I don't disagree with the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs, but if 'Blue Labour' are just going to go down the route of chasing Reform policies, then we'll end up with three parties swerving off to the Reform territory, which mainly benefit Reform, as we've just witnessed.
I think the political landscape has become too complex to reduce people into a small number of narrow stereotypes. What is apparent is that people are angry for all kinds of reason. They are angry with the Tories, they are angry with Labour, and they'll switch their votes elsewhere, especially in local elections. Local elections are traditionally the thermometer of public opinion, and are traditionally low turn out elections where only about 30% of people turn out, typically those with the strongest, angriest, most passionately held views turn out. Local election results do not necessarily translate into general election results.
Obviously Reform did very well, that would be true if they only received a tenth of the support that they did being as they were starting from zero. But Reform were not the only success stories, the Lib Dems also did well, as did the Greens.
The inverse law also applies. Surveys have clearly shown that the party that is seen as the most favourable to the electorate is the one they don't vote for.
Two things are at play here, but both fear-based issues. The FPTP system causes people to vote for the one of the big two to defeat the one they fear the most. People have been trained by manipulation to turn out not to vote for their own best interests but against the interests of a minority they've been taught to fear, and even to hate.
