'Something amazing is happening to Gen Z' – Is Reform UK winning the 'brother vote'? | political news

Fireworks, fireworks, balloons – Reform UK's conferences were unlike any other. Last September, Nigel Farage's party used its annual gathering to emphasize its message that it offers something different.

Images of party leaders flashed on screens throughout the NEC in Birmingham. When it was time for Mr Farage to speak, delegates gathered to hear him speak. As he took the stage, a long video montage of his life played behind him, set to music.

The packed crowd of nearly 4,000 members had the usual white-haired supporters, but there were also a surprising number of young white men sprinkled among them.

Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

2:22 Meet young reform voters

After the Reform Party leader's surprise return to frontline politics, he became more focused on anti-establishment rhetoric. His mantra is that the political elite do not want Nigel Farage to succeed.

The problem facing UK reform is that it now has five MPs sitting on the green bench right next to the body they oppose. The next task is to professionalize the party and expand its base beyond the cult of Nigel.

Mr Farage's conference speech had a serious message. It was time for the reforms to “grow up” and think about long-term planning. Looking around the room, it seemed like the future of parties had already arrived.

YouGov's post-election analysis found that the Reform Party was the third most popular party among men aged 50 to 64, although most of its supporters were still older white men. This is one point behind the Conservatives.

However, there are signs of growing support among younger age groups, including among young men aged 18 to 24, with Reform being the third most popular choice alongside the Greens.

For Gen Z women, it was the least popular option, along with the Tories. However, the age group with the largest gender gap was 16-17 years old.

Surprisingly, a poll conducted by JL Partners during the week of the general election found Mr Farage's party was as popular as Labor among young men in that age group. The contrast with the young women in that group is stark. UK reform lags far behind Labor and the Greens.

Image: British Reform Party leader Nigel Farage speaks at the party's annual conference. Photo:PA

So how can a political party, where the average age of its members is 60, win over young voters?

Gen-Z skewing popularity of social platforms like TikTok is part of the answer. Reform quickly connected with the young audience there, gaining 308,100 followers. That's more than any other major party, just ahead of Labor at 233,100.

Mr Farage's personal TikTok now has more than a million followers, a fact he announced at a press conference last week that the party's membership had reached 100,000.

He also analyzed how old his social media followers are. “We get tens of millions of views every month. Two-thirds of them are under 35. Half of them are under 25. Amazing things are happening with Gen-Z,” he said.

And it's not just TikTok. Crowdtangle's analysis shows that Reform UK had by far the highest number of social media page interactions across all platforms during the election period.

Among its young followers are right-wing political influencers such as Nicholas Lissack.

Image: Nicholas Lissack is a right-wing influencer.

Nick, a stylishly dressed, right-wing student, was surprised when his first TikTok video supporting reforms ahead of the 2024 general election went viral. In a video watched nearly four million times in 24 hours, he urged other first-time voters to follow his example and support reform in the UK.

A week later, Nick met his “political hero”, Mr Farage, backstage at a pre-election Reform Britain rally. In another video, he called their conversation 'beautiful' and said they discussed politics as well as the 'outrageous' prices of pints and golf.

He describes his videos as “short, quick, energetic… looks like he's having a good time.” The title is also simple. A quick glance at his TikTok page presents two-minute videos with titles such as Labor Hates Us, Is Reform UK Fascist? Notting Hill Carnival banned. That energy has also spread to X/Twitter, where it now has tens of thousands of followers.

But he admits that not all of his colleagues share his views.

“I lost a few friends over this, but I gained 40,000 Twitter followers during that time.”

Since we spoke, he's won another 10,000.

Image: Nick goes viral and meets his reform 'heroes'.

So what about women?

Reform UK was proud of the fact that it was able to field a candidate for almost every seat.

But less than a fifth of the candidates were women, according to campaign group 50:50 Congress. Five white men were elected to parliament in seats the party deemed winnable: Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock.

Controversially, this year Mr Farage told Sky News that self-described misogynist Andrew Tate had been “an important voice for men”.

Tate is currently banned from YouTube for violating its hate speech rules. He was also banned from Facebook and described as a “dangerous individual” on Meta. He has also been accused of rape, human trafficking and organized crime, charges he denies.

Nick's openness about his political views helped his videos reach a wide audience. He attributes his success to men who feel “increasingly disenfranchised” in the wake of “fourth wave feminism.”

“Reforms offer an interesting alternative because they don't discriminate. Young men are attracted to it because they see it as an opportunity to enter politics,” he said.

Image: George Finch founded the online magazine The New Reformer.

Another new voice in the right-wing political space is George Finch. He enjoyed similar success to Nick over the summer when he produced a video supporting Mr Farage's party. Since then, he has started The New Reformer, an online magazine “by reformers, for reformers.” The articles have provocative titles such as “Project 2029 – Dismantling the Woke Nation” and “Since when is being British divisive?”

He believes the party has no problem attracting female voters.

“It is wrong to say that women will be marginalized because of the reform. If you think it is a problem, we will be reviewing it at headquarters.”

Image: George said he did not think the party would have a problem attracting women.

Will it work?

“There was something about TikTok that was conducive to reform,” said Dr Jilly Kay, senior lecturer in communications and media at Loughborough University. “Nigel Farage’s performance and the way he connects with people has worked effectively. We are seeing an increase in support among young male voters.”

But she also thinks reforms could tap into something more fundamental and provide clarity to voters who are adrift after a period of unstable politics.

“As young people, you’re told you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Farage is trying to give that permission,” explains Dr. Kay. “[Reform UK] “The freedom and power that people like Farage claim are being denied to men and boys.”

READ MORE:Call for stronger action on mobile phones for teenagers Louise Haigh's stolen phone photos 'taken for alleged theft'

But other experts warn that this surge in support among young people may be overblown.

Dr Stuart Fox, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Exeter, said: “Reforms undoubtedly have a distinct appeal among some younger voters, particularly those from poorer backgrounds and who are unlikely to have attended university.” .

However, according to Dr Fox, Reform UK is much less popular among young voters overall than parties such as the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour. He also points to the challenges of engaging certain young people who are most likely to support them.

“The young people to whom reforms appeal most – those from poor backgrounds – are the least likely to vote. Harnessing the appeal of reforms to those voters in elections will be a real challenge.”

The first sign of whether the so-called 'brother vote' can actually be used will appear in next year's local elections. This will be a key test for the party and, if successful, will raise its ambitions.

Reform UK wants to secure its own future and challenge the Tories' position as the main right-wing group in British politics, as well as eventually becoming the country's ruling party.

Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker and may use cookies and other technologies. To display this content we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the button below to enable Spreaker cookies or modify your preferences to only allow these cookies once. You can change your settings at any time through your privacy options. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm whether you have consented to Spreaker cookies. To view this content, you can use the button below to accept Spreaker cookies for this session only. Enable cookies Allow cookies only once

Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam's in your podcast app

In response, Reform UK said: “Reform UK has all the momentum in British politics, as evidenced by a surge in support from young voters.

“We have now surpassed 100,000 members and the opinion polls continue to rise. Young people are recognizing that the Conservatives and Labor have failed and that Britain needs reform.

“We will use this momentum ahead of next May and future elections to deliver real change for young people.”

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.BizWebsite: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos