Many Reform UK followers are evangelical in what Reform UK is, and what they believe the party will do for the country. It obviously important for a party to have a loyal following, but it is how those foot soldiers are going on that isn’t always a great look or useful to the party.
In the past being vocally in support of Brexit, UKIP or Reform UK has promoted derogatory comments, aggression, or name calling.
As things have now developed, those same people that were on the receiving end of those comments, are often make similar derogatory comments against those that question Reform UK, Nigel Farage, or any of the main party figures.
That’s not a good look for the party and it’s just not a professional way to go on.
The comments always follow a similar pattern, firstly they will be dismissive of the original content, then they will try and pick it apart. Ironically they will demand a breakdown to justify the original comment, or post, but then argue back with vagueness. That can be arguing back with something they have been told as a truth, but don’t necessarily understand.
Then if that doesn’t work, it’s time to get personal, trawl the original posters public information, and try to discredit and take them down – that should teach them a lesson to never question the party, and is a form of information control, and suppression.
Often they are not comments to just correct an inaccuracy, they are to crush an alternative opinion. It is bizarre that those that are crushing the alternative views were very often those that advocated critical thinking around vaccines, lockdowns, masks etc. It is like the ability to critical think in them has now been removed as they are fully on-board with a new answer to their questions.
For many that does little to endear people to join the party, and it will be one of the reasons the follower count for Reform will cap-out, and cap-out at a figure that may well be below a general election majority.
Within childhood development, there is a known correlation between being bullied, and becoming a bully. There does seem to be a similar correlation with supporters of Reform UK also becoming bullies.
The comments or posts clearly strike to a core value of many that Reform UK can do no wrong. But when a core value us challenged it creates a great deal of internal conflict and stress. That is exactly what happened of course with contradicting a view around the actions taken around Covid.
This obviously doesn’t apply to all people that support Reform UK, but those that do are often vocal and then encourage that take-down of a person who’s views can not be tolerated.
But it isn’t very clever as an approach. If you want to change thinking, then you need to understand why someone thinks differently. As a party and as a strategy being put on the branches, there is a view that dissident views should be crushed.
There is a saying “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” — Stephen R. Covey
If this is a party that claims to be democratising and professionalising, then this needs to change as part of those changes – respect need to be values that come down from the central party.
Tim Cook