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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Farage should keep his promise?

107 replies

Icimoi · 11/05/2015 16:46

Apparently he has graciously agreed to withdraw his resignation having conveniently been pressed to do so by the party. UKIP are maintaining he kept his promise to resign so that's fine. Farage is on record as saying the leader of the party should be a sitting MP. So what happened to that?

It seems to me that the whole thing has been an absolute farce. It seems fairly obvious that he never really thought he would have to resign and this has been cobbled together to try to come up with some sort of face saving means of avoiding it. If he truly wanted to resign and meant it, then it really wouldn't matter that UKIP allegedly refused to accept it: he couldn't be forced to carry on against his will. It follows therefore that the reality is that this is what he wanted.

None of it is in the least surprising, of course. I would hope that UKIP's followers will see through it, though I suspect that most won't.

OP posts:
ThroughThickAndThin01 · 11/05/2015 19:26

I agree rumble. The Greens got 1 as well I think with about 1 million votes.

Topseyt · 11/05/2015 19:29

There is no credible alternative.

Like him or loathe him, he is now a very well known and charismatic figure and UKIP will not easily be able to replace him.

ilovechristmas1 · 11/05/2015 19:33

i said when he said he was having the summer of then would think about re-election i knew he would

he revels in the attention,he would not get that if he was not the face of UKIP,he loves the attention and no way was he gonna give that up

so not at all surprised this has happened

Preciousbane · 11/05/2015 19:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pixel · 11/05/2015 19:43

He did keep his promise, he offered his resignation. It's to his credit surely that the party refused to accept it. I haven't noticed the Lib Dems or Labour begging their leaders to stay!

grovel · 11/05/2015 19:50

I'm not sure Farage really wanted to stay on without being an MP. I'm told by a journo who followed him that he shows - close up - real signs of suffering physically (from the plane crash presumably).

I wouldn't be surprised if Clegg and Miliband now wish that they had not won their seats. Westminster will be a pretty miserable place for them for the next 5 years.

Tough business.

Mistigri · 11/05/2015 20:09

UKIP knows perfectly well - as does Farage - that without him, the party is doomed to a return to obscurity (I remember a decade or more ago when UKIP was a fringe single-issue party, among whose very few voters was my profoundly eurosceptic - but not racist or even rightwing - father).

Like him or loath him, Farageis a charismatic politician who has genuine appeal to a certain type of voter.

Lweji · 11/05/2015 20:12

Damn.

And, yet, it fits with what I think of him.

OTOH, if I remember it correctly, his resignation was in the immediate aftermath of failing to be elected, and I'm sure everyone in the party must be in panic at the thought of their leader being the only member who was elected.

Lweji · 11/05/2015 20:13

I bet he'll run for every single byelection.

Sausages123 · 11/05/2015 20:16

He is such a huge twat

RedToothBrush · 11/05/2015 20:33

What do you expect from the hypocritical megalomaniac?

UncertainSmile · 11/05/2015 20:34

He knew this would happen all the time. Fucking hypocrite.

kinkytoes · 11/05/2015 20:40

Remember when Kilroy was leader? Wonder what happened to him.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 11/05/2015 20:48

Ah Kilroy - when he deigned to join them and couldn't. quite get his head around the K in UKIP not standing for Kilroy. I think he's still out there waiting for us to realise we miss him.Hmm

Original poster
Icimoi · 11/05/2015 21:04

The thing is, if his resignation was genuine, the party could reject it a million times, they still couldn't force him to carry on. The truth is the whole thing was a blatant stunt.

It's true to say it probably isn't my business as I certainly don't support UKIP, and I don't think they'll be around much longer. Farage's credibility has been damaged by failing to win Thanet - and indeed by this stunt - and many of those votes will melt away when the government does something to appease people on immigration. I suppose I'm mostly miffed because I don't particularly want to see that stupid face more than I have to.

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SaucyJack · 11/05/2015 21:09

They should've dug Kilroy-Silk back out.

His "Are you going to share or shaft?" catchphrase off that gameshow would've summed up the General Election perfectly.

RedToothBrush · 11/05/2015 21:17

Of course it was theatrical.

It gets more publicity.

What does Farage and UKIP love?

UncertainSmile · 11/05/2015 21:33

IMHO, it makes him look like an opportunistic arse.

Mistigri · 11/05/2015 21:55

Of course it does, but a lot of his voters won't care. They don't hold Farage to the same standards that they expect of other politicians.

SomethingFunny · 11/05/2015 21:56

"He won't be the first politician to not follow through - and he certainly won't be the last.

And 3.8 million people can't be wrong - he's here to stay wink"

At the last election, 6.8 million people vote LibDem. Their leader broke his promise too...

But actually what I think and hope will kill off UKIP is the EU Referedum. Whichever way that goes, they loose their main message.

RhiannonElward · 12/05/2015 14:08

Yes, the one good thing about this election result for me was Nigel getting his arse handed to him. Every cloud. However, now that he's back and has been shown to not stick to his own principles hopefully he'll upset his own supporters and bring about a more humiliating second downfall a bit later on which we can enjoy without the context of a Conservative majority putting a dampener on things.

I agree that whatever happens in the EU referendum, that's UKIP's main purpose dealt with. He'll have nothing to stand for after that.

UncertainSmile · 12/05/2015 17:32

I've been reading the DM comments section (I know, I know). All the loonies there still think he's the Second Coming. The rules don't apply to him, apparently.

Original poster
Icimoi · 12/05/2015 17:37

UKIP cling like drowning men to the number of votes they got as if they seriously think those are people will stick with them. The reality is that once the referendum is out of the way and the government have handed them some sort of concession on immigration, the vast majority will revert to their original allegiances.

OP posts:
suzannecanthecan · 12/05/2015 17:38

ukip is a cult
he is the leader
without him it'd be like a headless chicken

CumberCookie · 12/05/2015 18:33

Yes he should. I have even less respect for him now and prior to election night I didn't think that was possible.