A.V. Deggar

Not sharing the most recent poster as don’t want to contribute to a pile on. But every few weeks someone posts this graph or similar as “evidence” a reform voters are stupid and it’s not just wrong/offensive but also deeply incurious. Some thoughts: On the “wrong/offensive” firstly this is partly just an age effect, mass HE benefits younger people. Secondly degree status clearly doesn’t equal intelligence. But also the idea that Reform voters (and you hear the same about Green voters) haven’t applied rationale thinking to their choice is just nonsense. Many have concluded entirely understandably that the status quo isn’t working and that there is a need to try something new. But secondly the incurious bit strikes me. It’s far easier to write off a voter you disagree with, whether Reform, Green or anything else as stupid/victims of misinformation. But if you’re interested in trying to win people back surely you’re interested in why they’re abandoning the mainstream rather than just dismissing them as wrong . As someone who has the opportunity to spend time every week talking to Reform, Green and many other voters it is clear the primary driver is the sense of a broken social contract, life which feels too much “surviving not living” and disrespect from political class. You can have a very legitimate debate about whether Reform or Green solutions will address that vs established mainstream. Insulting voters intelligence, naivety or rationality isn’t that.