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Original poster

To think this is a new low even for Farage?

236 replies

LouiseBrooks · 20/12/2016 13:02

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/20/nigel-farage-accuses-jo-cox-widower-brendan-cox-of-supporting-extremism

"Farage said: “Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox. He backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful, but actually pursue violent and undemocratic means.”

I really hope that Hope not Hate sue him.

OP posts:
Peregrina · 21/12/2016 07:22

He [Farage] collects a salary as an MEP and his attendance record is so low. Arrogant and unprofessional.

Exactly. And he needn't have said a word about this. Except perhaps to say that(since he has a German wife) thankfully no relatives or friends were caught up with it, and express sympathy. But no, he wades in with his inflammatory comments, gets advised to watch his step, and some people on MN come running in to defend him.

Livelovebehappy · 21/12/2016 07:32

At least Farage goes out there and actually works for his salary. He is constantly on radio stations and the TV, so I would say he earns his salary. Compare that to most politicians who only come forward when there's a general election, yet are still happy to claim their wages. It's difficult from media comments to tell whether people are actually condemning his comments because they are derogatory against Hope not Hate, or whether they are unhappy he responds to a tweet by Brendan Cox. Either way, people have a right to air their opinions without being shouted down for it. Free speech and all that. People saying it's a disgrace blaming Merkel for the recent atrocity in Berlin are the same people who constantly blame Tony Blair for what's happening in the Middle East.

birdybirdywoofwoof · 21/12/2016 07:35

I didn't think that the German police had caught the perpetrator yet.So what happens, if and when they do, that they find he's another extreme right-winger like Anders Breivik?

If it is found that the perpetrator is anything but a very recently arrived asylum seeker then the racists will no doubt start calling it a 'cover up' by the German authorities.

birdybirdywoofwoof · 21/12/2016 07:43

What I'm trying to say is we can all use tragic events for political gain. It gets us nowhere but it's wrong to counter argue farage with what he did.

This is staggering.

It's wrong to counter argue farage with what he did?

So Farage is right to us tragic events for political gain - but no one is allowed to disagree with him?

Wow.

Peregrina · 21/12/2016 07:46

At least Farage goes out there and actually works for his salary.

No, he most certainly does not. He was on the EU fisheries committee and attended once out of a potential 42 occasions. That's not 'earning' his salary in my book, that's taking the p*. I wonder what will happen if, after A50 is triggered and the two years are up, the knotty problems of who pays MEPs pensions is still not sorted out? I would love to see Farage start chasing the EU courts for the pension he does not deserve.

He is constantly mouthing off on the TV - so earns a nice hefty fee for doing so, but that's not a salary.

Farage could and should have kept his mouth shut about something he knows nothing about. There would then have been no responses from Brendan Cox or anyone. I hope Hope not Hate sue him and I hope he gets taken to the cleaners.

Although a number of MPs don't have a high profile, a good number of them do work conscientiously to do the job they are elected for and represent their constituents interests.

Livelovebehappy · 21/12/2016 07:56

Why should Farage 'keep his mouth shut about something he knows nothing about'? That's what I mean when I say people shut down a debate if someone is saying something they don't like. Why do you think you know more than he does, and that your opinion is the only one that matters? There are lots of high profile politicians out there whose views I absolutely do not agree with, but I recognise their right to voice their views and opinions without telling them to 'shut up'.

Livelovebehappy · 21/12/2016 07:59

And I bet my house that Hope not Hate will not sue Farage. I don't think they will want their organisation to be put under the spotlight.

flippinada · 21/12/2016 08:03

Every time you think he can't go any lower, he proves you wrong. What a revolting, odious man.

As for silencing tactics, that's a load of nonsense - he has a slot on LBC and is regularly featured in news media. If he really was being silenced, we'd never hear from him.

Peregrina · 21/12/2016 08:15

Why should he keep his mouth shut? At present people think he's odious, he opens his mouth and proves that he's odious. That would be good enough to shut many up.

Why do you think you know more than he does, and that your opinion is the only one that matters?
Have I expressed an opinion on the matter? The only comment I have made is that the German authorities haven't caught anyone yet. I have wondered what Farage will say if they find out the atrocity was committed by a right-winger, but that was no comment on the atrocity.
Do I mouth off on twitter? No.
Did I stand in front of a poster illustrating Syrian refugees entering a non-EU country, and try to stir up shit in the process? No.

Are you a troll trying to defend Farage, and one who isn't worth wasting time on? IMO yes.

APlaceOnTheCouch · 21/12/2016 08:17

Both men have the right to make comments. Neither has the right to expect that those comments won't be criticised or scrutinised.

surferjet · 21/12/2016 08:18

I just find it a bit confusing that people who back organisations like *Hope not Hate' aren't exactly the most peaceful & loving amongst us. Look at the way people talk about Nigel Farage Hmm

Pluto30 · 21/12/2016 08:24

I don't see anything wrong with what he's said.

He's free to say whatever he likes in the same way that Brendan Cox is. Farage was quite clearly talking about Merkel, not his deceased wife, when he talked about politicians.

53rdAndBird · 21/12/2016 08:42

Farage was quite clearly talking about Merkel, not his deceased wife, when he talked about politicians.

You may have missed the point Brendan Cox was making.

WrongTrouser · 21/12/2016 08:47

Could you spell it out bird?

I think a lot of people have not fully understood Cox's meaning, and I am not quite sure myself whether I have understood correctly.

morningrunner · 21/12/2016 08:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

53rdAndBird · 21/12/2016 08:57

Farage: blames a politician for the actions of a murdering terrorist.

Cox: points out that doing so is a bit of a slippery slope for Farage personally to be standing on, what with the murder of Jo Cox by a terrorist, in the name of causes that Farage supports and was campaigning for at the time.

Tanith · 21/12/2016 08:57

At least Farage goes out there and actually works for his salary. He is constantly on radio stations and the TV, so I would say he earns his salary.

That's self-promotion, not work.

Unicornsarelovely · 21/12/2016 08:58

Brendan Cox was saying that the person responsible for driving a truck into the crowd in Germany was the person who actually did that and not Merkel. If politicians are held responsible for the actions of terrorist nutcases, if really is a slippery slope to more people like Thomas Mair taking action into their own hands to kill politicians whose policies they disagree with.

Nigel Farage is on record as being upset about the fact that he has received death threats, but appears to think other politicians should be fair game. Perhaps this is only limited to those actually in power or the official opposition.

53rdAndBird · 21/12/2016 09:00

The tweets Brendan Cox wrote immediately before:

"Terrible news from Berlin. We must pull together to drive out hate in all its forms. #IchBinEineBerliner"

"Far right & Islamist extremists share same hate driven psychology, intolerance towards difference& tendency to violence. We must defeat both"

MrsDustyBusty · 21/12/2016 09:03

It's shocking that anyone thinks an MEP/MP salary is earned by being on the telly a lot. The people you don't hear much from are the ones going to the long technical meetings about important issues that aren't really of interest to the TV news. Like, for example, fisheries. So while Nigel Farage was swanning about on the telly doing his bants, the other committee members were doing his job - reading their briefings, attending meetings, drafting proposals.

No wonder talentless hacks like Farage and Trump are elected when people think the job is going on telly.

user1471451327 · 21/12/2016 09:06

What new low would Farage have to stoop to in order to provoke even the mildest criticism from his unquestioning fan club.

Even right wing politicians like Daniel Hannan (with whom I agree on very little) are on the right side of this argument.

birdybirdywoofwoof · 21/12/2016 09:13

Farage must not be argued with. No one has 'license' to debate with Farage.

Arguing with Farage means you are 'shutting down' Farage or silencing Farage.

There's some really shocking stuff here. Its indefensible.

RufusTheSpartacusReindeer · 21/12/2016 09:34

"Far right & Islamist extremists share same hate driven psychology, intolerance towards difference& tendency to violence. We must defeat both"

I cant see how anyone coukd disagree with this (unless you are far right or daesh)

GraceGrape · 21/12/2016 09:46

Lol at anyone thinking Farage earns his salary. He has the lowest attendance record of any MEP from any member state! He is too busy earning a tidy sum from his numerous tv appearances to actually do any of the work that he is paid to do by EU (from taxpayers money).

And as the Berlin police have admitted they don't have any idea who the perpetrator of the atrocity was, he really should keep his trap shut until he's in possession of all the facts - not that facts are something he generally bothers about of course.

WrongTrouser · 21/12/2016 12:22

I think the problem with this issue is that for some reason, some things are deemed sayable and some not. So what Cox's tweet implied is that NF could be considered in some way responsible for Jo Cox's death (I think this is what he was implying). This is not a new theory. Polly Toynbee was subtly implicating most of the leave campaign in the murder and she was not alone. But for some reason that is deemed by some an acceptable thing to say. I don't think it is.

Is this an acceptable response to the atrocity acceptable?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/20/ankara-berlin-terror-islamist-farage-right

(It's the usual Simon Jenkins post-terrorist attack piece - but written by Owen Jones for a change).

With the rather disgusting byline

Terrorists commit atrocities and Nigel Farage and others use them to generate fear and hatred of Muslims. This is exactly what fanatics want

The readers don't seem to think much of the article going by the comments.

This is exactly what I mean about warped perspective. To get NF into the byline of a response within 24 hours of an atrocity and be more interested in berating him than the person and/or organisations/idoliologies responsible for mowing Christmas revellers down just seems deeply warped to me and a sign that something is going very wrong.