Live webchat with UKIP leader Nigel Farage, Thurs 24 Feb, 1-2pm

[KatieMumsnet]

Our live webchat guest this week is Nigel Farage. He is the leader of UKIP and has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1999.

Known for his straight-talking, Nigel has made the headlines with forthright speeches, once telling the EU President he had the charisma of a 'damp rag'.

He is a regular on programmes including BBC Question Time.

If you have a question you'd like to put to Nigel, please join the webchat this Thursday lunchtime, 1pm - 2pm. If you won't be around then, please post your question here.

[Psammead]

I guess they were trying to do the Beeb thing of offering a balanced view, but that's all the could find.

[ScramVonChubby]

Wow thanks for the SN response Nige. Glad you said rural: hadn;t thought about that. I mean what with the MN demographic being London and Home Counties how could I?

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

That was great. I was out today so missed the live show. Hilarious to read back though.

Rinseoff was particularly high in comedy value

[madamimadam]

Thanks for clarifying that about PMs, Helen.

I seem to remember that the Sun campaign to free the Weatherfield One got more than a million supporters.

For a fictional character.

Just thought it might cheer any UKIPers out there to know you probably have another 100,000 votes or so out there.

Because I'm not really sure how many you managed to pick up here today...

[FannyFifer]

A BBC name check for me and they quoted another of my posts, job done!

[HerBeX]

Wow, he was even worse than Gordon Brown.

That's just incompetent.



Did you notice that no one gave a shit what biscuit he eats?

[jonicomelately]

OMG. The BBC article quotes me but attributes it to rinseoffmycustard!
Rinseoff said why do you all hate NF and I said I think he's a nice bloke but his politics stink!'

Said it totally off the cuff and sarcastically. How funny that rinseoff has been quoted as saying NF's politics stink

[Pete12345]

Hello everybody on the wall.
I'd just like to take the opportunity to say that certain people who came onto the Mumsnet today purposely to 'troll' and be offensive thinking it would be funny definitely do not reflect the views of the UK Independence Party or it's voters or supporters and could have been doing it with the intention of making UKIP look bad {.
It is up to everybody to form their own views & opinions of Nigels answers and Nigel himself but please ignore them and if they were genuine 'UKIPers' I would like to apologise for it and explain to everyone that they are voting for the wrong political party then, thank you mums-net :)

[HerBeX]

Who were they Pete?

Was it Dave Cameron and his mates?

[jonicomelately]

Are you the Peter Staveley we spoke to last night Pete12345?

[Pete12345]

I don't know HerBex!

[Pete12345]

No, who is that?

[jonicomelately]

Come on Peter. I know it's you

[Susiewho]

Pete someone made UKIP look bad?

Yep, that'll be Nigel Farage.

[BarbaraSeville]

Pmsl at the thought of Shiny Dave and pals sniggering over their laptops.

[PStaveley]

Yes, I am still here. If you remember I was asked by scottishmummy not to post here, which I complied with.

I can assure you that I am not Pete12345.

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

PMSL. It might be the .

[jonicomelately]

Ok PeterStaveley

How do you think NF did?

[HerBeX]

Barbara perhaps it was the Germans, executing a fiendishly clever plot to discredit poor Nigel?

[TondelayoSchwarzkopf]

I wish people wouldn't call him NF. Causes me a great deal of confusion about which party is under discussion.

[PStaveley]

jonicomelately I do not really wish to add to the debate. However, you asked me a question so I presume that you are happy for me to post here.

Nigel did as well as could be expected.

If you do not mind I would rather just continue to lurk rather than take part in this discussion.

[jonicomelately]

OK. Lurk away

I'll shall ask a rhetorical question then.

'Nigel did as well as could be expected.'

Is that a comment on us being unreasonble or are you damning NF with faint praise?

[PStaveley]

It was always going to be a difficult webchat, but Nigel knew that. Mumnet members, quite rightly, had/have strong views. Therefore, you asked difficult questions. I would say that Nigel answered them as frankly and honestly as he could given the short timescale and few words available.

Obviously many Mumnet members were even more put off of UKIP by Nigel's answers. However, hopefully a few members would become more interested in researching UKIP polices more deeply.

On the point about lack of women in UKIP. I would say that is not true. In my branch both the Chair and the Secretary (i.e. 2 out of the 3 top positions) are women. That ratio applies to many of the other branches I have had contact with. There are quite a few women on the National Executive Committee.

The main thing to remember is that EU law is created by unelected Commissioners and the MEPs have very little power to change that legislation, they have less power than those in the House of Lords. The lack of democracy in the EU is the key.

[HerBeX]

Yes he was very frank and honest about sympathising with small businesses not employing women of childbearing age.

If women of childbearing age are nto to have the right to earn their living, is he proposing to introduce an allowance for us?

[madamimadam]

Can I ask both Peters, while you're here if you could tell me how many UKIP members are currently being investigated for fraud please?

Five minutes Googling has turned up the following UKIPers as under/having had OLAF investigation: Derek Clark (UKIP MEP) , Tom Wise, Mike Nattrass, David Bannerman, Graham Booth, Jeffrey Titford and, um, Nigel Farage? (It seems that Nigel appointed a lawyer to represent him in his dealings with OLAF?...)

And OLAF did find against Marta Andreasen, didn't they?

And as of 19 Feb this year only Nikki Sinclaire and Mike Nattrass have published full and transparent MEP accounts.

Any thoughts on this, the Two Peters? Gawain?