for those offended by the male identification bit) to ‘Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Watford Parliamentary constituency’. So it’s Game on for #GE2024 which the Prime Minister has just announced will be in the Autumn. The Telegraph recently had a ‘scoop’ from its sources in Conservative Central Office (CCO) that the PM had pencilled in Thursday 14 November 2024.
Having been at the butt end of the 1997 CCO campaign (See here: https://t.ly/mrNs4 ), I would take that with a pinch of salt. Disinformation (or ‘Fake News’ in today’s parlance) around the next general election date is to be expected. No matter, I will be ready. Will you?
One notable thing already in 2024, is that we are getting much more coverage in the broadsheet newspapers. Not just the Telegraph, which has been fair to ReformUK. The Sunday Times and the FT (which drops through my door each day) have picked up on the fact that ReformUK is aiming to stand candidates in all parliamentary seats in England, Wales and Scotland. If we can achieve this (we’re about 100 short at present) it will be quite an achievement. We are nationally polling circa 10%. Pretty good for a start-up political party.
There is also a lot of speculation about Nigel Farage becoming the leader of our Party. I met Richard Tice again recently while campaigning in the Mid-Beds by-election (photo). He's doing a great job and I hope he will lead us into #GE2024.
Having met many of my fellow ReformUK candidates at conferences I am pleased to say that they seem normal people from all walks of life. I have not met a ‘political researcher’ or trade union official among them. Of course, these sinecures are the bedrock of candidates for the Conservative and Labour parties. In Watford, the Labour candidate is a union official, on recent picket lines shutting down trains at Watford Junction.
For my part, I help companies monetise their commercial offerings. This takes me all over the world, from where I can look back and assess how well we are doing as a country and how others see us. A month ago I was in Nigeria (See here: t.ly/JDwiM ). My single visit business visa (tourist visas are almost impossible to get) cost £294 and the company sponsoring me had to pay extra to the authorities in Lagos to push it through. As far as I could tell I was one of only two white people on the plane. Not very welcoming.
Here is a fuller report of those immigration numbers:
There is also a lot of speculation about Nigel Farage becoming the leader of our Party. I met Richard Tice again recently while campaigning in the Mid-Beds by-election (photo). He's doing a great job and I hope he will lead us into #GE2024.
Having met many of my fellow ReformUK candidates at conferences I am pleased to say that they seem normal people from all walks of life. I have not met a ‘political researcher’ or trade union official among them. Of course, these sinecures are the bedrock of candidates for the Conservative and Labour parties. In Watford, the Labour candidate is a union official, on recent picket lines shutting down trains at Watford Junction.
For my part, I help companies monetise their commercial offerings. This takes me all over the world, from where I can look back and assess how well we are doing as a country and how others see us. A month ago I was in Nigeria (See here: t.ly/JDwiM ). My single visit business visa (tourist visas are almost impossible to get) cost £294 and the company sponsoring me had to pay extra to the authorities in Lagos to push it through. As far as I could tell I was one of only two white people on the plane. Not very welcoming.
Here is a fuller report of those immigration numbers:
As you can see, in contrast, 141,000 Nigerians came and settled in the UK according to the latest immigration figures for September 2023. Should the UK have a stricter immigration policy? Of course, it should. This is one of the reasons why I’m a ReformUK candidate. A fairer immigration policy is one of the key public policy reforms we advocate.
Please reply to this email if you wish to help me win Watford at #GE2024. Money, legs and council candidates are what we require most.
Yours-in-struggle
Gary Ling
Watford ReformUK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
Please reply to this email if you wish to help me win Watford at #GE2024. Money, legs and council candidates are what we require most.
Yours-in-struggle
Gary Ling
Watford ReformUK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate