To timidly suggest that Nigel Farage is not a racist

[Millyonthefloss]

Can I just start by saying that I am not a racist. Thanks.

This is my AIBU.

Lots of people on mumsnet say Farage is a racist.

But this is what I think.

He is a geezer. He is a city boy. He smokes. He wears dodgy coats. He looks weird. He says non PC things, like my FIL does. He doesn't like overcrowding and change.

But I am beginning to think that he is not a racist.

What he is in fact is a man with an absolute obsession with British parliamentary democracy and an absolute hatred of EU waste, extravagance and unaccountability. He is totally obsessed with getting the UK out of the EU and independent again.

He is enraged and infuriated by the wasteful things the EU does like moving the EU Parliament from Strasbourg to Brussels all the time and wasting millions and millions of British taxpayers money that could be spent in his beloved UK.

I don't even think he is that interested in immigration.

But he is so obsessed with his aim of UK independence that he will work with anyone. So when free movement of labour became the big issue - years after he started his campaigns - he was willing to embrace it. And there have therefore been racists in UKIP. He is not choosy.

But I don't think Farage himself is a racist.

He seems to be genuinely delighted now that he can stand on a platform with Kwasi Kwateng or Frank Field.

He does his weird grin when he is with people like them.

All he wants is UK independence.

What do you think? AIBU?

Of course he's a racist. Otherwise he wouldn't stand for a party whose candidates have made countless racist comments. Examples;

'I was visiting the city of Birmingham recently and felt like a foreigner in the city of my birth, all around me I could hear the sound of jabbering in an alien voice … we also have the Pakistani’ and the Somali’s. Tell me Mr Cameron Why? the men wear their Pyjamas.”

'Islam is a cancer that needs eradicating multiculturism does not work in this country clear them all off to the desert with their camals that’s their way of life.”

May I timidly suggest that I was referring to Kwasi Kwateng's skin colour. You are the one who started a thread about race. Remember?

Motheroffour. I agree they are in it for entirely different reasons. I love Frank Field.

I do not take him seriously in the same way that Boris is not to be taken seriously - they are the knee-jerk eraction, back-of-the-envelope policy making brigade.

I do not know whether he is really a racist, but I think it is important that discussion of issues about a sensible immigration policy should not be instantly confused with racism - the two are not the same.

Ironcurtain a quick google revealed

Farage publically apologised for saying something 'badly worded' [[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/19/nigel-farage-next-door-romanians-ukip]]

What he was talking about were criminal gangs (well-recognised) coming from Romania and that he would be concerned if such a gang moved in as his ndn. So not racist perhaps, just worried about uncontrolled immigration that cannot prevent all sorts of suspect types trying their luck in the UK?

It would be understandable if you punched him in the gob iron.

But looking on the bright side, he won't move into your street which is great news in itself and also fantastic for house prices

Making the UK immigration process equal for everyone from around the world is fairer than the Little EU who only wants free movement within itself IMO.

Farage is really incidental to this referendum. It's not about personalities.

"and he's sexist too"

Read that as "and he's sexy too"

YABU

remember his comments about not wanting to live next door to a group of romanians?

he's head of a party that have said appaling things, from bongo bong land to women not cleaning behind their fridge being sluts, to homosexuals not being normal.

so his party is full of racists, misogynists and homophobes and you think the chances of him NOT being like that are quite high. Are you having a laugh?!

Little those quotes are awful and I don't agree with them at all but what you quoted is xenophobia it was about the customs cultures and religions of another group of people. Skin colour wasn't mentioned that is xenophobic not racism

I'm not a fan of him, but he does have some points that are valid.
My parents are foreigners won't say where from as will out myself and when they came to this country they were skilled workers.

I even went to school speaking no English as was at home with dm til I went to school. I did not get any support for speaking English and picked it up quickly in school, not like the kids have these days, taking up the teachers time, and speaking their own language. My friend's a teacher and has to remind the children that they can only speak English between themselves in school, and they're excluding other children in the class whilst doing so.

My dps applied for British citizenship as soon as they could.
They're fed up of the mass immigration that's happened too, as most come from unskilled jobs.

I agree with an Australian points system, having lived there it actually works, especially picking up on the skills we need for this country.

Farage is really incidental to this referendum. It's not about personalities.

It shouldn't be about personalities but both sides have done their best to make it so.

He isn't a racist. I don't agree with a lot of what Nigel Farage says but wanting to discuss unfettered immigration to the UK with the infrastructure problems that come with it, has nothing to do with racism. To suggest he is is just virtue signalling IMO.

Draylon - what a ridiculous post. Racism is all about skin colour??

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11465505/Nigel-Farage-Bosses-should-be-allowed-to-discriminate-between-Britons-and-foreigners.html

"Mr Farage also said that he did not think there should be a law against discrimination on the grounds of race or colour."

Squoosh. By people like Kwasi Kwarteng and Frank Field I meant respected figures who are prominent Leave campaigners and who are therefore on the same side in the referendum as Farage.

For different reasons of course.

Unlike Farage, Frank Field is mainly concerned with immigration. And he is also not a racist.

This thread is not about race. It is about whether Farage is a racist.

This is Mumsnet. Farage is the anti-Christ. End of.

The main thing for me is he incites each of us to look at our neighbour and assess them as "British enough" or "not British enough" to be worthy of basic human requirements; such as work, healthcare and housing. The implied main divisor is that individual's heritage - their race - and that is the first thing you asses in your judgement of them.

I appreciate Britain has limited resources, but Farage promotes an ideal that British people - by default - are likely more worthy of those resources. There is no scope for there being an Albanian or a Syrian or a Pole perhaps being more worthy of a particular job - for any reason, for example them being actually prepared to do that job - than a person of British heritage. And that, I feel, is racism.

He's not charismatic enough to be the antichrist

Exactly Draylon. Which has to a lot of people made the accusation of racism pretty empty these days. Which means that apart from preaching to a converted group on the left who would never vote for him anyway the accusation makes little difference in terms of votes.

Personally I think it very much detracts from the fact that if you look at UKIPs economic policies they are pretty sinister and would damage many of their core voters. And those core voters generally wouldn't be put off by predictable racism accusations being wheeled out at anybody who isn't in favour of fully open borders and unfettered migration. It's entirely counterproductive in terms of trying to erode their vote.

He always comes up on those 'secret crush' threads...

I meant respected figures who are prominent Leave campaigners and who are therefore on the same side in the referendum as Farage.

No you didn't. You meant 'Here's proof that Nigel isn't a racist. He's standing beside a black man, smiling and being pleasant.

I hope that come June 23rd, people vote based on the issues rather than the politicians. I doubt it though....