u/ClumperFaz

So over on ukpol, he's doing an AMA and unfortunately I can't ask anything as I'm unable to post on there for a few months, gutted about it, but if you're wanting to ask him anything, it'll be from 5pm tomorrow.

Personally, the main thing I want to know is if he's going to ease back on the OSA stuff - the idea behind it is commendable and one I completely agree with, but none of this should come at the cost of our privacy, our ability to use VPNs (something that's been hinted at as of late by the government that they're going to target next), and at the cost of internet surveillance in general.

People on reddit can't get to mental health subreddits for instance, people who genuinely need advice, because of the act. It's stuff like that which make it an outdated bit of legislation which people will just bypass anyway.

What do you reckon you'd ask him/are going to ask him?

I've pretty much been following Lowe and the Restore Party since he first announced it as a political party back in February of this year, before it actually became a registered party.

I even met a customer in work the other day, just as I was talking to a colleague of mine about the Makerfield by-election, who overheard us and he was wearing a Restore Britain cap - I've never seen anyone wear a cap of any party before, and we had a proper conversation for about 20 minutes or so.

Very nice bloke, hates Farage etc, we spoke about Rupert's spat with Farage etc, even Charlie Downes came up in our conversation, and to be fair he was genuinely down to earth. We're only across the Welsh border from Makerfield so I initially figured he was down from that area but he was actually local and told me there was a Restore branch around here.

Ever since Makerfield's by-election was initiated, I feel like Restore's prominence has only just come into the national picture and I think it's pretty obvious Burnham is going to win, but I genuinely feel the real story will be the result that Restore gets. The amount of mentions from various news outlets etc, about how they're an electoral threat to Farage etc, is what's already gained the party recognition.

I actually respect just how quickly and organised the party's become to have gained such a force electorally, only a few months as a party. It's probably been among the most politically interesting things to follow for me, and I'd be lying if I said I'm on the polar opposite of the political divide from both yourselves and Reform.

But I actually respect what you guys have done with Restore, which basically leads into my question - do you reckon the Makerfield by-election will be what thrusts the party into the national picture?