Nov
2025
I’m So Bored With the USA: “Each and Everyone“
DIY Investor
18 November 2025
Editorial: Once again we start with my comments: Something that has perhaps been submerged by other events, is Trump’s decision to sue the BBC despite the Corporation making the apology that he insisted upon.
The decision highlights several issues.
Firstly, the trans-Atlantic relationship is broken. This is not how allies treat each other. It serves to endorse that what relationship there was, was based on the US taking, demanding and expecting. As a marriage it was over years ago.
What the government will do is anyone’s guess; I doubt they know either.
As to the opposition, both Tories and Reform have been remarkably quiet on the subject. Deep down both would like to see the BBC done away with in its current format, and Farage is far too smitten with Trump to utter anything that might be construed as critical.
Over in Trumpton, the madness continues. The big story being the “Epstein Files”.
Over in Trumpton, the madness continues. The big story being the “Epstein Files”
Trump campaigned on releasing these and exposing all the miscreants. Once elected he cooled on the idea, as a result he fell-out with long-term supporters such as Majorie-Taylor Greene, however he has now flipped, and is encouraging the House to vote for their release.
Lyrically, we start with “Each and Every One” by Everything but the Girl, which is one of those songs that makes the 80s so memorable. This is dedicated to Reform, their unholy electoral alliance, and something for everyone approach. We end with “I Hate the Rich” by The Dils
I’m So Bored With the USA, 17th November 2025: “Each and Everyone“
“Maybe you should just think twice
I don’t wait around on your advice”
A recent survey by Hope Not Hate laid bare the electoral consensus that Reform have created. In essence it endorses what I wrote in “Fine Words, Good Intentions, But…..”, “Trying to be everything to everyone rarely works”.
Being somewhat contraire I don’t think the coalition is as uncorrelated as the research suggests. I believe that there is two key ideas which unite the coalition.
Firstly, a distrust of the old order, which, in their eyes is fast becoming the “ancient regime”, out-of-time, and in need of replacement.
Secondly, there is immigration, which, in itself, is a very broad church. At one end of the spectrum are those that feel we have taken too many, and at too much cost. At the other end are the racists, who believe that any is too many.
As I wrote in “Populism Explored”, Populism is inherently negative, thriving on being able to criticise and selling cheap, easy solutions. What binds it together is “blame”; the constant need to have something or someone to blame.
In the UK, it was Europe and the EU, post-Brexit the narrative was tweaked to blame the then incumbent government for bungling “leave”. Whilst in opposition, blame can be heaped on the traditional two-main parties for constantly failing. Once in-power Reform can continue this narrative by blaming them for the mess we inherited. Immigration and immigrants can always be used, and then there is the “enemy within”.
In the US we constantly see Trump referring to the “enemy within”. All totalitarian states have this, with neighbours and family often expected to inform on anyone deemed to be a non-believer.
Returning to the report there are some interesting takeaways.
There is the “working right”, comprising 26% of Reform voters. These are described as economically insecure and angry, older working-age voters, who mix pro-worker attitudes with hostility towards immigration. They feel betrayed by elites, see immigrants as competitors for scarce resources and are the most loyal to Reform’s populism. They are an odd mix of being left-wing on economics and right on social issues. They live in towns in the north and east of England, and are worried about getting poorer.
”Farage is little more than reheated Thatcherism with a liberal does of racism added”
Next there are the “hardline conservatives”, who comprise 18% of their voter base. Seen as affluent, older and ideologically right-wing, they are deeply anti-immigrant and socially conservative, opposing workers’ rights, state spending, and climate action. They generally resemble disillusioned Tory loyalists and traditionalists, and clash with the “working right“ on workers’ rights and wages and the NHS.
These are the children of Thatcher, and, as I have written before, Farage is little more than reheated Thatcherism with a liberal does of racism added. To this he has recently added a splash of old Labour. Creating a hybrid of tax cuts and partially re-nationalising water, more manufacturing as well as plans to “bring crypto in from the cold”.
This is something for everyone politics. Recently, he boasted about forming the “most pro-business, pro-entrepreneurship government this country has seen”, he was speaking to his hardline Conservative voters.
Next-up are the “squeezed stewards, who make-up 29%. Described as, anxious, middle-income voters who are hostile to immigration yet care strongly about nature, fairness and local control. Feeling politically ignored, they mix cultural conservatism with environmental concern and want to see improvements on the cost of living.
Then we have the “reluctant reformers”, accounting for 19%. These are the most moderate group, backing Reform out of frustration with mainstream politics rather than conviction. Pragmatic and fairness-driven, they value competence, stability and public services – especially the NHS. They are the most persuadable segment.
Finally, there is “contrarian youth” accounting for 9%. These are predominantly young, diverse and politically volatile, they combine cynicism, conspiracy thinking and flashes of optimism. Many distrust institutions but are open to new ideas, holding socially conservative gender views yet showing more tolerance on race and multiculturalism.
Aside from these voter types there was also some interesting other data.
Demographically, whilst half of the Reform voters surveyed are older than 55, groups such as the reluctant reformers and the contrarian youth skew younger.
Education-wise, only 20% have degree-level qualifications or above, increasing to 40% among the contrarian youth group.
On a socioeconomic basis, a third reported a pre-tax household income of less than £25,000 and half earned between £25,000 and £70,000. Thirteen per cent overall are in the upper income brackets, and this figure rises to 23% in the contrarian youth group.
There is still a north-south divide; “the working right” generally live in poorer towns in northern constituencies, whereas “hardline conservatives” reside in wealthier southern seats.
Racism, immigration call it what you will, isn’t on its own sufficient to win Reform a majority. There is also a sizeable split over the subject
Overall 58% of potential Reform voters see immigration as a key issue, but when you look at closer, only 20% of “contrarian youth” see it as key compared with 77% of “hardline conservatives”.
Whilst Reform voters are easily the most hostile to migrants, for many their number one concern is the cost-of-living. Sixty-five percent of “working right” list it as a top concern, compared with 49% of hardline conservatives, who are more likely to focus on the economy in broader terms.
Other notable contradictions include climate change; whilst a number still think it’s a lie, over 50% agree that “climate change is caused by human activities”. The single biggest group of Reform voters, “squeezed stewards”, are middle-income and care about the environment.
Basically, Reform’s coalition blends economic populists, traditional conservatives and disaffected young voters under one uneasy banner.
‘Reform’s coalition blends economic populists, traditional conservatives and disaffected young voters’
As we get closer to an election, and real policy initiatives are announced perhaps Farage will pick-a-side, or he could just keep making baseless promises. The latter would have more in-common with populism.
Many commentators try to overcomplicate what is happening, and look for something new. This isn’t new; this is an extension of the voter coalition that voted “Leave”. As with then, putting aside a few ideological Eurosceptics, it was a vote against the establishment, the traditional parties that had let them down.
All Farage has done it to exploit populisms inherent negativity, agree with people that it’s all shit, and it’s the fault of Messrs Starmer, Johnson Cameron et al. You could almost say that Farage hasn’t created his electoral base so much as being gifted it by the failure of traditional parties.
This is echoed in the comments of those surveyed:
“The NHS waiting list is still awful … housing crisis not getting any better,” one focus group member says. “I just feel the country was in jeopardy … and Labour hasn’t done anything to get us back on our feet.”
All party leaders are “a load of rubbish”, another focus group member says. “They just spout whatever to get in.”
One of the great ironies of being failed by mainstream politicians, is the fact that for many Reform voters, the real culprit was Thatcher and deindustrialisation.
From the governments perspective, what is there to say?
A PM was swept into power on the back of the what looked like a thumping majority, whereas, it owned much to the peculiarities of our electoral system, and is a fragile majority.
In truth, the government lost its way on day 1 and has never recovered. Change has been replaced by dithering uncertainty.
Flags have become de rigueur for anyone in government, supported by poisonous speeches about an “island of strangers” and a “one-nation experiment in open borders”.
Racism has been embraced, which has helped to normalised it in the eyes of the electorate. A year ago Tommy Robinson’s call for mass deportations was even disowned by Farage, now its Reform policy, Today the government, in what can only be described as misguided desperation, are following the Danish model, promising to crackdown on people applying to remain here.
‘A year ago Tommy Robinson’s call for mass deportations was even disowned by Farage, now it’s Reform policy’
At the heart of all this disquiet is inequality, and an uber rich who carry-on like 18th century aristocrats.
Democracy was supposed to change all off this, improving people’s lives as knowledge spread, leading to an understanding of the world, which, in-turn would drive social progress.
This has now become the past, the uber rich have been able to use their wealth to buy the influence necessary to control the media and guide politicians in their thinking.
For them, democracy is a problem capital is always trying to solve; propaganda is part of the solution, hence the need to own and, or, influence the media. These become platforms for them to project the claims that suit them and suppress the claims that don’t. As a result, the far-right become the beneficiaries, as the movements which defend wealth and power against those who wish to redistribute them.
In the US, there has been a rapid and extreme hardening of this position, as Trump’s allies, old and new, buy legacy media platforms. They are also investing into new media, such as the online shows that now outrank traditional television news. As an example, two fracking billionaires poured $8m into PragerU and $4.7m into the Daily Wire, to extend the reach of these platforms.
Of the world’s 10-most popular online shows, a Yale study shows eight have spread climate science denial. Joe Rogan, who hosts one of the world’s most popular shows, has repeatedly claimed that the Earth is cooling, drawing on research that says the opposite.
‘Of the world’s 10-most popular online shows…eight have spread climate science denial’
An investigation of Elon Musk’s X by Sky News found that every account set up by reporters, “no matter their political orientation, was fed a glut of rightwing content”. Experts believe this pattern could have only come about through an algorithm engineered for this purpose, and that “an algorithmic bias must be decided by senior people at the channel”. In response, X, said it was “dedicated to fostering an open, unbiased public conversation.”
In the UK, the BBC is struggling to understand what is “impartiality”.
One of the Corporations presenters, Evan Davis, was instructed to stop making his own podcast about heat pumps, on the grounds that discussing this technology meant “treading on areas of public controversy”. Why are heat pumps controversial? Because the Energy and Utilities Association, which lobbies for gas appliances, paid a public affairs company to make them so. The company, WPR, boasted that it set out to “spark outrage”.
A victim of this mass lobbying, is climate change, with a number of governments curtailing their activities. In June, a review by the International Panel on the Information Environment found that “inaccurate or misleading narratives” in the media about climate breakdown create “a feedback loop between scientific denialism and political inaction”.
This was recognised at the recent Cop30 climate talks, when the organisation’s president, André Corrêa do Lago, remarked on a “reduction in enthusiasm” among rich nations.
This highlights how successful the uber rich have been in their deliberate and systematic assault on knowledge.
‘I can’t help but feel we are getting the governments we deserve’
There is, of course, the forthcoming budget which might clip the wings of the uber rich. Only, it won’t because lobbyists have convinced the government they will simply live elsewhere.
Back-in-the-day, budgets were closely guarded secrets, known only to the immediate team. Today, they are played out in advance in the media, very little is secret.
However, observing this year’s shenanigans, it appears that the chancellor doesn’t know what’s going to be in her speech, either, as she flip-flops between ideas.
Clive Lewis, the left-wing Labour MP, said: “This isn’t an economic strategy. It’s a stream of conflicting press releases held together by a spreadsheet. It doesn’t build confidence & it cracks the Chancellor’s own austerity-driven fiscal rules.
Despite all of this, I can’t help but feel we are getting the governments we deserve.
Patriotism is a big buzz word currently, over used and abused. In my opinion, neither the public or our politicians know what patriotism means. It should mean a belief in making the UK a good place to live, and the realisation that there needs to be some self-sacrifice from those who have done well to make it thrive.
Instead we have an ageing electorate where too many want to actively rewind the clock to some mythical bygone age or just cash out, taking their pensions and property gains with them…..I’m looking at you, the “working right” and “hardline conservatives”.
“Look at the poor, all they need is money
Look at the poor, no, it ain’t so funny”
@coldwarsteve
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/marjorie-taylor-greene-safety-trump
Philip Gilbert is a city-based corporate financier, and former investment banker.
Philip is a great believer in meritocracy, and in the belief that if you want something enough you can make it happen. These beliefs were formed in his formative years, of the late 1970s and 80s
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