By: Councillor Phil Redshaw.
COTTINGHAM – In response to a recent discussion about whether Reform UK could take control of East Riding Council in 2027, East Riding Liberal Democrat councillor Phill Redshaw argues that the party’s flag-waving slogans mask a lack of workable solutions.
Reform UK likes to present itself as the patriotic alternative, draping itself in the St George’s flag and talking endlessly of “us versus them.”
But there is a difference between patriotism and nationalism, and too often Reform confuses the two.
Real patriotism should mean facing up to people’s everyday problems — housing shortages, pressure on the NHS, schools that need support, and the soaring cost of living.
Instead, what we see is flag-waving theatre: plenty of soundbites, little in the way of workable solutions.
On migration, the promise of mass deportations and scrapping hard-won rights may sound tough from a podium, but under scrutiny it collapses.
Such policies are legally fraught, hugely expensive, and would wreak havoc in sectors like health and social care, which depend heavily on migrant workers.
The same applies to climate and energy. Reform talks about tearing up net zero commitments, vilifying renewables, and dusting off fracking fantasies.
The consequences of that approach would be fewer green jobs, more pollution, and even greater reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets — with serious implications for families and businesses across our region.
Then there are the shadows. The party has been bankrolled in part by fossil fuel interests. Figures within it have been linked to pro-Moscow media outlets and have echoed the authoritarian talking points of Trump-style politics, so long as they carry an anti-EU flavour.
Reform promises strength but delivers oversimplification. It substitutes slogans for sober policy. At best it offers theatre; at worst it risks taking our politics into darker territory. Patriotism is about fixing problems, not posing with bunting. And on that measure, Reform falls short.
Cllr Phil Redshaw is the Liberal Democrat spokesman for Environment and Transport at East Riding Council. He is a county councillor for Cottingham North and also sits on ERYC Audit, Environment and Overview & Management Committees. He is a retired International Sales manager.
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And yet the Fib Dems, Liebour and Cons fail to deliver.
The only ones who are worried about the flags are the 3 old, stale parties. Because the people are waking up, and politicians have lied for so long they can not speak the truth on the matter of immigration.