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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Not a great set of results for Reform this week. You can begin to see that slide in the polls feeding through to real results.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Yes, but Reform topped out around 30%. Farage is a divisive figure meaning people love him or loathe him (the majority loathe him). There are very few don't knows clouding the figures, as you get with Davey for example.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

He also wasn't calling for a GE when we had all the complete chaos with his old bosses, Johnson, Truss and Sunak.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Oh, and fun trying to find places to cash travellers cheques.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Travelled all over Central and South America with my Lonely Planets. It was a good starting point, but, as you say, more fun being in place and exploring, getting lost and discovering new things.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Exactly. When you pander to certain interest groups you generally get bad laws. New Zealand canned a similar law because it was unworkable. This law will look very silly and be completely ignored with 5 to 10 years, I guarantee it. We will just laugh at it.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

It's going to be silly in, say, 15 years time when a 34 year old can buy cigarettes but a 33 year old can't. Would a 34 year old man be prosecuted for buying them for his 33 year old wife? Not sure that's a good use of our justice system. It should either be legal for adults or illegal.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

As did many who didn't another 4 years of Labour, after the pervious 13, and didn't want Cameron to take sole charge as he did in 2015.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

One of the best programmes in Radio 4. Essential listening for any anyone who has even a passing interest in what politicians really mean by the words they say.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

It is a sad state of affairs, but given we keep FPTP, I am hoping to see tactical voting on a scale never seen before at the next GE. Maybe some sort of online vote swap pledge across constituencies. Hopefully, no party will get a majority and we can push PR as part of any cross party agreement.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Keep up the good work of keeping Trump in check. The British/Canadian partnership will always be the most reliable Transatlantic special relationship.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Trump clearly needs help with his mental health. I think his cabinet and Congress seriously need to think about invoking the 25th Amendment.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Spot on. There needs to be a vote of confidence so we can see if the Labour MPs still back Starmer. Then, one way or another, the government can focus on governing the country and the Police can get on with their investigations.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

It's alright, as the BBC keep trying to assure us they are impartial, I am pretty sure they will be doing an hour long broadcast next week called Lib Dems: Ready to Rule?, the week after Greens:Ready to Rule?, followed by Conservatives:Ready to Rule?

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Giving him is full title when introducing him would be polite. Majority shareholder and director of Reform 2025 Ltd, Nigel Farage. I can think of some slightly less polite ones, if pushed.

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Reposted by Simon Roche

Ed Davey @eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 22/01/2026

457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan. Trump avoided military service 5 times. How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Sorry I couldn't bring it home for the Lib Dems. Thanks to everybody who has helped over the last few weeks. I take solace in the fact a worthy candidate won, and Reform's bandwagon has been halted for now.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Between May and October, Reform has won 41 By-elections and Lib Dems 26. When you look at Labour's 9, you can see it is us and Reform winning most of them.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Ed is backing democracy. Labour seems to be keen to put it off.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

One correct! Hope your next 5 are.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

I hope you are right on Stapleford South East.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Gullis was a man promoted well above his ability by Liz Truss. Though, those heady 50 days in as Under-Secretary of State for School Standards, make him one of Reform's most accomplished members.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

The BBC has never really found a good, impartial replacement for John Cole as political editor.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

I agree that the death of Ross Bofinger was sad news. The seat may have been held by a Broxtowe Alliance member, but it was won by a Labour member. As we came so close to beating Labour in 2023, we owe it to our voters to offer a choice. Fair play to them if they choose to vote Broxtowe Alliance.

alliance.it

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

The governing party also recently paid the price for their failures in local elections.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Big day in Stapleford South East on 4th Dec! I am trying to stop Reform from gaining a foothold on Broxtowe Borough Council by offering an alternative who actually listens to what local people want. I am hoping to continue the excellent run of Lib Dem results in By-Elections up and down the UK.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

It seems to have always been a problem with the left. They tend to squabble over the smaller nuances that the average voter doesn't really care about. They need to focus on the things that unite them. The far-right does this successfully, albeit in a different way by uniting around common hatreds.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Great to see us take action to improve things rather ignoring Brexit as the biggest cause of our current woes like Labour and the Tories are.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

I think you would have to be madder to have Reform as your second preference than to actually vote Reform in the first place.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Who can not be happy when there's cricket on? Like a ray of summer sunshine on a cold winter's day.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Last year, I wasn't worried when Labour won. I thought we had stopped the rise of the right and things would slowly get better. I am upset with the way we are heading. Even the upcoming budget doesn't bode well. It looks like it will be a mishmash of tax increases here and there, annoying everyone.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Exactly. I know quite a few people who lent their vote to Labour to get the Tories out and keep Reform out. I am not sure they will be doing that next time given Labour's current direction of travel. I think if Starmer and Labour want any part at all in the next government, they need to bring in PR.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

He won't be forgiven by many British people if he allows the BBC to be thrown to the wolves and our money given to Trump. It will be the end of him if he allows destroys our institutions, whatever flaws people perceive they have.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Congratulations on a fantastic result!

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Why else would they have given the World Cup to countries with governments who have terrible human rights records like Russia in 2018, Qatar in 2022, Saudi Arabia in 2034 and USA in 2026?

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Where from? That's a bargain.....if it's from Edinburgh.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Stewart Lee described Chris Philp well on 'Strong Message Here' on R4 last week. Like a dog with a firework tied to his tail, amongst other descriptions.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

It shows that the direction Badenoch is taking the Conservatives in by abandoning their centre-right voters. She isn't picking up new voters, as why would anyone be inclined to vote for a Poundshop version of Reform, when they can vote for the real thing.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Granted I didn't go the Leeds, but at University in the 1990's I would have got involved in politics, but being fairly centrist (even back then), there wasn't much on offer. The active groups on campus were on the far-left or some young Conservatives that still had a strange fetish for Thatcherism.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Reform are having a bad night! 4 Lib Dem wins so far, which is fantastic. Pleased to see Plaid hold off Reform in Caerphilly too. The progressive parties have proved the can hold off the march of the far right.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Let's hope so, and we hear from Rachel Reeves soon about the start of talks with the EU to join a full customs union.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

I get how bad Brexit was as I was part of the fall out. What is done is done, all we can do is look to the future and begin to persuade the EU we can be good partners. The start of that battle is with seeing off the rise of the far right, so we can back to stable politics again.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

I agree, we can't just waltz back in. It is is going to take a long time to rebuild any trust we had. We blew that by voting to make ourselves poorer and more isolated. All we can do is to start that slow rebuilding process now.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

What Labour are doing is the bare minimun to keep things going in targeted area. There is still too much friction at the border, a lot of red tape, no freedom of movement. At the very least we need to join a customs union, at best rejoin the EU. Stop the pretence we can make Brexit work.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Exactly, they have identified the problem and are doing nothing about fixing it. If they don't do something to fix it when they can, in my mind they become just a culpable as the fools who brought us Brexit in the first place.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Because lies cost nothing to make up, proper journalism cost money.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Exactly, there are much cheaper solutions that already exist for the problem the government has outlined and that they say they are trying to solve. So what are real reasons for the government wanting to spend billions on digital ID?

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

I'm not a Labour supporter but I find it extremely misogynistic. Still at least when someone says it, they give me warning about the type of person they really are.

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Simon Roche @simonroche.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

I am not sure it is a widspread problem. 86.5% of the adult population has a passport to prove their right to work and provide ID. You would just need to put a mark on an ID card to prove they had a right to work. If an employer doesn't check ID now, they are unlikely to start if Digital ID begins.

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