Farage is leader of the opposition

He has a habit of knowing which way the wind is blowing,

He certainly does, and my response to that would be, surely our elected representatives should be just as if not more in touch with the views of a significant portion of the electorate. And if they're not, whose failing is that? Theirs? Their advisers? the political system as it currently is? Pollsters?

I don't have the answers but I genuinely think it should be an urgent matter of academic and mainstream media debate, because I do feel it is a matter of the fundamental health of the parliamentary system. Something in it seems to be broken.

I also think that people don't behave in the way we always expect them to. My parents came to this country in their 20s from India. I'm avidly pro Europe and pro liberalism. My dad on the other hand, thinks Farage is a 'man of the people' (his words) and that the UK has too much immigration. I could (and sometimes do) dismiss his views as silly given that he himself is an immigrant. But this is too easy a stance and indicates a failing in myself and a desire to feel superior to him. I'd be better off trying to understand him better. Which, I admit, I rarely have the energy to do. But it's a conversation that needs to happen at a national level I think.

He is not the leader of the opposition. His "party" has no seats in Parliament, his "party" has no democratic process for making him leader, and he himself is not an MP. I would say that if I didn't fucking hate him as well.

There will be a few ppl who love him and lots who hate him. That's why he gets stuff thrown at him.

He will be.
It's going to be my absolutely best birthday present on July 5th.

Leader of the opposition is leader of the party with the 2nd highest number of seats in parliament. Reform are on track to win between 1 & 6 seats so he's talking nonsense about this. But then most of what he says is silly so no change there!

No, Brexit was decided by a referendum which David Cameron wasn't obliged to do (mistake #1) and he made a second huge mistake by saying that if one side got a simple majority (i.e. anything over 50%) that result would be binding. He could have said leaving the EU would only happen if more than 60% or some other higher number voted for it. But no, he went for the easiest, quickest wording to draft for the ballot paper, in the mistaken belief that the whole thing would be a non-event, Remain would win, and the whole issue would go away. And here we are now. 52% voted Leave, 48% voted Remain, and out we came. Majority of those who voted Leave back then feel it was a mistake. Never mind, we're stuck with it. I will blame Cameron for this till the day I die.

To be fair he has the right level of arrogance and cuntiness to be conservative leader 🤷‍♀️

Go Nige!

Spot on. I hate his views with a passion but he’s been an incredible politician and had a huge impact. I wonder what he could have done with those skills if he were a centrist…

no, in several, since yesterday, and even when not a clear second is looking like a joint second in many - this was even reported in the BBC news at lunch time, even though the BBC poll still shows the tories ahead of reform, up to yesterday

It’s a mistake to minimise him as a potential opposition.
The more Reform is treated as a joke, racist party, the more it pushes people to vote for them.
We’re seeing a move to the far right in Europe, if we’re not careful with the shutting down of certain topics and treating people as racist idiots instead of addressing the issues, we’re headed there too. Maybe not on the 4th July, but in the next 4-8 years.

Hmm, I wonder how eager the libdems would be to pursue a long held desire for proportional representation should they get more seats than the Tories and find themselves at the opposition but with fewer votes cast for them than reform. A ridiculous position that is an increasing reality.

I don't particularly like him but I think it would be foolish to underestimate him.

Sunlight and open debate are good for everyone. I would like to see the leaders of Labour, Tory, Libdem and Reform in a public debate.

Avoiding and attempting to shh someone whose views are clearly hitting home with an alarming number of the public is a mistake.

People will be wondering why the two men in the running to be primeminster (let's face it, it's Keir) aren't standing up for their views in a proper all leaders debate.

I agree with this. He has a habit of knowing which way the wind is blowing, I'll give him that. I'll be amazed if they actually do better than the Tories though.

ETA I love spanakopita too 😋😁

He’s no more leader of the opposition than Starmer is prime minister. He needs to shut up.

it’s a poll

No, that was a referendum - not the same as PR at all.

I do love the fact that everyone assumes that Keir Starmer is Prime Minister already.

In ONE poll only.

Barely, and as they have made clear, within the margin of error.

If they can sustain it til the election then I'll believe it.

look at it this way - could he be worse than Sunak as a leader of the opposition? seriously - we have a country where people can genuinely no longer assume they will have access to food, education or medical care. Tories dead and buried - I am all for that, even if the person with the spade is Farrage

Nigel Farage is an amoral grifter. That doesn't stop him being the most influential political figure of the past 20 years, even though he has never been elected to Parliament through our democratic system.

The answer therefore is not to ignore him but to study and ask HOW and WHY he has been able to have such influence. Is it a failure of the parliamentary system or a failure of our elected politicians?

We need to understand now otherwise the UK will become increasingly prey to unelected demagogues like hi, to our cultural and economic detriment (eg look at Brexit).

Historians will certainly study him closely and how he managed to have such influence and if we want to save moderate liberal democracy then we should too.

Ignoring him is more comfortable and less scary but also avoids the problem imho.

This

his party is second in the polls

He's a shit stirrer for hire, doesn't care who he's paid by. He'll say anything

He just rilly rilly rilly rilly wants to be an MP.