To think that Nigel Farage is a political genius.

[beingchampion]

Doesn't matter if you think he's a cock, but he'll be remembered for a very long time. You've got to admire his tenacity.

If by genius you mean sociopathic shitlord with a brass neck, then ok.

He'll be remembered much a Oswald Moseley was...

..and for the same reasons...

This thread is full of the critical thinkers it seems, and some people still try and pretend it is leavers who are politically illiterate.

This was the totally not biased New European front cover, it's held up well obviously. Remember though division is only perpetuated by the right wing msm.

Farage can see that many people don’t like identity politics, the erosion of free speech, globalization, and so forth. He is one of the only MPs that gets this.

Genius? Yes in regards to ensuring he always stays in the press. Has he also made a pact with the BBC? They can’t get enough of him yet the Green Party who are a serious party and not just a ltd company can’t get 5mins airtime. He has no polices but is always in the MSM. He must have some serious backers behind him.

The only reason why he stood down from his threat is because he cannot find 300+ candidates who wouldn’t scare the shit out of normal voters. His party is made up of cranks. The Tories called his bluff as they knew this.

In any case it’s not in his interests for Brexit to happen. He would be yesterday’s man overnight if it did.

Farage doesn’t like identity politics? Are you having a freaking laugh? His type spend all their waking life complaining about the plight of heterosexual white working class English men and blaming other demographics for their problems e.g the poster full of Syrians he displayed to help the Leave vote or when he targeted breast feeding women. Is that not identity politics?

Farage the free speech activist? When Jo Brand made a joke that he should be shot. He demanded the police take action.

Farage anti globalisation? The same Farage who made his millions as a commodities trader on global markets and is actively promoting a closer union with Trumps USA?

Nigel is that you?

Why is he still taking the EU salary and subsequent pension if he hates it so much, the word duplicitous comes to mind

"He is one of the only MPs that gets this."

I suggest you use Googleski to check his status...

He's not an MP never has been tried 7 times but failed that's why he wont try again, he doesn't want egg on his face
Not enough people voted for the bugger

He’s disingenuous, he has lied, he has been utterly unkind, he’s a chancer, he’s created his own cocoon of self aggrandisement, he has pitted ordinary people against each other, he has no concept of manual labour ( ie, most crop pickers are from Eastern Europe as British workers won’t or can’t afford to do that back breaking job) , he doesn’t ‘get’ that much of the caring community is made up of immigrants, again, not enough British folk to fill those posts, he doesn’t understand that most of British industries’ contracts are through the EU ( irrespective of whether you love or loathe the EU) and he’s just thoroughly unpleasant.

His type spend all their waking life complaining about the plight of heterosexual white working class English men and blaming other demographics for their problems e.g the poster full of Syrians he displayed to help the Leave vote or when he targeted breast feeding women. Is that not identity politics?

You are using IDPOL against his IDPOL??

Farage the free speech activist? When Jo Brand made a joke that he should be shot. He demanded the police take action.

If you look back, the general feeling was that she shouldn't face any police action, but her joke should be held to the same standard that had been set to previous standards (again under the IDPOL)

I am beginning to think you don't really have a grasp of IDPOL.

Farage anti globalisation? The same Farage who made his millions as a commodities trader on global markets and is actively promoting a closer union with Trumps USA?

Agree 100% with this, problem is that ~80% of the remainer argument is around globalisation, overlap that to the vocal remainers with vocal labour supporters and you can see why it has caused division among the political class, one side tries to blame all our ills on Europe while the other tries to blame all our ills on decades of Conservative goverments, both offer simplistic solutions, neither side wants to be honest, both sides have been led by some form of propaganda and neither side can call the intellectual high ground.

As soon as Brexit happens and the economic reality kicks in, he’ll be in Germany with his kids who he managed to get EU passports for after Leave won or on the American after dinner circuit claiming that Brexit failed because we did the ‘wrong Brexit’.

In an earlier age he’d have been a snake oil salesman. I cannot believe so many people fall for this conman.

He'll be in USA, with an emissary title, courtesy of Bozza, snuggling up to Trump. Doing bigly deals. Bloody spellcheck keeps correcting bigly to bigot. It knows a lot.

Surely a political genius would be able to get elected as an MP at least once out of his many attempts?

No. Being able to tap into a hotbed of bigotry and social unrest does not require any form of genius. It just requires a big dose of arrogance/confidence and a huge load of money. That's how Trump (and most right-wing populists) do it too

Correct

If Nigel Farage hadn't rattled David Cameron the referendum wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't be in this mess. I can't understand why DC gave in. Maybe arrogance in thinking that LEAVE wouldn't be the outcome.

I can't stand the NF, but he got what he wanted. And now he's trying to get the best deal for himself. As long as he gets a well paid spokesman style job he'll be happy. He's got zero interest in being an MP/PM. He's a showman

His abilities (such as they are) are exaggerated by the fact that most of the leaders of the other parties are 3rd rate at best (to put it charitably).

Wilson or Macmillan would have chewed him up and spat him out in minutes.

He was offered a peerage before his u turn in party seats. He's all about himself. He'll fuck off to America as soon as the realities of the Brexit he promoted start to bite. He won't stay around to face the dreadful consequences of his actions.

Farage a political genius? No, Nigel Farage is an adept public speaker at a certain type of public speaking - the red-in-the-face blowhard, frothing at the mouth type. He knows how to whip up a crowd and it worked for some people. Now, Arron Banks is an absolute financial genius. He bought Nigel Farage for the princely sum of £1 million to UKIP and a further £450,000 to him personally (that’s coins in the sofa when you have £250 million, I’d imagine) and got people like you to think Farage is a political genius, which you can’t put a price on. And then there’s the £5 million Banks gave for Leave.EU. All those people who thought we’d have an extra £350 million a week for the NHS if we left the EU - how did that get into their heads? The money for the advertising came from somewhere and so did the message and it sure as hell wasn’t Farage as the starting point. PR and advertising firms were handed millions to come up with messages like that for him to scream and you think he’s a genius for screaming them. I don’t particularly care if someone is for “leave” or “stay,” but do realize who’s putting the thoughts into your head, who has the most at stake, etc.

While he may be targeting Labour leave votes in “northern” areas, he’s also handed Labour a campaign slogan on a plate: Vote Nigel, get Boris.

It remains to be seen how much the Labour Leaver vote is driven by Brexit vs Austerity. I suspect a lot will turn on local issues/the MP profile etc.

For those of us who follow politics in general, this election is fascinating in its unpredictability. However, for those of us wanting some leadership and direction, I fear there isn’t going to be a clear enough mandate for one party to proceed - the country is and will be split down the middle for some time to come. The best outcome imho would be a government of National Unity which sets up a citizens convention like for the constitution review in Ireland. Brexit isn’t going to go away, so let’s thrash out all the issues and see if we can work together to get some kind of consensus going on what we do want for this country.

So, yes, Nigel is an astute political operator, a disruptor who relishes throwing a spanner in the works. He is not what the country actually wants or needs at the moment, which is a charismatic, credible, moderate unifier. I long for someone of the calibre of David Milliband, or maybe someone from the Tory Reform Group, like Anna Soubry. Someone near the middle ground. However, I note all the moderates are also remainers, which may not help credibility on trying to bring leavers and remainers back together.

As I have mentioned on other threads your political genius is likely to split the Brexit vote in my area and hand a victory to Labour. Northern Leave voting constituency here. Sounds like a fucking idiot to me.

I can’t stand the man, but he’s a political outsider who somehow managed to engineer Britain leaving the EU - the biggest issue to affect our country since WW2 and something I never thought would happen in a million years. It’s gob-smacking really.

He is certainly a mastermind at political manipulation he is an agitator

As are many people who have made huge changes in politics that doesn’t mean good changes

But strangely when it comes down to it people won’t vote for him to be an MP even in what would have be considered safe seats

He has many times been on TV and sat there smugly smirking as the panel lay into him knowing that they are playing into his game - man of the people who isn’t listened to

And he is the reason we are leaving the EU but that also makes him redundant