Why People in England are Decent and Fair
Many of us don’t bother watching BBC Question Time, as it’s just on hour of politicians (and unelected media pundits) shouting over at each other, the audience asking vague questions that are never answered. What’s the point?
But in December 2025, something hopeful and interesting happened. An episode was aired from Dover (the town where’ people in boats’ arrive as illegal immigrants, usually exploited by gangs).
Illegal immigration is a serious issue, pretending it’s not is no good either. But there are compassionate solutions to ‘the boats crisis’ devised by experts, but not many in politics and the media are listening.
A Dover Audience Defends an Elderly Gentleman
In this particular episode (which you can find online), Green leader Zack Polanski said that when he got off the train, one Dover resident reassured him that ‘people in Dover were not obsessed with immigration’. They were more concerned with the cost of living, NHS and helping vulnerable people.
Throughout the episode, lies about immigrants perpetuated by others (that they are the reason for all England’s woes’) were respectfully taken down (politely) by both him and Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Goodwin.
Two men who had arrived by boats were in the audience, one asking what would happen to his English-speaking baby in years to come, if he was sent back. ‘Humanising the invaders’ led to Reform UK making an official complaint about ‘planting them’ in the audience.
One woman suggested that people worldwide were normally decent, and if we had a war or natural disaster and fled, other countries would likely help us.
But what really makes your heart warm was this:
An elderly (native British) polite gentle man who had worked for the NHS asked a question to the Reform policy chairman: would someone who had worked for the NHS for years, be ‘sent back home’ when they reached 65?
The panellist responded by saying ‘No, it’s not true – and if you had paid attention, you would not be asking that question’.
The Question Time answer booed. The Labour minister asked him to be polite, because despite the panellists’ difference of opinions, it was important for panellists to be ‘decent’.
This is why England will never become ‘a Trumpian land’. People in England are tolerant and kind, and don’t like arrogant panellists belittling a kind old gentleman for asking a question on a TV political show.
Even if someone votes Reform UK, it’s because they are concerned over immigration and other issues, and feel they are not being listened to.
The same probably happened why Trump was elected, most of whom now regret it, due to mass economic problems, and an almost dictatorship rule.
The average person who votes Reform UK would also be the one who would help an immigrant person being insulted or attacked on the street. This is a decent nation, full of people who look after our older, disabled and vulnerable residents, volunteer for local charities, leave our money to animal shelters, and abhor bullying in both real life and the media.
That’s what this country is, when it’s at its best. It’s thoughtful, it’s considerate and it’s kind. Hateful, divisive politics is on the ballot paper. We can and must reject that. Let’s instead look after each other. Zack Polanski, Green Party leader
What Are the Real Main Concerns of Voters?
If you read a newspaper, listen to the news or hear a soundbite from an MP these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the only issue that most voters are concerned with are people coming here on boats.
Illegal Immigration
People are genuinely concerned over ‘people on boats’, but nearly all of us don’t want people drowning or genuine refugees being refused help.
Safe legal routes are the answers, there are already good solutions from experts who know what they are talking about. But the media and most MPs never talk of this.
The Cost of Living Crisis
This is also a massive issue, as many people even in full-time work often can’t afford to eat or pay the bills including rent and mortgage. Combined these can lead to homelessness.
But there are again solutions. From Basic Incomes (that would enable people to work part-time if they have other responsibilities, without losing benefits) to giving planning permission to local non-profit grocery stores that don’t use or need oil (for pesticides to transport), that would bring the price of food down.
Community solar panels could fund energy, and insulating all older homes would massively bring down energy bills, and also provide warm homes and provide skilled jobs for years to come.
The Climate Crisis
Most people care about the planet. And even those that don’t, are now seeing the results of supporting climate deniers like frequent floods, heatwaves and wildfires. The answer is not just ‘renewable energy’, it’s about creating communities that don’t need as much oil.
Walkable communities, organic food, better public transport to reduce car use, and local eco tourism incentives to reduce flying. Livestock farming is a huge cause of greenhouse gases, so focusing on local organic plant foods could do huge amounts of good, also for public health and animal welfare.
Safe Communities
England is safer than many countries, but we still have big issues from walking down the street, gun and knife crime, domestic abuse, stalking and terrorism.
There are many innovative ideas like designing-out-crime communities, addressing links between animal and human abuse, and knife amnesties (Scotland hardly has any knife crime, due to addressing issues a few years ago).
The NHS
With soaring costs, the answer is obviously in preventive health. Again walking communities, access to good organic plant-based foods (not ‘food deserts’ and out-of-town supermarkets selling cheap junk food).
GP appointments and bed-blocking are issues, but so is lack of vision by town planners – public parks and protecting nature for good physical, mental and spiritual health.
Trust in the Government
This is a major one. In Scandinavia, most people trust MPs (even of different parties). Scandals like the expense fiasco, lies, cheating and Boris Johnson, have all eroded trust. People don’t mind paying taxes, as long as they know they are being used to do good.
Most of the media just fawns over lying MPs (both here and from abroad) instead of genuinely having deep conversations about policy. Who is pitting a climate scientist against Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch. Who is asking Sir Keir Starmer why his government is selling arms to Israel?
Who questions all the main parties on why they are obsessed with economic growth, when progressive countries like Costa Rica and New Zealand instead focus on ‘happiness indexes’ that don’t put GDP as the main barometer of a country’s success?
Unfair Voting Causes Status Quo
If we want alternative politics, we need to have fair voting (like the Single Transferable Vote, which would mean the smaller parties would get a look-in). Not switching is government bullying, determined to keep the status quo of two or three main parties.
We also need fair media coverage. The Lib Dems have recently launched a Balance the BBC campaign, asking why outside of elections (when it’s the law to give equal coverage based on number of MPs) that the media follow every word of Reform UK, yet ignore the other smaller parties.
- GB News profiles climate denials, and non-stop praise for President Trump, who says ‘the UK has to be saved’.
- Green leader Zack Polanski was the only party leader not to be granted an in-depth interview in conference season, despite having more members than Lib Dems. The reason given was to focus on the terrorist attack in Manchester (yet Zack is Jewish and from Manchester?)
- The BBC hardly ever questions Israeli politicians (or UK MPs selling arms to Israel) on how the moeny is being used to drop bombs on aid workers and children’s hospitals in Gaza. That’s their job?
A recent survey by University of Exeter found that hardly any young people would vote Reform, few vote Conservative and Labour’s share has collapsed, due to the hash the new government has made of its massive majority. Lib Dems and Greens are faring much better.
