The English electorate never cease to amaze me with their political choices and sheer stupidity, especially since they voted for Margaret Thatcher.

As Arthur Daley, the fictional artful dodger, famously said: “She was greatest salesperson ever – who sold the British public assets they already owned.”

This sentiment was reinforced by the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the lies and myths that led the UK to exit the European Union against its own interests. These two acts of national self-harm have left the UK struggling to economically recover.

The results of the English local government elections suggest that this stupidity trend has become an addiction.

Noel Doran: With Stormont heading for the rocks, unionism’s strategy is hard to fathom

While it’s important to take these results seriously, the prospect of a Reform government isn’t inevitable.

However, the threat of being governed by self-absorbed, money-grabbing charlatans and city wide boys has become a real possibility.

This is English nationalism on steroids, and it’s not a good omen for stability in Northern Ireland or the future of British-Irish relations.

The gains made by Reform are remarkable, especially considering that voters seem to have chosen a party and its candidates without much knowledge about either.

The electorate knows that Reform is not Labour or the Conservatives and seems content with that for now.

One concerning aspect is the large number of former Tories in........

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